Australian Digital Education Revolutionbeing a BIG blow for Linux.

[Senectus .]

On 25 May 2010 07:35, harry at ipunix.com <harry at ipunix.com> wrote:

> Ubuntu-AU'ers I see a lot of time being spent on the Australian Ubuntu LoCo
> structure and now the wiki.
>
> But what is happening around us and in particular in my area (Strathpine
> Queensland). I now see year nine through 12 student running around with mini
> notebooks (also called netbook) supplied through their school under the
> Australian Federal Government's Digital Education Revolution (DER) program.
> From my early findings it looks like that notebooks will be distributed to
> eventually every year nine through 12 student. They are all to receive a
> mini notebook with windows 7 installed by the completion of the rollout in
> 2012.
>
> This is a big blow to the Linux community as for example 267,000 Windows 7
> based netbooks that the NSW Government alone has started rolling out to high
> schools will come pre-installed with open source software. From information
> gathered they were certainly looking seriously at Linux platforms, but
> vendors didn't provide the answers or comfort they were looking for.
>
> I think part of the problem with the Linux tenders would have been that
> they were represented by hardware vendors pushing Linux to increase their
> profit on the units, rather than pushing Linux because they believed in it
> or had the right answers. If they had gone with a Linux based system they
> could have saved the country (tax payers) close to a $1 billion in licensing
> fees.
>
> All this points out that we the Linux (Ubuntu) users must be active not
> only within our own group(s) but engage direct with the community in
> general, visit schools, educate hardware vendors and lobby with the
> Australian Federal and State Governments.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Harry Degenaar
> harry at ipunix.com
>
>
>
It's also a huge opportunity..
All those new machines going out to students that are naturally rebellious
and inquisitive.

Time to really amp up a "Linux install Day" again...


-- 
It's just a 2000 year old book of desert tribal myths.
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