Check it out, Sandy

Before I speak to the  suggested list of considerations, which I have reordered based on feedback from my deployments and numerous other sources,I want to say that’ the single most factor for any migration plan to be successful is to is to manage the ‘human factor’ of resistance to change.  Effective training and support are critical while technical and functional problems are marginal’ This is where FUD (fear, uncertainty & doubt) comes into play and is heavily leveraged by proponents of proprietary software.

1. What would be the Incentive?
2. How Cost Effective would it be?
3. How quickly could new users Adapt?
4. What Software would be pre-installed?
5. What Distro would be used?

The Incentive

While we initially leverage the ‘free cost’ aspect of Open Source, IT managers have as a first priority, the smooth efficient running of their IT infrastructure as well as any possible productivity loss.

Cost cannot be the only driving factor for the adoption of OSS.  What is needed is a ‘mixed’ argument summarizing the benefits of OSS, of which ‘no cost’ is an important one.

Factors which acted as drivers for adoption included security, adaptability,  and avoidance of restrictive software licensing schemes.

However, on a social level, to quote Richard Stallman;

“What schools should refuse to do is teach dependence. Those corporations offer free samples to schools for the same reason tobacco companies distribute free cigarettes to minors: to get children addicted. They will not give discounts to these students once they’ve grown up and graduated. “  http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.html

The Cost

When looking to migrate a school to Linux, here is one of the biggest stumbling blocks, when mainly pitching the zero cost aspect to administration.  They are hooked by MS licensing requirements.

MS Educational Licensing Overview

• Microsoft licensing can be complex, and schools have two main options if they wish to license Microsoft products. They can acquire perpetual licences, giving the school the right to use the software permanently.

or

• Microsoft also offers schools a subscription licensing option (the School Agreement Subscription) which gives them the right to “rent” Microsoft software for a fixed period of time (eg for 1 year or 3 years). At the end of the rental period, if the school still wishes to use the rented Microsoft software it has the ability to extend the rental period or convert to a perpetual licence via a buyout payment. The buyout payment can be substantial.

All or Nothing Approach for Computer Real Estate

• While subscription licensing usually has the lowest cost of entry of the various Microsoft licensing options, it is an “all or nothing” approach which can have the effect of requiring schools to pay Microsoft licences fees for computers that aren’t actually running any of Microsoft’s software. This is because the subscription licensing cost is based on the total number of computers in the school. This has meant that if a school is using Microsoft’s subscription licensing, fees need to be paid to Microsoft for Apple Mac or Linux computers, and indeed those computers running OpenOffice.org.
• Additionally, even when many of the school’s computers could not run Microsoft Vista schools would still have been required to include those systems in their Microsoft licence count and pay the appropriate licence fees

As mentioned in the comments in the previous post (J.S), there are costs related to migrating and training, which  can still be substantially lower in cost compared to software licenses if approached in a coordinated manner which includes hands on training, a good knowledge base, and easy to use manuals.

There are several cost-effective ways for schools to leverage their existing hardware with Linux including LTSP and desktop virtualization

User Adaptability

Again, this comes down to a properly managed migration.  To leave on Friday with Windows on your desktop and return Monday to discover that the IT department has loaded Linux can be a shock.  Instead a gradual introduction of key open source alternatives such as Open Office, Thunderbird, and Firefox or Chrome can help overcome the resistance to change.  Taking a software inventory of required or currently used software and then finding open source equivalents or methods of running the software (virtualbox) is one of the first steps in the migration process.

Once the user becomes comfortable with the new features of say Open Office (the PDF function is usually very popular) they will soon realize that the OS is like the transmission in a car and it doesn’t matter so much, as long as you can drive the car or perform your work. Providing easy to use reference guides such as http://www.cluesheets.com or a manual that outlines standard tasks in Ubuntu such as printing, network connections, sound devices, CD burning, file management etc will take the edge of the uncertainty of a new operating system.

