[seul-edu] Portland schools and Linux

[laurel <ideath@anarchysoftware.com>]

 > Depending on how things are set up, you should be able to greatly

 > simplify things by focusing on application servers and then just
 > installing scads of dumb terminal-ish boxen, like "The City of
Progress"
 > (forget the name, it's in FL) did.

Hi,
I've yet to introduce myself on this list. I'm not involved directly
in the schools, but i'm the Education Coordinator at FREE GEEK
(www.freegeek.org), a Portland, Oregon non-profit that rebuilds old
computers and gives them out to our volunteers - with Free software,
of course. Our main goals are to keep old equipment out of the
landfills, to get computers (and access to information) to people
who couldn't otherwise afford it, and to support Free software.

One of our volunteers (Vagrant) has been working on his own
terminal/server project, which he calls Lessdisks
(lessdisks.sourceforge.net has more information but he bashfully
says it's "nothin pretty" and a bit out of date). It's designed to
make workable computer labs with low-end computers as the terminals,
so otherwise obsolete hardware can continue to have useful life.
He's worked with the Abernathy/Environmental Middle School in our
neighborhood and with the kids there has built and installed a
lessdisks network there. It hasn't replaced what they already had,
from what i understand, but the works are in motion.

We want to help get GNU/Linux in the schools. While FREE GEEK is not
capable of taking on this project, we are in contact with MANY local
Free Software aficionados and activists, as well as with other
organizations, like StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology,
strut.org), some schools, local government, and our local LUG.
Vagrant is very fired up about getting this to work.

>>Keep us posted.  There's thousands, and the solution requires
hands
>>on, but also there's remote support across the nation, don't
forget.

This project will require a lot of support and re-education. While
remote support is great, they'll want to be able to get in touch
with someone within hours (sooner if possible).  People (teachers
and administrators) that are not all that technically-inclined will
need to be able to find help. This will be one of the major hurdles
in this proposal, i promise. Using a widely-distributed remote
support network is an awesome idea, will it be feasible for
something of this scale (even the schools of one city could generate
more questions, misunderstandings, and actual problems than a fish
has scales).

Anyhow, count FREE GEEK in for this project. We want this to
happen.  And hi, folks. If you're ever in Portland, stop by! Our
education program is mainly directed toward adults with little to no
computer computer experience, not kids-in-schools-education, but we
occasionally have school groups come in to learn about recycling,
computer hardware & basic concepts, and (of course) a bit of Linux
on the side.

Best
Laurel Hoyt
Education Coordinator
FREE GEEK