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List:       suse-linux-uk-schools
Subject:    Re: [opensuse-edu] what does LTSP\thin client technology mean to you?
From:       Rodney Donovan <rodney.donovan () tamucc ! edu>
Date:       2007-07-19 16:44:26
Message-ID: 200707191144.26421.rodney.donovan () tamucc ! edu
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Come on Phil! There is so much more than CAD out there. Truly, I know how you 
feel because some one left the idiots in charge. They can't see the forest 
for the trees. What we have here is one software package dictating what 
operating system you have to use. Really now, what we need is to experiment 
with other packages on linux. OK VariCAD works on Linux. Is it cheaper than 
AutoCad? Well then, problem solved. Maybe? As for educational software, try 
kidport.com. Check out the Web. There are many sites with educational 
software. There is nothing, no subject that cannot be taught on line. Make 
sure you have flash installed. While at it, also install realplayer.
 
I just finished my sixth research for my PhD. All assignments the teacher gave 
my kids 1-5th grade were accomplished with free software. While we were at 
it, we had a lot of fun with other free software.

Rodney



On Thursday 19 July 2007 10:24, Phil Thane wrote:
> On Thursday 19 July 2007 14:16:58 Andy Trevor wrote:
> > The core of LTSP technology is sound and a no brainer.  The killer here
> > in the UK is the lack of "quality" educational apps.On Thursday 19 July 
2007 07:18, James Tremblay wrote:
> I have an important question. If I told you that LTSP5 was not going to
> be adopted in either openSUSE or SLE's thin client server (which only
> supports those 500$ type thin clients with flash drives, like those from
> Wyse and HP), would this influence your decisions about using Novell
> products? Would you be less inclined to buy an SLE based agreement if
> your thin client interests were only being met by Ubuntu? Would you
> simply say well I need a Linux server and I already have the Ubuntu
> server disk and I know how to use it so....?
>
> I'm being told that Novell can't find a fiduciary reason to support LTSP
> and I keep saying that giving us this feature means that, we can and
> probably will use an SLE server to host the applications we want to go
> with it, we can and probably will use e-Directory to manage our user
> ID's, but if we have to support multiple technologies (Ubuntu and SLE)
> we will probably shift to the one that cost us less at the desktop (both
> monetarily and intellectually) simply because supporting  the desktop
> translates into learning to support the server very easily. Reminiscent
> of the shift to MS servers from Novell servers, in my opinion Novell
> lost the school server battle simply because schools don't have the time
> \money to learn\support two OSes. For how many of us is the History
> teacher who is good with windows XP, the guy who helps us maintain the
> 2003 server in that building?
>
> Is there really no money in supporting LTSP and Education specific
> products? If your answer is, "I don't really care about LTSP and it
> won't effect my decisions about my Novell purchases" then ignore me, but
> if the answer is "I rely on LTSP to help me put more desktops in the
> classroom and I really would prefer to have it managed with my other
> Novell products", then I must inform you that the likelihood of you
> being able to use LTSP5 with Novell products is slim, there are two of
> us working on integrating the bits and both of us are non-coders, we are
> merely translating some batch scripts that we can understand and
> borrowing the best parts of KIWI( a new Novell imaging technology) to
> make most of it work, which leaves: local device support, network sound,
> a descent disk-less boot process and much more undone and likely never
> to be done.
>
> Please respond to this list thread and any Novell employee you knOn Thursday 
19 July 2007 07:18, James Tremblay wrote:
> I have an important question. If I told you that LTSP5 was not going to
> be adopted in either openSUSE or SLE's thin client server (which only
> supports those 500$ type thin clients with flash drives, like those from
> Wyse and HP), would this influence your decisions about using Novell
> products? Would you be less inclined to buy an SLE based agreement if
> your thin client interests were only being met by Ubuntu? Would you
> simply say well I need a Linux server and I already have the Ubuntu
> server disk and I know how to use it so....?
>
> I'm being told that Novell can't find a fiduciary reason to support LTSP
> and I keep saying that giving us this feature means that, we can and
> probably will use an SLE server to host the applications we want to go
> with it, we can and probably will use e-Directory to manage our user
> ID's, but if we have to support multiple technologies (Ubuntu and SLE)
> we will probably shift to the one that cost us less at the desktop (both
> monetarily and intellectually) simply because supporting  the desktop
> translates into learning to support the server very easily. Reminiscent
> of the shift to MS servers from Novell servers, in my opinion Novell
> lost the school server battle simply because schools don't have the time
> \money to learn\support two OSes. For how many of us is the History
> teacher who is good with windows XP, the guy who helps us maintain the
> 2003 server in that building?
>
> Is there really no money in supporting LTSP and Education specific
> products? If your answer is, "I don't really care about LTSP and it
> won't effect my decisions about my Novell purchases" then ignore me, but
> if the answer is "I rely on LTSP to help me put more desktops in the
> classroom and I really would prefer to have it managed with my other
> Novell products", then I must inform you that the likelihood of you
> being able to use LTSP5 with Novell products is slim, there are two of
> us working on integrating the bits and both of us are non-coders, we are
> merely translating some batch scripts that we can understand and
> borrowing the best parts of KIWI( a new Novell imaging technology) to
> make most of it work, which leaves: local device support, network sound,
> a descent disk-less boot process and much more undone and likeOn Thursday 19 
July 2007 07:18, James Tremblay wrote:
> I have an important question. If I told you that LTSP5 was not going to
> be adopted in either openSUSE or SLE's thin client server (which only
> supports those 500$ type thin clients with flash drives, like those from
> Wyse and HP), would this influence your decisions about using Novell
> products? Would you be less inclined to buy an SLE based agreement if
> your thin client interests were only being met by Ubuntu? Would you
> simply say well I need a Linux server and I already have the Ubuntu
> server disk and I know how to use it so....?
>
> I'm being told that Novell can't find a fiduciary reason to support LTSP
> and I keep saying that giving us this feature means that, we can and
> probably will use an SLE server to host the applications we want to go
> with it, we can and probably will use e-Directory to manage our user
> ID's, but if we have to support multiple technologies (Ubuntu and SLE)
> we will probably shift to the one that cost us less at the desktop (both
> monetarily and intellectually) simply because supporting  the desktop
> translates into learning to support the server very easily. Reminiscent
> of the shift to MS servers from Novell servers, in my opinion Novell
> lost the school server battle simply because schools don't have the time
> \money to learn\support two OSes. For how many of us is the History
> teacher who is good with windows XP, the guy who helps us maintain the
> 2003 server in that building?
>
> Is there really no money in supporting LTSP and Education specific
> products? If your answer is, "I don't really care about LTSP and it
> won't effect my decisions about my Novell purchases" then ignore me, but
> if the answer is "I rely on LTSP to help me put more desktops in the
> classroom and I really would prefer to have it managed with my other
> Novell products", then I must inform you that the likelihood of you
> being able to use LTSP5 with Novell products is slim, there are two of
> us working on integrating the bits and both of us are non-coders, we are
> merely translating some batch scripts that we can understand and
> borrowing the best parts of KIWI( a new Novell imaging technology) to
> make most of it work, which leaves: local device support, network sound,
> a descent disk-less boot process and much more undone and likely never
> to be done.
>
> Please respond to this list thread and any Novell employee you know, if
> you want this to change.
> --
> James Tremblay
> Director of Technology
> Newmarket School District
> Newmarket,NH
> http://en.opensuse.org/Education
> "let's make a difference"
ly never
> to be done.
>
> Please respond to this list thread and any Novell employee you know, if
> you want this to change.
> --
> James Tremblay
> Director of Technology
> Newmarket School District
> Newmarket,NH
> http://en.opensuse.org/Education
> "let's make a difference"
ow, if
> you want this to change.
> --
> James Tremblay
> Director of Technology
> Newmarket School District
> Newmarket,NH
> http://en.opensuse.org/Education
> "let's make a difference"

