Open Source Software in Public Schools

Richard Hamel-Smith <rhamel-gAYLxUKfjlvd8Zgiw/[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.education.cis
Message-ID <[email protected]> 
I came across this document, apparently written by OSS users who already 
use Linux in schools,
giving reasons why they believe OSS is good stuff.

<http://www.ossadvocacy.org/docs/oss-school/oss-school.html>

Richard
www.ossadvocacy.org/docs/oss-school/oss-school.html (text/html, 30.1 KB) 
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<h1 style="text-align: center; font-size: 2em;">Open Source Software in Schools</h1>

<p class="special" style="text-align: center"><img src="oo-screenshot-half.png" height="384" width="512" /></p>

<p class="special" style="text-align: center">Ethan J. Sommer &lt;[email protected]><br />
Matthew L. Strait &lt;matthew.l.strait-VL1tVIhH15OxzhVCiknPtZVzexx5G7lz@public.gmane.org><br /><br />

Last Modified 28 Feb 2004</p>


<p class="special"><small>This document is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 License, <a
href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/</a>. It may be freely copied, distributed, displayed and modified, as long as you give us credit and release any modified versions under this license.</small></p>

<p class="special"><small>This document can be found in a variety of
formats at <a
href="http://ossadvocacy.org/docs/oss-school/">http://ossadvocacy.org/docs/oss-school</a>

<hr />

<h1>Table Of Contents</h1>

<ol style="list-style-type: none;">
<li>1. Introduction
	<ol style="list-style-type: none;">
	<li>1.1. What is Open Source Software?</li>
	<li>1.2. Scope of this document</li>
	</ol>
</li>
<li>2. Using Open Source Software in Windows
	<ol style="list-style-type: none;">
	<li>2.1. Summary of major Open Source Software available for Windows</li>
	<li>2.2 Advantages to using Open Source Software in Windows
		<ol style="list-style-type: none;">
		<li>2.2.1. Lower software cost</li>
		<li>2.2.2. No need to track licenses</li>
		<li>2.2.3. Savings are shared with families</li>
		<li>2.2.4. Greater security and stability</li>
		<li>2.2.5. Greater long term flexibility</li>
		<li>2.2.6. OSS is easy to use and teaches computing concepts well</li>
		</ol>
	</li>
	<li>2.3. Recommendations on how to phase in Windows-based Open Source Software</li>
	</ol>
</li>
<li>3. Using Linux
	<ol style="list-style-type: none;">
	<li>3.1. Ways of using Linux</li>
	<li>3.2. Additional benefits to using Linux
		<ol style="list-style-type: none;">
		<li>3.2.1. Lower hardware cost per seat</li>
		<li>3.2.2. Lower cost of maintenance</li>
		<li>3.2.3. More savings for families</li>
		<li>3.2.4. Linux is easy to use and teaches computing concepts well</li>
		</ol>
	</li>
	<li>3.3. Recommendations on how to phase in Linux</li>
	</ol>
</li>
<li>4. You are not alone</li>
<li>5. Conclusion</li>
<li>6. Further reading</li>
</ol>

<hr />

<h1>1. Introduction</h1>

<h2>1.1. What is Open Source Software?</h2>

<p>	Open Source Software (OSS) is an alternative to the "traditional" model of proprietary, closed source, software. The word "source" refers to the underlying code used to program computer applications. In open source applications, this code is made available for anyone to examine, alter and distribute. In closed source applications, this code is a closely guarded secret known only to the company that makes the program. One consequence of the way OSS programs are managed is that the vast majority are monetarily free. In most cases anyone can download, use, copy, distribute, and modify the software without asking permission or paying anyone. </p>

<p>	Open source is not a new idea. It has co-existed with closed source for as long as computers have been available to ordinary people. OSS has been widely used on servers for decades, but it has not been until fairly recently that using it in homes and schools has become a viable option.</p>

<p>	OSS includes both full operating systems, such as Linux, and applications that run
on a variety of operating systems, such as OpenOffice.org.<sup><a href="#endnotes">1</a></sup></p>

<h2>1.2. Scope of this document</h2>

<p>	This document is written for primary and secondary schools in the United States that already have a significant number of computers which run Windows and proprietary applications.  Many points in this document will also apply to schools without computers, schools that primarily use Macs, and schools in other countries, as well as colleges, universities, government institutions, and businesses.  However, we do not specifically address these situations here.  This document is intended to be as non-technical as possible given the subject matter.  Technical details of how to implement the suggestions we make here can be found in the materials we reference and elsewhere on the web.</p>

