Network World: How One School System Makes the Most of Open Source | Linux Today

Network World: How One School System Makes the Most of Open Source

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
Jun 28, 2006

“Paul Messias knows a thing or two about stretching a buck, and
using open source software is one of his main techniques. As
network engineer for the Needham Public Schools in Massachusetts,
he is constantly looking to get more for less, given that his
budget is lean at $32,000 a year (notwithstanding the roughly
$300,000 earmarked for network gear for the town’s high school,
which is being renovated starting this summer).

“Messias oversees a mostly HP (via CXtec) and Apple Computer
network that supports a few thousand students and staff across an
inter-building fiber network and 100Mbps Ethernet network within
buildings (the high school is getting 1Gbps to the desktop)…”

Complete
Story

Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.