Linux as a platform

[Andy Trevor]

Dom,

lets go back to your original question.

"establishing Linux as a superior platform to deliver IT to education"

Currently Linux is an inferior platform to deliver IT in UK education.

A bold statement from someone who makes a living from deploying Linux 
for UK education.  Let me expand.

It is inferior for a number of reasons, little of which has to do with 
Linux itself.

The biggest one of all is lack of good quality curriculum specific 
education applications.  The UK schools have become heavily reliant on 
software bought by ELCs.  Most of the packages are baby sitting rubbish 
but some do have real value.  Until this is addressed by ISVs 99.9% of 
these apps will stay windows only.  The trouble is they see little 
market for converting them to Linux due to the small numbers of schools 
using it as their primary delivery platform.  Schools will not deploy 
Linux due to the lack of apps.  Chicken and egg.......................

Secondly,  there seems to be a lack of political will to push OSS 
forward in education.  Ourselves and colleagues speak to Becta via 
various channels and get mixed responses.  The introduction of KS3 
online (term used loosely) testing has proven to be a stumbling block 
for us in a couple of schools.  It is heavily geared to MS products, 
making OS platforms especially thin client a real issue.  Same applies 
for Mac based schools.

Thirdly is the lack of will of current educators to think outside the 
box and accept change.  There are those out there who can and do, but 
they are a minority.

Linux as the main delivery platform especially thin client is a 
financial and management no brainer.  It works and saves money.  The 
issue lies with the above and will continue to do so for a while yet.  
Linux installs will be the exception rather than the rule for the 
foreseeable future.

The quickest way in my opinion to change this is to provide good quality 
"CROSS PLATFORM" education related apps.  These will need to be 
curriculum specific in a lot of cases making a world wide suite a little 
tricky.

Cross platform is the key.  Take away the need for a specific platform 
and people we go for the cheapest most stable and easy to manage system 
(Linux thin client)

Soapbox going away now

-- 
Regards

Andy Trevor

Technical Director
Cutter Project Limited
http://www.cutterproject.co.uk

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