[school-discuss] Nicholas Negroponte challenges: Give us lightweight Linux

[Knut Yrvin <knuty@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

* Project proposal 

(by Knut Yrvin April 5th 2006)

Linux has bloated is the message from Nicholas Negroponte, the MIT
professor who launched the "One Laptop Per Child" solution (OLPC).  We
need a fully functional version on a laptop with 500MHz AMD processor,
128 MB RAM, and 512 MB flash memory "harddrive". We need Linux to be
more lightweight he says at Linux World. This Norwegian articles
reports from Negropontes speech at Linux World April 4th 2006:

http://www.digi.no/php/art.php?id=298814

We have experienced the same thing in the
Skolelinux/DebianEdu-project. Some software programs uses a lot of
memory in runtime, and also when it's installed.  The OpenOffice.org
office suite and FireFox demands a lot of memory in runtime. Windows
environment is also "bloated" (GNOME, KDE). When running a lot of thin
clients i a LTSP-nettwork this programs demands more server memory.
My impression is that the amount of RAM is increased from 2 GB to 4 GB
when using OpenOffice.org, FireFox and the most common Windows
managers on 50 thin clients. Because of memory usages and speed issues
some municipalities runs ICEwm as Windows manager on all their thin
clients (500-600 clients in 9 schools).

In my view solutions that Damn Small Linux does not give the required
applications for use in an educational environment:

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

Therefore I propose: 

* A project to make a de-bloated OLPC-profile for DebianEdu

-- It should investigate the memory usage on todays standalone-profile
-- It should de-bloate kwin windows manager and investigate
   replacements as xfce and ICEwm.
-- It should look to the municipality of Kongsvinger solution with use
   of Konqueror as a file-browser and possible replacement for FireFox
   as a web-browser
-- Look at Koffice as a replacement for OpenOffice.org (this is meant
   for kids, and they do not really need a fully fletched office suite
   when they uses computers for learning. Then browser applications
   with teaching tools are the thing to use e.g Moodle and
   http://mathforum.org/mathtools/cell/a,ALL,ALL,ALL/)
-- It should use the laptop connectivity solution made by Andreas
   Johansen to connect Debian systems to the Skolelinux-nettwork. And
   the laptop should work on a network at home without Skolelinux
   connection.

I will propose this to students who does last year projects also :-)

Sincerely 

Knut Yrvin