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Re: [school-discuss] How to properly outfit a learning-system forchildren?



> While I'm certain that Linux is an absolutely excellent operating system, I 
> am faced with two realities: children will require support for their 
> systems, and not all "common" child-oriented software is linux-based. 
> Children will most likely want to run the same software their peers may be 
> using, and the schools in town are Windows-based. The other - uglier - 
> alternative is to collect old Windows 98 site licenses & donate a Windows 
> 98 OS with each system.

I think this would be illegal the way MS has done its licensing.

>  While this has its obvious disadvantages, it does 
> provide parents and children with an operating platform they might have an 
> easier time troubleshooting should "something go wrong".

How many parents can really trouble shoot Windows? If its simply a
config thing its just as easy these days in Linux distros like Mandrake.
Install Mandrake and you get OO.org and everything you need but the key
is RAM. You will need to make sure the machines have 128 meg - more will
be better.

>  Since these 
> systems are not "brand new", I'm concerned frustrated parents might trade 
> technical support for the garbage can.

> Would you consider using ugly Win98/OS 
> software, if you perceived linux support to pose a future problem? If 
> choosing Linux, how might you avoid such support issues?

If you take a distro like Mandrake and it installs working, unless you
develop hardware faults its unlikely to cause problems unless people go
round deleting files etc. If they do, format the program partition on
the disc and reinstall. Voila, all applications in place and your data
as you left it. Much easier than with Windows where the data can be
scattered among applications directories and leaving old stuff on when
reinstalling sometimes means the reinstall doesn't work. So the wors
case scenario is waiting half an hour to re-install your apps and that
is all the apps not just Windows. You will reinstall OpenOffice GIMP etc
etc.

>  Most importantly, 
> what opportunities would you highlight to children (and their parents) 
> should they be faced with the "linux learning curve", and what might be 
> included in training sessions?

How to run programmes, how to get on the Internet. How to reinstall if
something goes wrong they don't know how to fix.

Take a look at WWW.theINGOTs.org and the bronze INGOT. There is an
assessment specification for complete beginners aimed at 10 hours of
tuition. Its free to use but costs $5 US if they want an official
certificate from the web site with all proceeds to free software
development for schools.

Hope this helps.

-- 
ian <ian.lynch2@ntlworld.com>