“Providing dependable software for the hundreds or thousands
of computers connected to a typical campus network can be a
daunting and expensive task. Some institutions are finding relief
by customizing their own versions of Linux, the free computer
operating system.”
“Linux has long been used on college campuses by researchers and
computer scientists. But computer departments have usually not
provided technical support for it, and campus servers and computer
labs are most-often stocked with Unix, Windows NT, or Macintosh
machines.”
“When Warren Jasper, a professor of textile engineering at North
Carolina State University, needed new computer systems for his
research, he says, “what I found is that I just wasn’t getting the
kind of computer support I was needing, but I couldn’t afford to
replace the servers.” So Mr. Jasper and a team of students modified
a version of Linux so that it would work with the university’s
Unix-based computer system…”