Can you help me in my Linux/Ubuntu research paper?

[dnns123]

Hi! I'm a High/Middle/Secondary School student who is about to graduate. The topic I chose in my research paper is the replacement of Windows computers ( and hopefully Mac) of our school; with the main goal of the research paper ( set by the teachers) as "How can we improve the school?". Heres the background of my school's computer enviroment.

Windows - 90-100 desktops :mad:
Mac OSX - 150 desktops (140 iMacs ($1400 each) and 10 MacBooks) :mad:
Linux - 0! :(

My Jesuit school introduced the computer class in year 2000. Initially, they only taught MS Office, how to type, and how to make basic HTML websites. The computers they bought were Pentium 3s and were preinstalled ( I think ) with windows. Last year, they introduced the Mac with 40 iMacs. This year, they bought the rest of the bulk of iMacs and started to have mandatory Mac classes on how to use iDVD, iMovie, Garageband, Podcast, and most of iLife.

It really makes me :mad: (mad, lol) when I use these expensive computers and come to realize that these computers are only for those with big pockets (rich). And to further agrivate things, these computers promote closed-mindedness in the world of computing, not to mention the betrayal of the word, simplicity.

I asked the Computer Education's Admin why they made the Mac as the main computer and he said that it was the out-of-the-box beuty that was desired. Furthermore, he uses Ubuntu 7.10 in his computer at home and he doesn't like it; he owns a PowerBook. I'm not sure about his level of computer literacy, but it seems high. Another main problem is the use of the iSight of the iMac; it's used in the curriculum.

So the main question I have is:
- How can Ubuntu beat the iMac?
- How can Linux change the school?
- How can I overcome the thesis defence if they ask the question, "Do the students desire the change? ( Most of them like Macs, dammit! )
- How will changing to Ubuntu/Linux change the students?
- How will the teachers, who are just intermediate in Windows, get used to Linux?

If you can give me sites on how to introduce Linux in school, or give me neat ideas, I'd appreciate it very much! Also, please input some tips on how to combat Mac's appeal to students. Please provide some replacements for the programs in iLife; it's a big hurdle. Lastly, can you give suggestion on what to include in the curriculum if ever Linux/Ubuntu gets accepted. I really want to leave Linux as a change in my school before I graduate.:popcorn:

P.S. Sorry for the long post, but this is a big question.

[dnns123]

Dang! No replies? :( Didn't expect much anyway :(

[GSF1200S]

Dang! No replies? :( Didn't expect much anyway :(

Its not that we have nothing to say, its that they have nothing to hear...

Youre fighting a losing war, due to the inbred close mindedness of people brainwashed by a propietary format. They wont listen to you- all of us in Linux face this obstacle...

[Nunu]

Trust me when you want to sell something people don't want to pay. When you give it away for free people head for the heels

[peitschie]

It isn't all doom and gloom though!

You maybe very interested in checking out the dedicated Ubuntu project aimed at specifically at schools and the education system: http://edubuntu.org/.

Some specific pages of interest would be http://edubuntu.org/UsingEdubuntu which lists the software that this ships with and reasons why which would answer a few of your questions :-)

As others have already noted, if people already like Mac and don't mind the price tag, there isn't any real advantage to using pure Linux. I personally enjoy the freedom of Linux (both monetarily and morally), and I prefer the linux eye candy ;-).

As a whole, Mac's do a good job integrating software and functionality etc., their main downfall being price and lack of upgradability/extensibility. For a school however neither of these is particularly restricting or problematic, as the school generally won't try and upgrade computers...

You can't counter the students' reluctance to change, which is one of the reasons you would have trouble getting the whole school switched to Linux. But on the other hand, you are looking for more choice to be available, so maybe even a few (say 2-3) linux computers would satisfy you for the moment?

When it comes down to it all, teachers and students will use what they are used too. And as most of them do not realise the associated price with the software they currently use, there is no price pressure forcing them to change. Doesn't mean you should give up :), just means you need to have a realistic view that not everyone (in fact likely not anyone) will jump at the chance to change to linux ;-)... give them time though... people will learn

[dnns123]

What I really want is to change the windows portion of the school. The old celerons cant keep up and it takes 1 minute to load MS Word. Not to mention some of the PCs wont even boot up to the XP window.

BTW, Ive cooled down after conversing with the admin; and, yeah, i remebered that its hard to sell something if people dont want it, even if its free.

[Solicitous]

Its not that we have nothing to say, its that they have nothing to hear...

Youre fighting a losing war, due to the inbred close mindedness of people brainwashed by a propietary format. They wont listen to you- all of us in Linux face this obstacle...

