NSW missed Linux opportunity

Apr 02, 2009, 17:02 (0 Talkback[s])

[ Thanks to An Anonymous Reader for this link. ]

"Flanked by heavyweights from Microsoft and Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo, this morning the state's Premier Nathan Rees announced the Department of Education and Training would roll out some 200,000 laptops to students and teachers using Windows XP and Office...

"With this in mind, and the cost consideration that clearly played a big part in DET's negotiations with vendors (DET CIO Stephen Wilson this morning said he was pleased with Microsoft's "innovative and flexible approach to software licensing and support"), it's hard to see why Linux wasn't given more serious consideration in the department's plans.

"Then too, the department has not outlined how the laptops will be secured. I can't imagine the Atom-based Lenovo machines will have many spare CPU cycles or much spare RAM after loading up a security suite like Norton Antivirus in combination with Windows XP and chunks of Adobe CS4. You simply wouldn't face the same problem under Linux."

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