Open source community pushes Canberra on school computer fund
Australia's open source community leaders have written an open letter to Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard calling for consideration of free and open source software in the implementation of the Digital Education Revolution for the National Secondary School Computer Fund.
The letter, signed by 10 local open source professionals, calls for greater use of free and open source software in schools, particularly with the election promise of $1000 to fund a computer for every secondary student in the country.
A copy of the letter is published below.
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The Hon. Julia Gillard, MP
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Education
Dear Deputy Prime Minister Gillard,
As leaders in the ICT industry we're excited by the government's commitment toward making a revolutionary improvement in Australia's education and training to world-leading standards. We're ready to "join the barricades" to assist in the interests of raising Australia's ICT capabilities in the global economy.
We urge you to consider the cost-saving implications of advocating the use of free and open source software in schools to further the aims of the digital education revolution and maximise the impact of this critical investment in the future.
Over the past two years we have seen a dramatic drop in price for basic computing hardware. Free and open source software represents a real opportunity for further cost savings, which would allow schools to use the $1000 per unit investment more flexibly and effectively.
Schools (and associated education authorities) concerned about the additional cost of ancillary services and infrastructure associated with the delivery of the National Secondary School Computer Fund should be encouraged to explore open source software.
Research consistently shows the total cost of ownership of free and open source software is equivalent, or lower, than for conventional proprietary applications.*
The time is right for schools to seriously adopt free and open source software and for the federal government to encourage a greater proportion of the $1000 to be made available for effective use of ICT and improved learning outcomes.
Please do not hesitate to contact Open Source Industry Australia or Linux Australia if you require more information about the use of free and open source software in Australia's education sector.
Yours faithfully,
Donna Benjamin - Education Spokesperson, Open Source Victoria.
Brendan Scott - Chairman, Open Source Industry Australia Limited.
Stewart Smith - President, Linux Australia.
Pia Waugh - Director, OLPC Australia.
Andrew Chalmers - President, Linux Users of Victoria.
Sridhar Dhanapalan - President, Sydney Linux User Group.
Max McLaren - General Manager, Red Hat Australia.
Karen Koomen - Government Affairs, IBM Australia.
Rusty Russell - Linux Kernel Developer.
Dr Andrew Tridgell - Samba Developer.
* For references see; http://www.linux.org.au/education/tco
Sent by:
Donna Benjamin - donna@cc.com.au
0418 310 414
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Comments
Use of free and open source software in schools
I wholeheartedly agree that using free and open source software will permit the $1,000 per student to be used more flexibly.
I would go a step further, however, and suggest that instead of purchasing a PC for each and every student, that schools also be permitted to purchase stateless thin clients for their desktops where it is appropriate.
Stateless thin clients (at least those provided by Symbio Technologies, www.symbio-technologies.com) contain no operating system, applications, file systems, or network addresses. They are 100% solid state, contain no moving parts, are fanless, make no noise, use as little as 4 watts of electricity and never have to be replaced. Oh yes, some models may be mounted on the back of a flat screen monitor to completely eliminate the space used by big, clunky, PCs.
Stateless thin clients work perfectly with any major flavor of Linux, including Ubuntu, Gentoo, Fedora, OpenSuse, and Debian. It is possible to combine the latest operating systems with a desktop device that eliminates all the problems with having a complex PC on the desk.
I hope that before all the policies are codified that will control the spending of public funds, that research into viable alternatives be conducted. With a little bit of thought, a good idea could be made even better.