<h1>2. Using Open Source Software in Windows</h1>

<h2>2.1. Summary of major Open Source Software available for Windows</h2>

<table border="1">
<tr><td>Task</td>		<td>Commercial Application</td>	<td>Open Source Application</td></tr>
<tr><td>Word Processing</td>	<td>Microsoft Word</td>		<td>OpenOffice.org Writer</td></tr>
<tr><td>Spreadsheet</td>	<td>Excel</td>			<td>OpenOffice.org Writer</td></tr>
<tr><td>Presentation</td>	<td>PowerPoint</td>		<td>OpenOffice.org Impress</td></tr>
<tr><td>Web Browser</td>	<td>Internet Explorer</td>	<td>Mozilla<sup><a href="#endnotes">2</a></sup></td></tr>
<tr><td>E-Mail</td>		<td>Outlook</td>		<td>Evolution<sup><a href="#endnotes">3</a></sup> or Mozilla</td></tr>
<tr><td>Graphics</td>		<td>Photoshop</td>		<td>The GIMP<sup><a href="#endnotes">4</a></sup></td></tr>
</table>

<p>	Over the past few years OSS has become a viable option for desktop computing. There are currently excellent replacements for nearly every piece of software you need to run a school computer lab. In many cases the OSS product is superior to the corresponding commercial product. In other cases the commercial applications may still have a technical advantage, but often not enough of one to commit school dollars without taking a careful look at the alternatives. (Because of its lesser cost, many schools used Claris Works for years when Microsoft Office was widely considered to be superior; OpenOffice.org is a superior office program to Claris Works by a wide margin.)</p>

<p>	While Mozilla and Internet Explorer are both free, Mozilla was awarded "Best Web Browser" by PCWorld Magazine,<sup><a href="#endnotes">5</a></sup> is available for more operating systems and is just as easy to use. According to the New York Times, "in trials, OpenOffice is almost [a] clone of Microsoft software and appears to be compatible with Microsoft-generated documents."<sup><a href="#endnotes">6</a></sup> It is not any harder to learn, and anyone familiar with Office should find using it to be an easy adjustment. Similar statements are true for the other examples.</p>

<p>	The above table is just an overview of some of the most common applications. OSS exists for a wide variety of needs. For example, Dr. Geo<sup><a href="#endnotes">7</a></sup> is a geometry program that can replace a commercial application such as Geo Sketchpad.  There is also a good deal of educational software for Linux geared towards younger children. One OSS typing tutor features the Linux mascot, Tux (a penguin), who helps children learn to type.<sup><a href="#endnotes">8</a></sup>  Many educational OSS programs can be found at http://edu.kde.org as well as various other sites.</p>

<h2>2.2. Advantages to using Open Source Software in Windows</h2>

<h3>2.2.1. Lower software cost</h3>

<p>	When you switch an application to OSS, you will save money simply because you do not have to pay money to acquire your software. In addition to the obvious fact that free software is free, it is important to note that OSS upgrades are also free. Switching will not only save you money at the time of the switch, but at every upgrade as well. </p>

<h3>2.2.2. No need to track licenses</h3>

<blockquote>School districts using proprietary software may be asked at any time to conduct an audit. The technicians have to match up every piece of proprietary software with a license. This becomes even more difficult when computers are donated with  software already installed.<sup><a href="#endnotes">9</a></sup></blockquote>

<p>	When Microsoft announced that they were going to audit the Portland Public Schools, the school system determined that they would have to dedicate two full time employees to to the audit.<sup><a href="#endnotes">10</a></sup>  If they had been using only free software, they would have saved over $100,000. If any of the paperwork concerning their licenses had been lost (or any software had been accidentally pirated) they would have to pay enormous fines. Los Angeles and Philadelphia have also been targeted. The Los Angeles school system "eventually negotiated a reduced settlement: a $300,000 fine, in addition to which the cash-strapped district had to set aside $3 million to replace pirated materials, and another $1.5 million to create an internal piracy team."<sup><a href="#endnotes">11</a></sup></p>

<p>	It goes without saying that by using free software, you will also avoid time spent negotiating contracts, entering license keys and otherwise dealing with product activation schemes.</p>

<h3>2.2.3. Savings are shared with families</h3>

<p>	Using OSS can save families money as well. Parents often decide what type of computer to buy and what applications to use based on what their children are using in school. While OSS can save a school quite a bit of money, it can save its families even more. Dell charges schools $161 for Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Academic, but it charges $349 for "Home" purchases. Microsoft and other companies such as Adobe are kind enough to give similar discounts on most of their products that are used in schools, but when the student wants to go home and use the tools they have learned, their parents must pay the higher price. Even if a company extends its academic discount to home users, the discounted price is still more expensive than free.  Open Source Software is always free for everyone. </p>

