Re: [Devel] Re: about skolelinux - joining efforts?

[Harald Thingelstad <harald@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2003-06-22 at 09:41, Paolo M. Pumilia wrote:

> Hi Petter, 

You're asking Petter, so he'll have the final say. But here's at least
some input:

> We are considering delivering a one-cd-linux distribution to a selected
> number of schools in a few districts in italy, to set up a linux based LAN. 
> (possibly Karmøy school district, norway, and a school near Hannover, germany
> coud be involved, since they already joined a complementary part of our 
> project, to experiment educational applications in schools). 
> 
> My opinion is that installation procedure of network services should be modular,
> to allow the operator to install different servers on different stations 
> (e.g., proxy server on a dedicated machine, firewall, on another one, and so on). 
> Does Skolelinux allow an easy sharing out of services?
 
The skolelinux distribution is first of all aimed at schools small
enough not to need more than one box for network services. Indeed,
putting a whole, new server to this task is overkill to many schools.
Unless you add some heavy services on this setup, a single server can
handle several hundred clients.
So we put priority on easy install and setup instead.
But if you need it:
All the services are called by dns names, not ip numbers. If you put up
some separate services on another server, all you need to do is change
the dns setup.


> Further, I have teh following questions: 
> 
>  - Could european commercial firms be involved, to provide technical assitance?
>    That is, is there any proprietary appications added to the skolelinux dist?

I can only tell how we organize things here in Norway, but we certainly
cooperate with commercial firms. We just don't prefer one over another. 
We're happy with commercial system integration, courses and learning
materials doing parts of the job needed. There's little need in doing
work for free when money can be earned somewhere. 
We provide information on firms prepared to sell their services but, we
don't play favorites.

You'll find one commercial application on the Skoleinux CD: The Opera
web browser. But it wouldn't be there if there were charges. In any
form. Neither money nor commercials.

>  - What is your added value?  Is it a special user interface?
>  - Would it be possible to include skolelinux into a knoppix-type distribution,
>    so as to be able to put together educational applications in one cd?

The aded value is an integrated set of applications, ready to roll out
in schools and other similar organizations. This from the realization
that schools need free software, but has preciously few resources to
spend on fidgeting. (And even less for setting up a satisfactory system
from bottom up.) 
The system is free to use, and you can do whatever you want with it, as
long as you comply to the spirit and rules of free / open source
software. That is, we like to see whatever input able to make Skolelinux
improve.
We haven't put very much effort on choosing the "right" applications
yet. It's very much a matter of descussions and priorities and needs to
boil down with teachers trying things out for real. 
(And for that, what teachers need most is a working system.)

> Thank you 

Hope I've been of help.

Harald