Re: [school-discuss] How to present Linux to schools

[Randy Smith <randys@amigo.net>]

First, thank you all for your responses. I'm beginning a project with the
local college to build a sample lab. The I want to use this to demonstrate
Linux and what it can do.

My biggest problem is that some of the schools in the area are so poor
that they are completely funded by grants (including a few Gates
Foundation Grants). That pulls most of the teeth out of the "cost of
ownership" arguments.

That aside, the tech crew at these schools are all Windows guys. I
suggested FreeBSD for a DNS server because the Windows box wasn't
working right and I got that blank stare.

I have seen asked somewhere (this list maybe) for a list of Windows and
OSS equivalents but have not seen an answer. Eg MS Office <=> Open
Office. Does anyone know of such a list?

Thanks again.

-- 
Randy Smith
Amigo.Net Systems Administrator
1-719-589-6100 x 4185
http://www.amigo.net/

On Thu, 25 Apr 2002, Matt Drew wrote:

> Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 09:16:27 -0400
> From: Matt Drew <mdrew@redhat.com>
> Reply-To: "schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net"
>     <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
> To: "schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net"
>     <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
> Subject: Re: [school-discuss] How to present Linux to schools
>
> This is good.  The interests expressed locally in North Carolina to Red
> Hat have been mostly cost oriented, so be prepared to answer questions
> related to total cost of ownership, licensing, how much volunteers would
> cost and what they would able to provide, and where Linux companies make
> their money.
>
> I think the best thing to do is to be up front and honest about what is
> going to be entailed by a transition.  Make sure they understand that
> the companies/volunteers will also be available for training, support,
> and administrative help.  One of the things I'm going to be working hard
> on here is making sure that the schools don't feel like we're tossing
> them to the wolves, giving them Linux and then abandoning them on their
> own to deal with it.
>
> Has anyone developed a template for a transition plan?  Matching Win32
> applications to Linux applications?  What works on Wine and what
> doesn't?  Future plans for various pieces of software?  Explaining that
> Macs can be included too?
>
> Matt
>
> Christopher Hornbaker wrote:
>
> >>How does one go about proposing moving a school from Windows to Linux?
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Setting up a meeting would be a start. Then prepare yourself. Make sure
> >you can answer any question they may propose to you, no matter how
> >stupid it may sound. Get a feel for KDE, GNOME and other desktop
> >enviroments. Find out what kind of hardware they use and try to find the
> >best/fastest applications for that hardware that will meet their needs.
> >
> >
> >
> >>More specifically, how have you over come Microsoft's brainwashing?
> >>
> >>
> >
> >The best way to do that would be to show them Linux. Present a PC or a
> >laptop to them running Linux with papers that show cost savings,
> >stability, reliability, compatibility, etc. Display programs to them
> >like Kmail or Evolution, OpenOffice or StarOffice and open Word files
> >with them too, educational programs like Kazium or Kgeo, web browsers
> >like Konquror and Mozilla. Show them that it is easy like Windows (point
> >and click). Show them how to get support (email, irc, LUGs(?)(if you're
> >using Mandrake Linux they can use the MandrakeExpert site, not sure how
> >other distributions handle it)). Show them that there are other ways,
> >specifically cheaper ways and more reliable too.
> >
> >Chris H.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>