<p>	Since OSS applications are free, so you can legally burn CDs of the applications you use and give them to your students to use at home.  Students can also download these applications from the Internet free of charge.  Not only does this save your students money, but it ensures that the the software on their home computers will always be compatible with the software on the school computers.</p>

<h3>2.2.4. Greater security and stability</h3>

<p>	 Because OSS programs are open for peer review, bugs and security problems are found and fixed more quickly than in proprietary programs.  OSS programs have a long track record of being more stable and more secure than their proprietary equivalents.</p>

<h3>2.2.5. Greater long term flexibility</h3>

<p>	The nature of OSS makes its applications more likely to run in a large variety of environments. For instance, OpenOffice.org runs in Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Should another operating system become popular, it is very likely that a version of OpenOffice.org will be written that works in it. This is because any programmer can help write this new version. With proprietary software such as Microsoft Office, programs will not be made available for new  platforms until the company that makes the software decides it is profitable.</p>

<p>	OSS programs are also often translated into more languages than their proprietary equivalents.  Mozilla, for instance, is available in 59 languages, with dozens more in development.  OpenOffice.org currently supports about as many languages as Microsoft Office, but it is poised to triple its number of translations over the next few years.<sup><a href="#endnotes">12</a></sup>  Again, this is because anyone can contribute and people do so when they see a need, not simply when they see a potential for profit.</p>

<p>	OSS applications are also more likely to work together well, because they are not in competition with each other. An example of this competition occurred when Microsoft and Corel were vying for the word processing market. Microsoft strove to have MS Word read WordPerfect documents while preventing WordPerfect from reading MS Word documents. Corel did the same. The result is that both MS Word and WordPerfect files are very hard for other applications to read properly. Conversely, OSS word processors tend towards file formats that are easily read and have publicly available specifications. What this means for you is that any file you write with OpenOffice.org will always be readable in the future even if OpenOffice.org stops being popular. OSS programs will never trap you with their file formats.</p>

<h3>2.2.6. OSS is easy to use and teaches computing concepts well</h3>

<p>	OSS is not any harder to use than proprietary software. Many of the most important OSS applications, such as OpenOffice.org, are very similar to their proprietary equivalents. OpenOffice.org is no more different from MS Office than MS Office is from WordPerfect</p>

<p>	There may be a concern that using OSS will cripple students going into a Microsoft dominated workplace. However, using OSS will teach your students general computing principles as well, or better, than using proprietary software. "[S]tudents should learn concepts, not specific software features. Word processing and spreadsheets as concepts are valuable; Microsoft Word and Excel are not."<sup><a href="#endnotes">13</a></sup>  The fact that MS Office users learn OpenOffice.org very quickly bears this out. Students who learn one particular word processor will not have any significant advantage over students who learn another.</p>

<h2>2.3. Recommendations on how to phase in Windows-based Open Source Software </h2>

<p>	If you have decided to use OSS, we recommend the the first
change you make is to switch from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice.org. 
This transition should be relatively painless and may save you a
substantial amount of money.  As previously mentioned, OpenOffice.org's
user interface is very similar to Microsoft Office.  Most users will
take no more than a few hours<sup>14</sup> to become accustomed to the slightly
different look of OpenOffice.org.  Even advanced users who use many
features are likely to be comfortable with the switch within several
weeks.  OpenOffice can both read and write Microsoft Office documents,
so your old documents will be readable and you can maintain
compatibility with people who use MS Office.</p>

<p>	The second change we recommend is to use the Mozilla web browser instead of Internet Explorer.  You may wonder why this matters, as both browsers are free of charge.  There are several advantages to using Mozilla.  First, it has better support for web standards such as CSS than Internet Explorer.  Second, it has a much better security record than Internet Explorer.  Third, if you ever decide to switch from Windows to Linux (as outlined later in this document), Internet Explorer will not be available, but Mozilla will and your users will already be familiar with it.  Switching to Mozilla should be a very easy transition for your users, as there are no significant interface differences between it and Internet Explorer.</p>

<p>	Once these changes have been made, there are a number of possible paths that you can take depending on your individual situation.  We believe that the list of  OSS programs in the table above is a good place to start.  We hope that you will find that a large majority of the programs you currently use can be replaced by their OSS equivalents.</p>

