[Opensource] Getting rid of Windows on your R61 Lenovo

[Brett Groves]

Hi Jim

As far as I am aware there is no compunction contained within DEECD's 
lease agreement on operating systems. DEECD does have an acceptable use 
policy which includes some stipulation on security....hmmm...cant 
remember the exact wording (will check) but my sense is that using 
Ubuntu should not contravene that.

As for installation of software probably the biggest problem we have is 
fear. Older ( I include myself in old btw lol) and less technically 
adventurous staff are terribly hard to encourage to try something new. 
In the end so long as they have backed up their document data, it 
breaks, we re-image it. Not really a huge task although we may grumble 
:-). I think our staff are pretty aware that they can install something 
they want to experiment with but bear the consequences if disaster 
strikes (ie we'll fix it when we get to it) or can log a job to have 
something evaluated and installed on their behalf with no risk.

In schools I think Jim we are caught in the Red Queen dilemma (ie we 
must run forward fast to stay still) or we risk being  further removed 
from the digital natives  who are raison d'etre.

In my case since I was largely the architect of our school image and 
network config and the sucker ultimately responsible for the success of 
the IT system so I gave myself licence...lol

Cheers
Brett

Jim Maunder wrote:
> Morning All -
>  
> This old laptop technician wonders how the tech support people in your 
> organisations cope with teachers buggarising\\\\\\\\\\ changing the 
> software in your laptops? Do you expect them to support the new 
> improved OS and software or do you look after it yourselves?
>  
> I have nothing against Ubuntu - I often play with it myself here at 
> work. I find it easy to use, and really like the software installation 
> and update procedure - makes this sort of thing a breeze. The wireless 
> works well in our open network, though mapping drives on the Novell 
> network is non-trivial. We could not use it on desktop machines here 
> (although I keep trying the new releases just in case).
>  
> I run Vista on my desktop, and because a couple of apps I like to use 
> don't run in Vista I have Win98 running in a MS Virtual Machine (and 
> Win311 in another VM just to see if I could), so I understand why one 
> would want to try that sort of approach.
>  
> Anyway I was wondering what the 'official line' was on non-standard 
> desktop environments?
>  
> rgds
> Jim
> (see my sig lines and disclaimer at the end)
>  
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> We have to use this Disclaimer
>  
> Views, opinions, etc. expressed reflect those of the author and not
> Ruyton Girls' School
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>  
> Jim Maunder
> Laptop Technician
> Ruyton Girls School
> Melbourne, Australia
> ph 9290 9374
>  
>
>
> >>> Brett Groves<groves.brett.g at edumail.vic.gov.au> 12/10/2009 4:08 PM >>>
> Greetings all,
>
> Luckily I'm already bald or I would have torn out any hair left since I
> got my new R61 Lenovo a few months ago and have had to struggle with the
> joys of Vista. Blue screens, slow, "Windows has detected the cursor has
> moved, would you like to restart now" type messages.....I had had
> enough. So I set aside some time over the hols to look at Ubuntu.
>
> Tried the alpha version of the new 9.10 release and it was lovely and
> very easy to configure but doesnt yet support virtualbox (more on that
> in moment).
>
> I loaded as a final option instead version 9.04. I actually really
> didn't need to set aside much time at all. It was unbelievably easy to
> configure for EduPaSS wireless, the network share drives are
> ridiculously simple to map, in fact the whole process has been quite
> pain free...a revelation!
>
> So now my laptop runs at least twice as fast, never blue screens hasn't
> crashed yet, and installing programs like Rolands suggestion of Kdenlive
> was trivially easy.
>
> ......
>
> Brett Groves - ICT Coordinator - Croydon Secondary College
>
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