The Software

This will depend on the grade level you are working with and their needs.  There are many good resources to find, download and test open source programs, including the previously mentioned http://schoolforge.net  or http://opensourceschools.org.uk/ ( I like their software directory).

The Ministry of Education may also have requirements for curriculum which will dictate required software or access to online portals.  Applications such as Google Earth being requested more often.

As well, there are a host of applications available for staff and administration, such as iTALC (my personal favorite), OpenAdmin, or School Tool

The ability for students and staff to make copies of the software and take it home to freely use on their own PC’s reflects another indirect cost savings.

The required software may also dictate the choice of Linux operating system.

The Distro

In my personal experience there are 2 distros that stand out in the Educational sector.  Edubuntu and KDE  I have deployed these 2 distros globally with great success.

Edubuntu’s motto is “Linux for Young Human Beings”  It is a complete operating system that includes an office suite, web browser, many educational applications, and much more. http://edubuntu.org/

KDE’s primary focus is on schoolchildren aged 3 to 18, and the specialized user interface needs of young users. However, it also has programs to aid teachers in planning lessons, and others that are of interest to university students and anyone else with a desire to learn!   http://edu.kde.org/

Here is an example of Brazil’s custom Linux Educational, which is based on KDE and deployed on close to 1 million workstations in 5,560 school districts.  A combination of Linux and desktop virtualization has helped with providing access to ICT to all students, both rural and urban.  http://bit.ly/9oPMKJ

On a final note, I wanted to share a few photos of Ubuntu/Edubuntu in use around the globe http://bit.ly/9MOX2Q….the photo album is a work in progress….however once we have true government commitment to the adoption of open source, it allow countries to contribute towards technology development rather than just remain mere users of technology produced by others.  To hear interesting interviews with people around the globe who are using open source to make a difference, visit http://opentechexchange.org

May I just say a thank you to my new friend Darlene Parker for her amazing guest post! Thanks Darlene

Here is the order I will look at things in this post-:

1. What Distro would be used?
2. What Software would be pre-installed?
3. What would be the Incentive?
4. How Cost Effective would it be?
5. How quickly could new users Adapt?
6. Poll and Conclusion

The Distro

In my view the best Linux distro for the job of being used in a school which is both fast and user-friendly would have to be Ubuntu, as it has a great community and lots of support available. Certainly the Ubuntu distro which I would chose would have to Lucid Lynx (10.04) which is a Long Term Support (normally called LTS)distro meaning that it will be updated as much as possible for around 3 to 4 years by the Ubuntu developers and community. In some respects Linux Mint 9 would be a better choice for schools because most children and teenagers won’t have tried Linux before and Mint is more like Windows in the menu aspect of it. Mint is also a spin-off of Ubuntu so it is like it in many ways including the Software Center and the different applications available for it alongside the the ability to install .deb files easily.

Once the distro is installed on the computer there are two options for what to do about students having accounts these are; 1. Everyone has a unique username and password or 2. there are only 2 accounts on all the computers- Administrator  and User. The Administrator would have a very complicated password known only by certain teachers or people with authority and the User password would be known to the whole school. For storage all users would have a unique Ubuntu One (check out here) account with 2GB of storage each giving them the ability to save stuff in school and download it at home (I’ll discuss that later).

The Software

In any educational environment there is some basic software which is definitely necessary these programs include; an office suite, a notepad, a web browser, a media player, a CD/DVD creator and of course a calculator. Here are the pieces of software I would pre-install in an edition of Ubuntu which I would install in a school.

As an office suite I would use OpenOffice.org which includes a word processor, powerpoint creator, spreadsheet application and a drawing application.

As a notepad I would use Gedit the standard editor in Gnome versions of Ubuntu.

I would use Chromium as a web browser.

Totum player as the media player.

For a DVD/CD creator I would use the built in one in Ubuntu.

Another important aspect of using Linux in schools is storage for which I would use Ubuntu One which is easily set up and students can have their own accounts created very quickly which would give them 2GB of storage straightaway however there is also the alternative of Ubuntu One which is of course DropBox which once you invite your friends and family to join via a referral link you can get up to  8GB of storage for free.

