[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Author Index][Thread Index]

Re: [school-discuss] Live CD: DIY vs. Distribution




thank you for the note.
   you've got several important points, each of which seems to me
to deserve its own thread, keeping in mind people without system
and IT experience:
* how to install, pitfalls to avoid, the simple path and what to expect
* what you can do with the Linux GUI
* an introduction to CLI (command line interface)
* digital resources for educators
* human resources for educators (skilled Linux admins willing to help)
* how to convince administrators: how to present compelling benefits
of FOSS (one of the great points Marilyn made was that students can
take a live CD home and bring software at little or no cost; subversives
such as myself chortle that students are bringing Linux and other
FOSS into the homes)



On Sep 22, 2007, at 7:47 PM, Chris Gregan wrote:

Sorry Jim...
In my experience, it is documentation. People, for better or for worse, are accustom to GUI interfaces. Blame our friends in Redmond and Cupertino for that one! :-) Much of the advanced Linux tools are still command line. The recent release of graphical interfaces for those applications is great. However, the gap still remains; How do we learn about the tool's existence? More importantly, how do we implement the tool to our advantage without wasting time and effort? Documentation. I believe we have an amazing well of knowledge here at schoolforge, we just need to focus it a bit more toward the technologically unsavy. Since this thread is about Live CDs, perhaps a listing of recommended CD, links, and some information on how to best implement the technology. Marilyn has just implemented a successful Ubuntu Studio. How did she convince Administrators? What technological roadblocks did she run into? This is the type of information we should be cataloging. I wonder if a forum might be in order. Just thinking out loud. These are the type of things I have run into, and I believe are easily addressed by a group such as Schoolforge. Beyond this is where my business operates: consulting with school systems to produce open source tools that will benefit the student without great cost to the district.


Chris Gregan
Open Source Consultant/Founder
Aptenix LLC Desktop Solutions
New Market MD 21774
cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx
240-422-9224

"Open source, open minds."

This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are notified that the dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you receive this message in error or are not the named recipient(s), please notify the sender at either the fax address or telephone number above and delete this message. Thank you.


jim stockford wrote:

   it was John's frustrations to which I referred,
looks like you, Chris, are pretty skilled. I was
following the thread. I'm interested in knowing
what is holding people back currently and hope
to help out.
   distros are much better this year than last,
and vastly easier to use than two years ago.


On Sep 22, 2007, at 6:16 PM, Chris Gregan wrote:

Hmmm...frustrations...gee...For me the frustrations ended, as far as install goes, with this last wave of distro releases. Ubuntu, fedora, opensuse, and Gentoo have all produced some excellent installers. Configuration after the fact is where I found the most difficulty. Flash, Java, multimedia playback and manipulation are the stumbling block these days. If I were to begin a list of all my frustrations with all the various distros I am running, we would be here a long time. :-) Contact me offline with some parameters on what you would like to know, specifically. If possible focusing on a single distro. I would be happy to provide a list of roadblocks for that distro.

Chris Gregan
Open Source Consultant/Founder
Aptenix LLC Desktop Solutions
New Market MD 21774
cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx
240-422-9224

"Open source, open minds."

This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are notified that the dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you receive this message in error or are not the named recipient(s), please notify the sender at either the fax address or telephone number above and delete this message. Thank you.


jim stockford wrote:

   i'm interested in getting a record of your frustrations with
the intent of documenting the steps one must take to
achieve an install.
   I want to note that i have a lot of experience documenting
Linux and other *n?x installations. my work in this would
be available to anyone (i.e. "free" and "open").


On Sep 22, 2007, at 5:58 PM, Chris Gregan wrote:

John,
I ,and many other members here, would be happy to help. You are exactly the user I referred to, and thank you for voicing your position. We, as open source/Linux advocates, sometimes forget that there is a vast potential user base for Linux tools in education that are frustrated by the existing proprietary environments, but lack the "guru" like knowledge to implement a fully functional solution without hours of wasted time and frustration. I have recommended open source solutions to hundreds of teachers and administrators through my company and here through the list, but without a means of integrating the suggestions easily into the lessons, the suggestion is meaningless. I would be happy to provide guidance in the creation of a disk for your needs either through this list or privately. Let me know what you are looking for, application-wise, and I'm sure a solution could be found that would meet your need.

Chris Gregan
Open Source Consultant/Founder
Aptenix LLC Desktop Solutions
New Market MD 21774
cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx
240-422-9224

"Open source, open minds."

This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are notified that the dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you receive this message in error or are not the named recipient(s), please notify the sender at either the fax address or telephone number above and delete this message. Thank you.


John Frank wrote:
cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx,

I agree here. I do not have the time to DIY linux. It is why I don't use linux. I downloaded a few livecds and tried to use them, but just about the time I get everything set up the way I need it, I make a mistake and have to start all over. After about two months, I gave up, and hope someday to find something that works.
Maybe someone here could help?

Thank you.

John
----------------------------------------> Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:23:20 -0400> From: cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [school-discuss] Live CD: DIY vs. Distribution>> Ben,> Well....yes I am aware of how easy it is, but do not forget that many of> the members of this list are not quite as Linux savvy as some. So the> prospect of fiddling around in the command line is, frankly, scary. I> think the promotion of a Live CD that demonstrates the technology we> discuss here would be a boon for the list, and may grow the ranks of> non-technical people who want to know more.>> Chris Gregan> Open Source Consultant/Founder> Aptenix LLC Desktop Solutions> New Market MD 21774> cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx> 240-422-9224>> "Open source, open minds.">> This message is confidential, intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are notified that the dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you receive this message in error or are not the named recipient(s), please notify the sender at either the fax address or telephone number above and delete this message. Thank you.>>>> Ben Armstrong wrote:>> On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:59:01 -0400>> Chris Gregan wrote:>>>>> I wonder if we could draw up some type of pole on the site. Members>>> could request Live CD programs to be included, and the top ones could be>>> ripped to an ISO monthly and posted on the site for download.>>>>>>> I'm not sure if you're getting how easy this is for people to do themselves.>> There needn't be any poll, nor any download. For example:>>>> $ sudo apt-get install live-helper>> $ mkdir mylivecd>> $ cd mylivecd>> $ lh_config -p gnome --packages "gcompris tuxpaint">> $ sudo lh_build>>>> When lh_build is finished, you will have a binary.iso in the current>> directory with a gnome desktop and your two extra packages in it. The>> tool also supports a rich set of options to configure every aspect of>> the build. See some examples here:>>>> http://wiki.debian.org/DebianLive/Examples>>>>>>> Good to know...I smell an Ubuntu custom CD tool announcement coming>>> soon! :-)>>>>>>> Well, it's the same tool:>>>> $ lh_config --mode ubuntu && sudo lh_build>>>> Ben>> -->> ,-. nSLUG http://www.nslug.ns.ca synrg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> \`' Debian http://www.debian.org synrg@xxxxxxxxxx>> ` [ gpg 395C F3A4 35D3 D247 1387 2D9E 5A94 F3CA 0B27 13C8 ]>> [ pgp 7F DA 09 4B BA 2C 0D E0 1B B1 31 ED C6 A9 39 4F ]>>>>

_________________________________________________________________
Gear up for Halo® 3 with free downloads and an exclusive offer. It’s our way of saying thanks for using Windows Live™.
http://gethalo3gear.com?ocid=SeptemberWLHalo3_WLHMTxt_2