Grenoble plans to transition schools to Ubuntu and Debian Linux

[henke54]

Grenoble, France’s 16th largest city, is committed to the use of free software. This type of ICT solutions facilitaties the sharing of knowledge, empowers citizens and institutions and helps to cut costs, the city said in a statement. The city also sees free software as one of the tools to increase citizen participation.

On 8 December, the city announced its membership of April, the French free software advocacy group. Joining the group allows Grenoble “to build on its expertise and its network of members”, the statement quotes assistant mayor Laurence Comparat.

Educate the users

Comparat is in charge of the city’s free software and open data programmes. The politician was elected in 2014. Asked for a recent example of the Grenoble’s use of open source, she points to plans to transition schools to using Ubuntu Linux desktops and Debian Linux servers. This switch is planned to begin next year and be completed in 2018.

According to the statement, Grenoble has an active free software community. That includes local chapters of OpenStreetMap, Wikimedia and the Dauphiné free software guild. In October, assistant mayor Comparat invited another group, GreLibre, to organise a Linux install party in the town hall.
https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/community/osor/news/grenoble-commits-free-software
:popcorn:

[shantiq]

Bravo Grenoble! Why not have something of better quality for free rather than k.r.a.p for an extortionate fee . I too work in schools and yesterday was struggling with this to-me-rubbish piece of kit called Word trying to explain to kids why it was doing this and that and I did not know/too complex/ too bloated/page formatting jumping around due to extreme complexity; I felt like saying Open Source LibreOffice is so much more straightforward ... but hey Microsoft has tied in most of the educational authorities around the world and charge the earth for the privilege ... of course most times you get "computer training" is it the Office Suite of The Great Vaccinator .... very very hard to bypass
So Kudos Grenoble ... best thing you have done since the games of 68 if any of you remember :]
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Budget-conscious decision makers in education >> Linux/Ubuntu is FREE ... as in no cost ... think of all the money you could free up ...books ... sport equipment ... ha ... but when you get outside employers want your students to be highly conversant with guess what >> the Office Suite of The Great Vaccinator arrggggh QED [why so few plump for 'buntu] Anyone said monopoly ??

[leclerc65]

I hope they don't get discouraged midway.