Not to say you're wrong or be rude....but he's writing a research paper, not selling the idea as a possibility for the school. I wouldn't even want to begin to count how many research papers have been submitted that are absolutely brilliant but due to lack of other peoples thinking never succumb to anything except a few college marks.

[GSF1200S]

Not to say you're wrong or be rude....but he's writing a research paper, not selling the idea as a possibility for the school. I wouldn't even want to begin to count how many research papers have been submitted that are absolutely brilliant but due to lack of other peoples thinking never succumb to anything except a few college marks.

He is selling it as a possibility; read the post above yours ;) Even if hes talking about 20 years down the road, though, only the people with an open mind are going to hear him. And of course, there arent that many like that now...

I agree with you about the second part- its the mass idiots that stifle the brilliant people. Same reason nearly every genius in history has been exiled, burned, killed, jailed, or beaten. What a wonderful world...

[DjBones]

well, i think you could make a good point in your paper about how ((imho haha)) linux is the future. about how free software and price of computers would augment linux's pretty rapid growth.

although, i would think for learning about computers, linux would probably be the most useful.. even my mom could use GarageBand, but in linux you can make web-pages, edit the kernel, compile things, code stuff in a slew of different languages.. do Unix-y stuff more or less. lol
the ability to see all the code would be a benefit in understanding how the whole thing works.. or atleast in theory
hope the paper goes well for you :popcorn:

[dnns123]

Take note that the recipients are only average high school students with intermediate or very little computer expertise. Almost 98% of them don't know how to format a hard drive or install windows. Most know more on hardware than software. And they don't even know the basics on keeping a PC internally clean.

[songshu]

i don't think you should put the emphasis on beating the others, you should concentrate on the added value.

on a practical side when it comes to maintenance and cost saving you can use LTSP to change these old computers into thin clients for the price of 2 mac's, there is plenty of info for that to find and really easy to make a showcase

what you also want is to look for things that the others can not, what comes to mind with Linux would be especially the server side of things and propose extra classes that can be given for setting up routers, web/mail servers, databases, virtualisation, scripting etc...think the hardest thing would be is to find some ready made lesson-material.
try reversing your re-mark on what the students want into what the market will demand off them in a few years, check out the websites of IBM, Sun Microsystems, Oracle and Novell and see that they have made the switch to base their offerings on Linux already, why should the students run behind on new development?

you don't have to put the windows or mac's down, (eventough you might be right, you will not win the fight) focus on the positive things of Linux and where its strong points and features are, Linux can speak for itself, all you need to do is write it down.

[macogw]

Take note that the recipients are only average high school students with intermediate or very little computer expertise. Almost 98% of them don't know how to format a hard drive or install windows. Most know more on hardware than software. And they don't even know the basics on keeping a PC internally clean.

That is a bad thing. If they have little computer expertise, obviously what they're teaching is completely useless. It sounds like teaching someone how to use the radio on the dashboard when you're supposed to be teaching them to drive!

[theDaveTheRave]

Dear dnns123

I would have to agree with the ideas of songshu. concentrate on the added value that Linux can give to the students.

Rather than working on why the school should switch to Linux, maybee take the tack from the business reasons of the various companies that are now making the switch.

Then use this as your argument for increasing student knowledge.

I would also suggest looking at what "unix" has bought to the world of computing.

The majority of the tools that have been developed in recent years (ie the net and various networking tools) have their history planted firmly in large computing systems. These have allways been based on UNIX type platforms.

Remember that servers with "dumb" terminals have been around for many may years, look into the Vax/Vms type systems, they are definately not "microsoft" and a number of places still use this technology. Who is using windows 3.1 at the moment, not may I suspect.

Also think of longevity and compatibility of systems, the new beautiful Windows Vista (:confused:) doesn't have full backward compatibility with other windows systems, and certain games won't function on Vista at all (remember that for personal use the game playing comunity is huge - why else would MS produce the Xbox!).

And allways remember that dual boot is easy, or even have the availability of live CD's for each student (all at the price of the cost of a DVD).

And if you have the opportunity to give a presentation I would highly recomend getting Beryl to function - everyone I know who sees it just goes "WOW", even more impressive is to run a variety of different films on the various desktops (bear in mind it eats memory :popcorn:) - with sound for one on one speaker and for another coming through the headphones .... very funny, It would probably be impressive to run this through dual screens!

Write back on how the whole thing goes. it would be interesting.

Dave

[dnns123]

The last posts have some excellent points, its exactly the same with the other post I made in my countries' LoCo forums. I guess I'll have to show to them Linux, not Linux VS Mac/MS.