The Incentive

Schools, or any organization for that matter will not do anything without an incentive. People, particularly people in authority, will not just wake up one morning and say to themselves “I know what I’ll do today- I’ll go into my workplace and totally change the company (or school’s) technology services completely.” it just doesn’t happen. Everybody needs an incentive to do everything whether it be shopping at Amazon.com instead of Play.com because Amazon has a discount today or shopping at Wall-mart rather than Aldi because Wall-mart is better quality- there needs to be an incentive.

In my view the best incentive for swapping to Ubuntu is that it is substantially cheaper than Windows (as I will discuss later) and as we all know: people will take anything for free but are rarely given anything for free- this is where Linux comes into the equation. It is free. Plain and simple.

The Cost

As I mentioned in the above paragraph about incentives cost plays a major role in determining whether or not a school or organization will chose a new IT system. If you are going to upgrade you entire school and the network then you are looking at perhaps a cost of $30,000+ which is a lot of money. This is, again, where Linux (specifically Ubuntu) comes in as it is totally free and will save the school a fortune since they won’t have to upgrade the computers unless they are very old as Ubuntu has less than half of the requirements a Windows distribution.

On top of that all of the software would be totally free and the school would not need to purchase a full Microsoft office suit or Apple works. Thus saving the school in excess of $20,000 depending on the size of the school.

Adaption Time

The time it takes for new users to adapt to using Linux varies on the distro they are using, with Linux Mint probably being the easiest and CentOS being a harder addition, varies completely from person to person. Many factors go into this including; previous experience, natural ability, usage time and support. Usage time and support will in my opinion be the key factors going into this because, as the saying goes “Practice Makes Perfect” and without support they won’t know what to do.

I am sure however if Linux was introduced in schools we would have a whole breed of Linux whizzes running amok in the Linux communities.

Conclusion

Well those are my views and I would love for you to comment on it and tell me what you think.

If you think this is worth showing you friends, please do and subscribe you and your friends to the blog by reader. Check out the poll below and vote on whether you would like Linux to be deployed in schools.

Ubuntu One Logo

Ubuntu One features

Contacts

For Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, we have extended our contacts synchronization capabilities to support Windows and Mac users. This feature is currently in beta and is only available to paid Ubuntu One subscribers. To use Ubuntu One Contacts, add your computer to Ubuntu One (Link to Official website) , move your contacts to the Ubuntu One address book and let sync do the rest.

Free

Ubuntu One subscription

Your essential personal cloud

These Ubuntu One features are available to everyone for free.

• Sync up to 2 GB of files, contacts, notes, bookmarks, purchased music, and Gwibber broadcast messages
• Automatically sync your digital life to your personal cloud and with all of your computers
• Free 30-day trial of Mobile Contacts Sync
• Mark any directory in your home folder for sync
• Share folders with trusted contacts or publish files to the Internet with convenient short URLs
• Sync purchased songs from the Ubuntu One Music Store
• Integrated with your Ubuntu computer
• Convenient web browser access to your personal cloud

Fee Paying ($10.00 USD per Month)

Subscribe to the paid plan and get all free plan features plus these enhancements.

• 50 GB total of storage to sync more of your digital life
• Keep your address book updated when you’re on the move with Mobile Contacts Sync
• Mobile sync supports thousands of phones including smartphones like iPhone and Android
• Synchronize your contacts with more applications (like Thunderbird) and operating systems (Windows and OS X)

Okay Now for the pros and cons!

Pros!

1. Everyone loves free storage.
2. An alternative to itunes is a brilliant thing.
3. It will encourage new users to check out Ubuntu.
4. Is great for designers or coders who need access to there files everywhere.
5. Children can save their homework on it and download it in school.
6. You can save important files on it as another guaranteed backup

Cons

1. $10.00 Per Month is quite steep for only 50Gb as a TB External Drive is about $110.
2. Mobile Sync is fee paying only (may put off new users)

I’ll be doing a few articles on how it could be used and in what scenarios it is used soon so keep and eye on the blog!

