Re: [school-discuss] Free computers - what software to put on them?

[JTD <johndenny@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rich

Thanks for posting this....  Great news for Australia.   

My first thought is always about energy consumption...  a colleague here at  UN ESCAP <www.unescap.org> has been playing around with an ultra low wattage computer system from see: http://www.norhtec.com/products/mcsr/index.html 

This 500mhz unit does a perfectly fine job for a great deal of the computing needs found in schools... searches, word processing, basic programs and the such...  while it consumes a miserly 12 watts with internal 2.5 inch HD. Add in a low power consuming LCD monitor and you can get a nice system in a 30 watt package.  

Just around the corner similar computers will be made with 2-3 times the speed and very similar energy consumption profiles. while 500 mhz is perfectly fine for most all of our computer needs, extra speed is coming soon...  

I highly suggest that Australia leads the world in focusing this major computer purchase on low power consuming devices which can be mounted on the back of a VESA compliant monitor saving desk space. Focus on fanless units that dissipate less heat thereby requiring less cooling or even allowing open window computer labs. Going this route you will spend no more than the ever present big bulky desktops, yet total cost of ownership will come in at a fraction of the costs through reduced energy and maintenance costs. 


Cheers
_________________________________
John "Tim" Denny, Ph.D. 
ICT and Education Specialist
 Executive Director, PC4peace http://www.pc4peace.org
 Advisory Board, Masters of Development Studies -RUPP
 International Journal of Multicultural Education, Electronic Green Journal
http://www.avuedigitalservices.com/VR/drjtdenny
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"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read
and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." Alvin Toffler

On Thu, Jun 12, 2008 at 5:37 PM, Richard Andrews <bbmaj7@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

The Australian government is starting to roll out a free computers to schools program [1]. There are hundreds of schools eligible to receive tens of thousands of new computers, but software will not be provided.

I'm looking for ideas on how I (and fellow FOSS advocates in Australia) should go about promoting FOSS in this context.
How can we effectively reach so many principals and IT staff?
What key elements do we need to make in any representation?

--
 Rich

[1] http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au/about.htm



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