[seul-edu] Pingoo and Linux-Edu review

["Thomas Tempé" <thomas@E604-b.resE.insa-lyon.fr>]

Here is a short review of the Pingoo distribution from one of our
french members (note: the website is also translated into english. See
http://pingoo.org)

Pingoo is a Debian-Based distribution aimed at providing schools with
optimal (cost-effective, efficient, easy-to-install) network
services. This includes mail, internal web server, 
and automatic connection to the net via a web proxy.

It also dissociates user administration from system administration.
User administration is done locally from a web interface, wile system
administration is reduced to a near-zero, and provided by a
centralized service outside the school. The installation process is
fully automatic, based on a largest-common-denominator config for the
typical school network, and on a config file that contains all needed
information.

Every night, the server connects to a remote server to check for
latest release of packages. It upgrades automatically, and sends
feedback to the central server.

Pingoo is now reaching version 2.0. It has been successfully used in
many schools, so it might be a very viable solution for school
network services.

Linux Edu (http://www.linuxedu.org, that one is french-only) is the
project behind Pingoo. It also includes monitoring by a regional
computer resources center (providing upgrades, and making use of
feedback information). So, setting up a Pingoo system would easily fit
into a large-scale project concerning many schools and providing
centralized system administration. The Linux Edu project is now
providing 32 schools in the region of Haute-Savoie, in France, and
seems to be a success.

That's it. Have a look for yourself if you need to learn more.

And have lots of fun!

Thomas Tempé