[Technical] Linux

[Con Zymaris]

On Tue, May 17, 2005 at 10:01:51AM +1000, Jim Maunder wrote:

> 
> We tried one computer lab with SuSE Linux in a dual boot setup in Term 1 
> this year. We have a French immersion stream here and the teacher who runs 
> it wanted to immerse the computers as well. The cost of the French language 
> pack for WinXP was apparently a bit steep, so after a bit of testing we had 
> Linux running in French with French Open Office. I had previously got a 
> SuSE Linux desktop testbed setup with NCPFS and NovelClient so it would 
> login to our Novel network etc - works pretty good, so now I had the fun of 
> doing this again but in French (which I learnt about 45 years ago).

Can I ask:

How much training did the teachers and students need to use the Linux 
desktop?

How much training and acclimatisation time did the students need to use 
OpenOffice.org?

> 
> As far as the technology goes the setup was ok. The network manager got the 
> Linux classroom PCs to print to a couple of network printers, but I dont 
> know if they were via the Novel print queues or via a TCP/IP queue. 
> However, we have now abandoned that arrangement, instead we got the French 
> language pack for WinXP,  the French version of StarOffice (free to schools 
> and has a more extensive gallery of clipart - so important to girl 
> students), French versions of Inspiration and MicroWorlds.

How much would it have saved you if you could have continued using the 
Linux/OpenOffice.org combination?

Do you know of the existence of the OOExtras project, which bundles up 
thousnds of free ClipArt and other items for OO.o?

 http://www.ooextras.org/

> 
> Last year I fiddled with Xandros 2, and got it to mount Novel network 
> drivers - it has NCPFS and/or IPXUTILS built in - but not the NovelClient. 
> Xandros is about the closest to Windows in look and feel that I have seen, 
> and the new version 3 is easy to setup. We heard that someone in the 
> eastern suburbs - somewhere in the Dandenongs? - had set up a classroom of 
> Xandros desktops.
> 
> Recently I asked my work experience student to see if he could find Linux 
> equivalents to the curriculum software used here - did not get very far. 

Have a look at this:

 http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-lin-soft-en/table.shtml


> But it looks like browsers, email, 'Office' suites are no problem, except 
> that ther is no Linux equivalent of MS Access. 'The Gimp' is probably an ok 

OpenOffice.org 2.0 has an Access clone. Download it now: 

 http://openoffice.org/

Also see these:

 http://knoda.sourceforge.net/
 http://www.thekompany.com/products/rekall/

> alternative to Photoshop, 'Freemind' (to which we were allerted last term) 
> might be an ok substitute of Inspiration (if I could get it working.) The 
> problem seems to be all those things like 'Violent Earth', 'Dynamic Coast', 
> 'Macbeth', 'LogoWriter' etc. but maybe these could be persuaded to work 
> under Wine or Crossover.
> 
> Hope this helps - it is an interesting project, and would certainly reduce 
> licencing costs for non-govt schools.

Cheers,
 
Con Zymaris, Convenor
Open Source Victoria
http://www.osv.org.au/

-- 
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Con Zymaris <conz at cyber.com.au> Level 4, 10 Queen St, Melbourne, Australia 
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