[Fsfe-uk] education

[Richard Smedley]

Where do we want to go with this?

Schools decide what to run based on advice from becta.
There is no longer a compulsion to run MS software in schools,
but schools won't do anything without support.

Roger's initiative at SuSE has seen several hundred schools using 
GNU/Linux on the server side, each one as an individual effort
by a teacher or technician.

Without an individual within the school, they will not change
their practices unless compelled to change :-(

What's needed is a national lobbying effort, that much is clear.

So:

Do we just concentrate on lobbying, building up partnerships with
solutions providers such as Red Hat Europe who are in a position
to deliver part of what schools need?

Do we also look at forming a group to provide what schools need -
including a distro along the lines of the defunct schools linux project
http://www.sc.lug.org.uk/projects/overview.html
(apologies for state of page - not touched for 18 months, since project 
died :-(   )

We need to take a good look at what other groups are up to (European
and North American). So we can avoid duplicating work.

Anyway, enough rambling, how many people have the time, inclination
and effort to get involved in campaigning for FS in schools
as part of affs?

- Richard



-- 

Richard Smedley
Production Editor, Linux Format

Telephone +44 (0) 1225 442244 ext 5038

PS I was going to post something on PR and strategy as well but
I ran out of time (I'm about to run for my train). I'll do it
when I get back on Monday :-)

PPS Should we say GhostScript rather than PS ;-P