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<DIV>"<FONT size=2>schools are being encouraged to conform to a standard
operating environment to enable .... "</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Embarrass the Education Department by asking it why it chose one
particular commercial firm as it's standard when there is a well supported
public domain alternative out there - hinting that if the answer is not
promptly forthcoming and convincing, you will pursue the Minister and media for
an answer, as well as get your local member on the job.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>James Elliott<BR>Ravensthorpe Computers<BR>ABN 34 305 232
710<BR>Tel: 08 9838 1043<BR>Fax: 08 9838 1049<BR>Cell:
0428 39 6052<BR>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:James.Elliott@wn.com.au">James.Elliott@wn.com.au</A><BR>Australia
Post:<BR>PO Box 228, Ravensthorpe WA 6346</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Stephen.Blechynden@eddept.wa.edu.au
href="mailto:Stephen.Blechynden@eddept.wa.edu.au">Stephen.Blechynden@eddept.wa.edu.au</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=plug@plug.linux.org.au
href="mailto:plug@plug.linux.org.au">plug@plug.linux.org.au</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 06, 2002 3:37 PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: [plug] suggestion: PLUG 4
Schools</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<P><FONT size=2>Hi all</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Your discussion of using linux
in schools is really interesting and worthwhile but these are some things
about the culture in schools and the Department that you will need to take
into account;</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>schools are being encouraged to conform to a standard
operating environment to enable consistency of support and to enable
implementation of system wide finance/curriculum programs</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>Schools have the need for curriculum software which in many
cases only exist in the dos/mac world</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>school networks are run on small budgets and usually small
maintanence ie the coordinators are overworked.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>plus a range of other issues to long to discuss here.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT size=2>If you are looking at implementing a strategy it will need to
be very focussed and be able to take the needs of schools and the Department's
goals.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>Good luck</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>Stephen</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>Joondalup DEP</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>From: Denis
Brown [<A
href="mailto:dsbrown@cyllene.uwa.edu.au">mailto:dsbrown@cyllene.uwa.edu.au</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 1:06 PM</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>To: plug@plug.linux.org.au</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Subject: Re: [plug]
suggestion: PLUG 4 Schools</FONT> </P><BR>
<P><FONT size=2>At 11:27 6/05/2002 +0800, Sol wrote:</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>>"Our greatest resource is our local user group. We need to</FONT>
<BR><FONT size=2>>help schools and LUGs around the country make
connections. Towards this</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>>---some snipping ---</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>>Why doesn't PLUG make a public offer to metropolitan
schools (say the first</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>>one to sign an agreement
with PLUG) to have PLUG members migrate their school</FONT> <BR><FONT
size=2>>over to Linux servers and workstations and offer supplementary
assistance in</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>--- some more snipping ---</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>I imagine this is more realistic in the USA where I assume
there are </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>significantly more active PLUG-like
associations both inter- and </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>intra-state.
Colin's already commented on the potential magnitude of such </FONT><BR><FONT
size=2>an undertaking in response to Sol's suggestion. Perhaps a
viable place to </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>start might be to establish a working
demo, ideally a portable one, which </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>could then be
demo'd to interested parties? The demo's would then be </FONT><BR><FONT
size=2>possible at a normal PLUG venue with 'net access such as UWA or
Murdoch, or </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>could be set up in a "target" school's
environment. We are talking </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>something akin to
the K12LTSP aren't we, with a server and X-capable </FONT><BR><FONT
size=2>workstations? So PLUGgers show up with three+ laptops, one a
server and </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>the others set up as workstations.
Apart from security, reliability, etc </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>the emphasis
would probably be on the ability to use existing </FONT><BR><FONT
size=2>resource-impoverished hardware at the client end.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>If we're thinking in terms of utilising the grunt already in
the desktops, </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>and there seems to be no shortage of
that these days, then just have the </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>demo set up again
as client-server but emphasising security, reliability, </FONT><BR><FONT
size=2>administrative control and so forth. Indeed if that's the case
maybe each </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>"client" laptop could default to a
different desktop environment (and of </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>course be
preloaded with all those to be demo'ed.) Demo-ee says "ooh, I
</FONT><BR><FONT size=2>like that one", demo-er kills the "disliked" desktop
environments and </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>launches the "liked" environment and
hey presto.</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>Once seen to be "do-able" and having commercial backup, maybe
the fear of </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>being left in limbo when / if something
goes wrong would be </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>reduced. OpenOffice is going
to have a lot to do with acceptability, I </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>think,
regardless of the other worthy open source projects in the </FONT><BR><FONT
size=2>productivity realm (eg AbiWord). I am keen to begin using OO here
for </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>example, initially in a Windows environment
because too much change is seen </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>to be scary.
Well, maybe that's just my environment :-)</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=2>My 2c,</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Denis</FONT>
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