[ Thanks to M.
Fioretti for this link. ]
“The final year of all Italian High Schools (18/19
years age students) ends with a formal State Exam. Depending on
which category of school they attend, all students are tested in a
different group of subjects and the final vote also depends on
personal projects prepared for each subject. This year, among all
the final year students in Italy there are two who are preparing a
project that is as unusual (at least for Italy) as interesting.
Andrea Lazzarotto and Stefano Signori, of the State Technical
Industrial Institute (Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale ( or
ITIS in italian) “E. Fermi” of Bassano del Grappa will build for
their software project a Linux distribution, that is a complete
environment for desktop computers alternative to Microsoft Windows.
This distribution, called ITIS Linux http://itislinux.it whose alfa
version is already downloadable, contains all the Free Software
programs usable to study and teach the subject of the three
branches of italian ITISes present at Fermi: mechanics, electronics
and software.“Replacing Windows?!? Why?
“Andrea and Stefano chose this project to prove what Free
Software can do for education and to fight an unpleasant, but
unfortunately very common situation in italian schools and
Universities.”