[Lias] netNOW NZ - Getting to the source

[Ian Ralph]

One of the big hurdles facing Linux as an alternative to Windows on the desktop in Schools is the legacy Windows apps that teachers and students rely on. 

A few minutes ago I did a quick count and there are 100  Windows applications (not including Web based apps, "office" apps or web browsers) that we distribute for staff and students at my school.

While the lists of education applications at SEUL and K.E. are getting longer, I would have trouble convincing my staff that Linux is better unless the application pool is at least as deep and probably deeper and that the Linux ported apps are identical or better to the widows versions.

Add to that the conservative nature of teachers (mentioned earlier in this thread) and you have a mighty big hurdle to jump. 

I think we are making a pretty good start at the run-up, but we should be careful not to jump too soon!

Ian
IT Manager
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
>>> Andrew Dorrell <andrew.dorrell at cisra.canon.com.au> 24/04/03 18:44:21 >>>
ken_yap at users.sourceforge.net wrote:
>>>But the list at SEUL continues to grow.
>>
>>What's SEUL?
> 
> 
> http://www.seul.org/ 


Hmmm.. so does the list at http://edu.kde.org/ (which I initially found 
rather disappointing).

Oddly enough one "killer app" for primary schools seems to be kidpix. 
And I have noticed this starts to have compatability problems with more 
recent windows.  Anynoe tried it with wine?

-- 
Andrew Dorrell PhD.        Senior Research Engineer
Canon Information Systems Research Australia     Phone: 61 2 9805 2224
1 Thomas Holt Drive,  North Ryde,  NSW 2113.     Fax:   61 2 9805 2865

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