>
> I'm pushing Linux and FLOSSIE in Wales (with zero success so far). As an
> ex-Design & Tech teacher a real sticking point is CAD. There's plenty of
> high end pro CAD out there at a high end price, but I think the UK is
> pretty unique in doing D&T the way we do so demand for a child proof CAD
> package is limited.
>
> Two bits of good news;
>
> 1. TechSoft's 2D Design works OK under WINE. I used to be support manager
> at TechSoft and tested it years ago. Two minor snags, toolboxes take on
> GIMP like qualities and don't stay with the main window when you minimise.
> Filled arrow heads on dimensions produce a screen draw error, but filled
> arrows look ugly anyway so choose open and it works OK.
>
> 2. VariCAD is a simple 2D/3D CAD package that works well on basic PCs under
> most forms of Linux. Imports and exports all the usual CAD formats. Only
> snag is it's not free. The student version is £50, I'd like to see some
> schools or education authorities get together and persuade VariCAD to do
> school site licences a lot cheaper.
>
> My personal preference would be to get the Welsh Assembly to sponsor an
> Open Source educational CAD package, taking some of the good stuff that's
> already out there and developing a kid proof version.
>
> At the moment it's more likely they'll do a deal with PTC to buy
> ProEngineer for Windows. That really p****s me off because, freedom issues
> aside for a moment, it's way too complex for most kids (and teachers) and
> just helps entrench Windows as the de facto OS for schools for another
> (school) generation just as PTC's ProDesktop did in the late 90s.
> --
> Regards
> Phil Thane
>
> Bryn Villa
> Penycoed Road
> Llangollen
> LL20 8LR
>
> 01978 861677
> 07971 087623
>
> phil@brynvilla.llangollen.co.uk
> www.brynvilla.llangollen.co.uk

-- 
Rod Donovan
Systems Support Specialist II
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
College of Education
Early Childhood Development Center
361-825-3080
rodney.donovan@tamucc.edu
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