Linux vs. Windows for Schools?

Fiachra06 writes "I am involved in helping to maintain the computer systems in the local school (200 ~ 250 pupils) in my home village. The children range in age from 4 to 12. The 14 PC's are running either Windows 95, Windows 98, and XP Home Edition and I find this rather abhorrent. The licensing fees to upgrade all the capable machines to XP pro is unreasonable for such a small school. What would the esteemed Slashdot readers think of shifting all these machines to a Linux distro (probably Ubuntu). I have no doubt the children will have no problem adapting to the new OS (although the teachers might), the main concerns are the availability of educational software for them to use, and practicality of maintenance for people who are new to the OS given that I am not there regularly enough to be a full time sys admin. Preferably I wouldn't like to running too much through Wine but it is still an option."

Is it really abhorrent?

[cdrudge]

Abhorrent? Please. Licensing costs for 14 copies of XP Pro Academic Upgrade would run just under a grand. If the machines are running 95 and 98, I'd bet more then a few are old enough that they probably shouldn't be running XP so the actual cost likely is less. Yes it's a significant chunk of change, but not crippling expensive. Obviously running 95, 98, and XP Home may not be the best solution overall, but it apparently seems to work for the time being.

What you are proposing is installing an operating system that is completely foreign to them. The software that they already own has been untested on it. It may or may not work. The availability of future software titles that run natively is also limited. Neither the kids nor the teachers have any experience with it. And to top it off, you even point out that you can't really support it like you should. Sounds like a great plan!

What is education

[dattaway]

Is it more educational to buy a packaged education or take a classroom and create a learning environment? The best way to learn is to create the tools of learning rather than memorizing facts or being shown movies or games all day. Tell them they are smart, get them involved and make the system that will teach more generations. Turn them into leaders of the future, not followers of the past generations.

FWIW...

[catdevnull]

Disclaimer: I don't like MS or their business practices...

It might be in MS's best interest to grow their Windows users from the ground up by practically giving away their OS to K-12 institutions. I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by extorting money from them.

From a purely practical point of view, because we live in a "Windows World," it would serve the kids best to know their way around it. It would be a disservice to them to make them use Macs or Linux boxes and breed ignorance to the real world.

HOWEVER, it would also be a disservice to these kids to NOT know anything about the other OSs out there. High school is a good place to introduce *nix for basic programming/computer science curriculums.

The bottom line: it's education. Kids should be given the opportunity to learn as much about the computing world as they can by having exposure to all the technology available. Because of its ubiquity, locking out MS would be a mistake (unless the goal is to breed absolute contempt for MS in the next generation which would bring MS down--but that's another thread, I'm sure).

Re:Is it really abhorrent?

[Sleepy]

In the OP's defense, he doesn't say he is from the USA, which means "a grand" could be a non-trivial sum. Windows 95? Sounds like these systems were all donations, and no one has had the sense to retire OS hardware that is just a bit too old.

As a Linux advocate, I'd have to agree with you overall -- The poster already said he won't be a full time admin.
If he WERE the admin, and had someone as backup admin, he should not be gambling with his and other folks time trying to fix this... especially in one fell swoop.

My suggestion is to configure 1 new and 2 old systems as a diskless Linux Terminal, with the better system running as a server of course. DON'T SELL the folks on WINE compatability -- you asked about it, meaning you (OP) don't know much about configuring WINE to actually run more than Minesweeper and Notepad (think: native DLL's). If some things work in wine, BONUS, but from the start remove this feature from the plate.

If the k12 Linux Terminal Server project works for these systems, you have a good pilot. Now draw up a chart showing what a $1500 investment in the lab would get you (A few new XP systems, or a bunch of upgrades or new OS-less systems). Then let the customer decide.

It's a huge undertaking what you propose. You are not prepared for it if you have to ask Slashdot (no offense to anyone). If you do this and fail, your credibility will be destroyed, and when Linux gets better and better they will be the last folks on the planet to try it again because of the bad experience.

Aim for a pilot program, or a fileserver, but only if you are at least 80% technically capable of it. Some things you can find in Google, but there's nothing worse than some newbie posting on the forums, whining that they have to finish Something they don't know how to, and on a deadline at that.

Why force the choice on students?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm surprised that many of the arguments here sound like a religious war is being waged. I don't believe that there is anything inherently wrong in Windows (maybe MS but that is a company not a product) other then the developers made different choices at various points and emphasized different functionality. It does not need to be one or the other, that is a false dichotomy. I think offering the students some choice can be really beneficial here in helping them understand the trade offs made in life, OS creation is just one example. One of the major complaints about Microsoft is that they are brainwashing the next generation and choosing any OS for them makes you just as naughty.

It is not about Windows or Linux or Mac, it is about kids and education. I think it important that the students have access to both OS's to learn on as it expands their horizons. I'm think forcing them into a Linux box is just as bad as forcing them into a Windows box, both leave the kids in a box. You can save $$ now by making half the machines Linux AND open up a new world of apps without closing the old one. Don't have enough machines? How about a dual boot. Basically I think that it is fair for kids to know there is a choice in life, not just the one best marketed. They have a part to play in this choice though, they need to choose and learn how to do so. Taken to the extreme you could say that every OS should be offered, but I belive that is unecessary. From my perspective the goal would be to show them they have a choice, that their choices matter and dictate their next set of options. Two OS's really serve this purpose and I think a *nix and a Windows are wise if you have to choose two.

I used to do this job so I know this will make it harder on you to support both OS's, but the value the kids will gain will be huge. I would also offer that you can do what I did and take a couple of the more interested kids on to help support and maintain the infrastructure. They'll get a fast track to knowledge and you'll get a helping hand. It is astounding how much progress a 10 year old can make on a problem if they find it interesting.