Debian-Edu / Skolelinux:
development status update

Skolelinux is a custom Debian distribution with simple installation, preconfigured services and applications targeted for schools.

http://www.skolelinux.no/

Skolelinux status

• Teams in Norway, Germany, France and Greece
• Users at least in Norway, Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kenya
• More than 98% of the packages included in Debian (870 of 880).
• The official Debian-Edu subproject
• Debian/Woody based version released 2004
• Debian/Sarge based version in development
• Work as much as possible inside Debian, but maintain a few packages outside Debian. (bugs in bugzilla)

What is new in Sarge-based version

• Fewer special packages (got most of our stuff into Debian/Sarge)
• KDE version 3.3.2 (upgrade from version 2.2 in Woody)
• Linux kernel 2.6 option.
• New LTSP version based on Debian packages
• More translations and localization

Stuff missing from Debian

• Goal is to build skolelinux out of official debian packages.
• Packages we want need to go into Debian, to increase quality, visibility, maintenance effort and reduce redundant efforts.
• Modifications independent of Debian (translation, changed behaviour, improved implementation) should go to the package author (upstream), to make sure the changes will be available in the future.
• Some of the current issues:
  • Webmin packages was recently removed from Debian because no-one was maintaining them
  • The french team have several packages lined up but not in Debian yet.
  • The boot system for Debian/Etch changed and our auto-install need to adjust to the removal of the base-config package.

More issues

• New LTSP boot and log in slower, and need more memory than the old version. Current package lack sound support.
• Dropped a few user applications from the CD because the packages increased in size. Need to improve the method used to select packages to go on the CD. Please use Debian-Edu popularity-contest.
• Lack a bare-bone profile to make it easier to make single-service servers.
• Some of the services (ntp, nagios, email) are not correctly configured.
• Diskless workstations (LTSP on speed) is not working out of the box yet.

Configuration