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Sell- Verb (used with object)- to persuade or induce (someone) to buy or use something

That’s one of the many definitions of the word sell, it is also the definition which allowed me to use the word in this context. This post is all about how we (as a community of Linux users) could persuade or induce someone or some people to use Linux in many different ways; whether is be in an organisation or for personal use.

At the time of writing this a few big Linux based Operating Systems have just been released or are going to be release (Ubuntu 10.04, Linux Mint 9 and Fedora 13) however there is still a majority of Windows users controlling the OS market. Linux– along with Mac OSX, however, are growing in user base size: slowly but surely. The most used OS is Windows XP with over 50% and then Windows Vista with just over 21% then Windows 7 with just under 15%, Mac then makes an entrance here with about 7% if you include the iPhone OS which has a 0.75% share (not far from main-stream Linux), this is where Linux enters- with just over 1% of the global usage. See the pie chart below for a visual representation (sorry about the quality)

OS Usage Pie Chart

Okay I am going to present 3 possible options, which, in my view would help the growth of Linux in general, whether it be Ubuntu or PCLinuxOS. At the end I will display a poll for everyone to vote in, I would also greatly appreciate other peoples thoughts and ideas on the subject and I will post them together in one post and link back to your blog or website.

1.Firstly, I think that the Linux community should elect members of it to represent the community (i.e. Ubuntu or Fedora) in his/her local area, whose job it would be to visit kindergartens, elementary school, high schools or colleges and try and persuade the person in charge of the I.T. in the school to implement a Linux distro. They would be required to prepare presentations on why Linux betters Windows (or even Mac in some schools) and show the advantages of running Linux; such as the cost reduction and less support needed.

1. The person/s who was elected would be paid using donations to the distro fund, which, I am sure is certainly not empty (may I point out that it is not full either and I will leave a link at the end for you to donate) and could spare a little money just to pay the person/s for their time (unless they chose to do it voluntarily). I am sure that most distros would be happy to supply the elected member/s with an unlimited supply of free merchandise or copies of the distro in question.

An example of this is the implementation of an enterprise edition of RedHat Linux at Stirling University in Scotland which has improved the speed of the entire system by 400%!

2. Another idea is that the entire Linux community picks a distro from the most used ones (see DistroWatch) which will be pitched to a large computer manufacturing company like Dell or HP as either the default OS shipped with the product (either laptop or desktop) or built in to the computer in a partition split equally between it and Windows. This would be a great option as the users could easily make a choice on which OS they wanted at the beginning without all the messing around downloading the distro then burning it to a disk or USB stick and then installing it and perhaps even making a partition on their hard drive in the middle. The user would be able to make an educated choice by reading the information which the company producing the computer would be asked to deliver showing the benefits of each operating system compared to other.

This could open up an entire market for the latest laptops and desktop computers which is based around two rival companies both trying to outbid each other to make the latest technology exclusive to their OS. It could even encourage companies like Apple to team up with Linux and try and expel Microsoft from certain sectors of the market.

3. Thirdly and finally in my list of ideas is to set up an online store (if you can call it a store) which if you provide your address and/or email address they will send you a copy of whatever Linux distro you want. It would be funded by ads on the website as well as a one time promotional flyer through the post with your disk (which would be sponsored) and a single sponsored email- both of which would have been warned of from the beginning. It is a viable option financially as all expenses such as; disk costs and postage costs would be covered by the ads both digital and paper form.

This service could be publicised by Linux users themselves just by sending an email to they’re contacts or sending a message on Facebook to all the users friends advising use of the service. Naturally, most people would take anything they could for free. I am prepared to wager with you that the majority of non-technical users would attempt to install it if they understood the instructions and warnings. Of course we mustn’t forget what lots of bells and whistles can do in computer software and hardware.

Okay now is your chance to vote on what you thought was my best idea- here is the poll!

