Re: [seul-edu] Donated Computers Issue (opportunity knocks)

[Leon Brooks <leon@brooks.fdns.net>]

On Wednesday 01 May 2002 09:24, tom poe wrote:
> Hi:  Seul.org is a site that encourages teachers, administrators, and
> parents to visit their site, for reliable, conscientious devotion to
> educational software and applications and projects like the ISO Project. 
> With that in mind, and a review of the article in today's Register,

> http://213.40.196.64/content/4/25085.html

> It is a legal requirement that pre-installed operating systems remain with
> the computer for the life of the computer.
> - --------------------------------
> This is the first sentence at the web site of the Puyallup School District.
> M$ is running completely mad on this level.  What this does is set schools
> in such a defensive mode, they cannot take donated computers from other
> than "approved resources".  It's simply devastating whatever opportunities
> for schools to make informed decisions.  I think it is critically important
> that seul.org think about how best to provide accurate, reliable, informed
> information on this issue.  Anyone have any thoughts?

Knock, knock, knock... heark, is that the sound of opportunity I hear? (-:

Can we have a short but offocial article from SEUL to distribute to El Reg and 
any other news site you can reach? Something along the lines of:

--------8<----cut-here----8<--------

LINUX ENABLES COMPUTER DONATIONS TO SCHOOLS

$LOCATION, Wednesday: In an official announcement from the SEUL group today, 
$PERSON overturned Microsoft's draconian threats against the acceptance of 
donated computers by schools and other needy organisations.

"Microsoft claim that it is a legal requirement that pre-installed operating 
systems remain with the computer for the life of the computer," $HESHE said. 
"Like viruses and security issues, that problem is almost exclusive to 
Microsoft. Using Linux, OpenOffice.org and other Open Source software, you 
can accept practically any donated computer regardless of operating system, 
erase the existing software, install Open Source software and operate the 
computer legally and safely as a powerful workstation or a server, at little 
or no cost."

$PERSON also explained that Linux rolled back the burdens, costs and legal 
risks of licence management and software asset auditing for all businesses, 
organisations and individuals. Linux is also easy to operate as a diskless 
workstation or "thin client", and many schools were rolling out networks of 
student terminals using this technology with both donated and new equipment, 
$HESHE explained.

SEUL is an organisation working towards a simpler, easier Linux experience for 
all, and may be contacted through their website at http://www.seul.org/. In 
combination with your local Linux user group - which you can locate at 
http://www.linux.org/ - SEUL can field volunteers to help schools and 
charitable organisations get started in the stable, secure, safe world of 
Linux.

--------8<----cut-here----8<--------

Cheers; Leon