Debian-Edu / Skolelinux:
Complete Linux for
schools
Skolelinux is
a custom Debian distribution with simple installation,
preconfigured services and applications targeted for
schools.
http://www.skolelinux.no/
Skolelinux project
- Idea
- Organisation
- Distribution
- Architecture
- Installation
- Risks
- Future plans
The original idea
Provide a software distribution with a complete IT platform for
primary schools.
Project goals
- ethical
- teach kids that sharing software can be legal and good
- teach kids how to tinker and improve the software they use
- demonstrate the quality of free software
- provide programs on all the native languages
- practical
- reduce the computer-related expences in schools
- give schools a well-tested collection of services which
reduce system administration needs
- increase computer availability
How we are organised
- do-o-cratic (those doing the work decide how it is done)
- Everyone willing to contribute are accepted
- Member organisation (Skolelinux)
- Foundation (SLX Debian Labs)
- Mostly volunteers develop and translate
- Norwegian OpenOffice.org
- ~130 contributors (did cvs commits last year)
- ~7 debian developers involved
- Devcamps ever 1-2 months (travel and lodging covered)
- Funding: NUUG Foundation
- Future funding: goverment, users, vendors
- Used on lots of schools. (xearth map)
Used all over norway
- > 120 test schools in Norway, Germany and more
- 4 full time employees
- 1 office in Oslo, Norway
Skolelinux Distribution
- Build on Debian GNU/Linux
- Based on Debian/stable (Woody) to get security updates
- Simple installation
- Translated to several local languages
- Includes all the software needed in primary schools
- Preconfigured services (syslog, dns, ntp, dhcp, ssh, ldap,
nfs, smb, smtp, imap, ipp, http, web-proxy, ltsp and more)
- No license administration
- Admin friendly
- Scalable
- ~900 pkgs, ~10 locally developed, ~10 patched, ~40
backports, ~10 from external sources
The Skolelinux architecture
The skolelinux install
- Simple (two questions and the root password)
- Automatic
- Using debian-installer and base-config
- Complete (everything work out of the box)
- Very little skolelinux-specific code (one extra udeb, two
magic debs installed by default)
- Using debconf pre-seeding where we can
- Rewriting the config of other packages to get the remaining
services preconfigured out of the box (against policy?)
The risks we face
- Problems getting our fixes into debian
- Debian project going away
- Debian legal issues
- Lack of sustainable funding
- Lack of HW support
Future plans
- Integrate all packages into Debian Sarge (Debian Edu)
- Spread Skolelinux into all schools in Norway
- Help other countries to adapt Skolelinux
- Assist the packages we need into Debian/testing (Sarge/Etch).
References
Thank you very much
Questions?