[ubuntu-uk] And now my MP reply...

[Tony Arnold]

On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 10:54:27 +0000, Dave Ewart wrote:

> On Monday, 11.12.2006 at 09:57 +0000, David Hopkins wrote:
> 
>> I was shocked when I got back the other day and saw a letter from the
>> House of Commons, i thought the email I sent to James Clapperson had
>> all but been forgotten. But he had replied saying quite simply that he
>> had signed the EDM, terrific!
> 
> I got a reply from mine asking for more information before he signs it.
> I suppose this gives me an opportunity to go into more detail than
> previously...

I've had a reply from mine Ann Coffee, who tells me she does not sign
EDMs due to her role as a PPS in the DTI (I think). However, she enclosed
a detailed answer that was clearly obtained from a colleague.

The gist of it was that BECTA's guidelines are just guideline and are not
mandatory and thus schools are free to choose free software if they wish.
The document also talks about a data exchange standard based on open
protocols being developed for schools.

The letter provided links to parts of BECTA's WEB site that talk about
frameworks, approved suppliers etc. I followed one of these and searched
for 'linux' and quite a few manufacturer's turned up, mainly CA, Novell
and Redhat.

There does not seem to be anything specific about how Schools might
approach acquiring open source software and how they might get the support
etc that they would need.

I also think that many schools may have the mentality that Windows is used
world wide so we need to do the same!

Regards,
Tony.