Well there is my ideas, if anyone has ideas please leave a comment here or send me an email. Remember to share this blog with your friends and tell them about it!

Remember if you want to donate the Linux you should visit your favourite distro’s website and donate there!

]]> https://linuxandall.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/how-to-sell-linux/feed/ 36 204 55.941748 -4.344578 55.941748 -4.344578 linuxandall OS Usage RedHat Logo Hp Logo Ubuntu Live CDs https://linuxandall.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/technorati/ https://linuxandall.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/technorati/#respond Thu, 20 May 2010 21:55:44 +0000 http://linuxandall.wordpress.com/?p=198 What does everybody think about on Technorati that you need to place a unique combination on letters and numbers into a post for you to verify that you own the blog? They gave me this one- 46ZSNKZYT77A . It really annoys me because I had to go out of my way and find a way to post this on the blog without me looking like a total jackass!

If you live in the United States then you probably won’t get the Hulu.com reference, however if you live anywhere else, chances are you know exactly what I mean

For those not familiar, Hulu is a popular video playback site from NBC that streams many mainstream television shows right to your browser.  The biggest problem with the site is that it blocks access for users outside the continental United States.  Hulu isn’t the only site in the world that does this either.  Many sites restrict access based on the IP Address that you are currently connected with.

This is where Hotspot Shield comes to the rescue.

Hotspot Shield is a free software download that allows you to use the internet anonymously – for both Windows and Mac computers.  It works by providing you with a different IP address than you would normally get, allowing you to bypass country-type restrictions.

Here’s a look at just how easy it is to use.

Start by downloading the installer from the Hotspot Shield web site.  The installation uses the standard wizard-type interface and I only identified two noteworthy items during the install.  The first is that you should uncheck the box that says ‘Include the Hotspot Shield Community Toolbar’.  Unless you are one of those people that loves adding more toolbars to your browser, this will provide you with very little additional value.

The second item I noted was that during the install you will see one or more Windows Security prompts that let you know that Windows can’t verify the publisher of the driver software it is installing.  To complete the installation, click ‘Install this driver software anyway’.

Once the wizard completes, a browser window will open up taking you to the ‘Invite a Friend!’ page.  You are in no way obligated to do this.  In fact, you can probably just close that browser window and continue.

You should now see a little green shield in your system tray that looks like: 

It’s possible that it will be red depending on the current connection state (green is connected, red is disconnected).  If the shield is red, you can right-click on the icon and the pop-up menu will give you the option to connect.  The menu also allows you to look at the configuration properties and disconnect the Hotspot Shield.

Clicking on Properties in the menu will open a browser window and load the status page.  This page shows the current state of the shield and the current IP Address being assigned.  From here you can also disconnect the shield, or click on Show Config for more options and information.  The extended config screen shows you how much data has moved in and out since Hotspot Shield last connected and the date and time of the last connection.

So you are now good to go.  Reloading the Hulu.com site produces more favorable results than last time.  The message about ‘our video library can only be streamed within the United States’ will be replaced by a message that tells you that advertising can’t be loaded.  Amusingly enough, they offer a link to get support if you can’t see the ads.

After 30 seconds, the ad message is removed and the video playback begins.  The only downside to Hotspot Shield is that it forces an advertisement across the top of the web pages you load while connected.  I can deal with that though, simply scroll the page down.

Well, there you have it.  Hotspot Shield does a good job at helping you avoid country discrimination, but it has some other great benefits as well.  If you are prone to using public networks (e.g. hotels, coffee shops both wired and wireless) then you can use this utility to help keep your data safe and secure.

The software essentially creates a VPN (virtual private network) between your computer and the AnchorFree Internet gateway.  The tunnel created prevents hackers and would-be snoops from viewing your emails, instant messages, credit card information and anything else you happen to transmit.

What other tools do you use to make your Internet use more secure and anonymous?

Try it out and tell me what you think!

[Update] Hotspot will work under the latest version of wine!