[ Thanks to Phillip Brown for this link.
]
Here’s a positive look at Trinity College computer lab, which
took one look at the Sun’s Sun Rays and decided it could do better
for its needs with a Debian and GNOME-running network of thin
clients. Beyond being a deployment success story, the story goes
into how open source software has helped the school provide
solutions to a lot of problems.
There’s plenty here to think about, including an encouraging
take on using AbiWord instead of Word: “We’re educating, not
training.”
“By booting from the network, desktop administration is
streamlined as software is deployed from a central server, saving
time and cost. Clients are swapped in and out quickly, and
consistent and rigorous security is maintained. The result is a
lower total cost of ownership, Bell says.The transition removed the need for Microsoft’s Office. Word,
Excel and Powerpoint were replaced with open source equivalents
AbiWord, GNUmeric, and the Photoshop-like GNU Image ManiPulator
(GIMP). Presentation packages are not taught but if they were,
KPresenter, part of the free KOffice suite, would be the likely
candidate, says Wraith.The team stresses that software selection is not fixed and the
easy availability of open source applications means the curriculum
can quickly change tack.”