[TriLUG] Linux in the schools (in the backdoor)

[Paul Jones]

I voluntered to be a 'buddy' to families who will get New Internet 
Computers at my child's school, Mary Scroggs Elementary (aka Southern 
Village). The idea is that these network computer-ish devices can be 
placed in the homes of families that may not otherwise be able to afford a 
computer or to be on the net.
The computer is a diskless set up and quite inexpensive. The school has 
gotten monitors donated for the cause so the whole set up is only 200 - 
250$. The computer runs almost entirely off a CD.
So, of course, the OS is Linux (keeping that cost down)
http://www.thinknic.com/thinknic/about/softwarefaq.html and yes it's all 
GLP'd http://www.thinknic.com/thinknic/about/gpl.html
It all works great in the demo. 
You can access the net directly from the NiC, but the school and thinknic 
are encouraging the use of Citrix which let's you do distributed 
applications (aka running a windows window remotely on the NiC). So now 
you have a Windows window on the NiC with applications and files stored on 
the school's servers. 
To make matters more amusing, from the OS viewpoint, the school is 
standardized on very nice iMacs and iBooks several of which are in each 
classroom. Diversity, the Chapel Hill way of life.

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                             Paul Jones
                    "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"
http://www.ibiblio.org/pjones/ at the Site Formerly Known As MetaLab.unc.edu
  pjones at ibiblio.org   voice: (919) 962-7600     fax: (919) 962-8071
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