<h1>3. Using Linux</h1>

<p>	Using OSS in Windows will save you a lot of money, but you will still have to pay for Windows itself.  It turns out that you can save even more money, both on software and on hardware, by switching from Windows to Linux, an OSS operating system.  Clearly, this switch is a much larger change than simply switching from one web browser to another or one office suite to another, so it much be considered carefully.  We recommend a transitional period of using OSS in your current operating system before taking this step. Since most OSS programs that run in Windows also run in Linux, being used to them before switching operating systems will make the transition much easier.</p>

<h2>3.1. Ways of running Linux</h2>

<p>	The obvious way to run Linux is to have labs in which each computer runs a full installation of Linux, in the same way that your current labs have computers that each run a full installation of Windows.  Possible vendors for such a setup are Redhat and Sun Microsystems. Sun, for instance, offers a fully supported version of Linux called "Java Desktop" for $25-$100 per computer per year.</p>

<p>	This approach may be appealing to some, but it is not the one that we will focus on.  Rather, we recommend using the K-12 Linux Terminal Server Project (K12LTSP), in which one server powers a lab full of inexpensive Linux terminals<sup><a href="#endnotes">15</a></sup>.  These terminals appear identical to full computers to users, but have the advantage of lowering both your hardware and maintenance costs while improving uptime.</p>

<p>	With the large base of applications already available for Windows, it is unlikely that you are in a position to switch all of your computers to Linux.  For instance, a teacher may wish to use a program that's included with a textbook in class.  Fortunately, there is no need to purge Windows completely to take advantage of Linux.  Linux interoperates well with Windows in a number of ways.</p>

<p>	The same programs often run in both Windows and Linux.  This is true for the OSS applications we have discussed, such as OpenOffice.org, Mozilla, and The GIMP.  Several proprietary applications also have both Windows and Linux versions.  WordPerfect, Mathematica and Acrobat Reader are examples of such applications. In fact, Microsoft Office and other programs without official Linux versions can run in Linux using WINE<sup><a href="#endnotes">16</a></sup> or CrossOver Office.<sup><a href="#endnotes">17</a></sup>  Because of this, you can standardize your major software across all your computers even though they do not all run the same operating system.</p>

<p>	Linux and Windows also work well together on a network.  Linux has excellent support for Microsoft network protocols. For instance, Linux can access Windows shared drives and Evolution can access the same scheduling, mail, and global address books as Outlook.</p>

<h2>3.2. Additional advantages to running Linux.</h2>

<p>	The advantages to running OSS in Windows listed above also apply to Linux.  For example, switching to Linux will further lower your software costs, increase your security and reduce licensing hassles.  There are also some added benefits that are not so obvious.</p>

<h3>3.2.1. Lower hardware cost per seat.</h3>

<blockquote>Eric Harrison [works] at the Multnomah Educational Service District in Portland, Ore. Since 1997, Harrison has been developing networks based on the free Linux operating system. His latest project [The K-12 Linux Terminal Server Project] links 40 older PCs to a single set of software applications running on a central Linux server computer. The cost: $200 a seat vs. $1,500 a seat for PCs running Microsoft, he says.<sup><a href="#endnotes">18</a></sup> </blockquote>

<p>	By using a system like the K-12 Linux Terminal Server Project,<sup><a href="#endnotes">19</a></sup> Portland and several other school districts have found that they can save enormous amounts of money while improving system reliability and maintainability, and without sacrificing their students' education. Upgrading a computer lab of 20 older computers typically costs at least $20,000. By using Linux terminals, that cost can be cut to around $6000-$8000.<sup><a href="#endnotes">20</a></sup> If the school already owns computers suitable for being Linux terminals this cost can be further cut to $4500-$6500. Because the terminals do very little work themselves, most computers manufactured after 1995 are sufficient.</p>

<h3>3.2.2. Lower cost of maintenance</h3>

<p>	If you use the K-12 Linux Terminal Server Project, your maintenance costs are  reduced because all applications are actually run from only one server per lab, so there is only one computer to maintain instead of 20. In fact, some schools have as many as 80 classroom terminals running from one server.<sup><a href="#endnotes">21</a></sup>  </p>

<blockquote>Nelson says, "The fact that it's so reliable and so easy maintained ... we have 23 workstations distributed out to classrooms, and we had 100 percent up time all year long. If the system is down, teachers sure aren't going to base their lessons on it. [With Windows], people aren't used to having 128 days of up time.<br /><br />

"One of the comments from the kids in the classroom has been, 'At least the Linux computers are working.' "<sup><a href="#endnotes">22</a></sup></blockquote>

<h3>3.2.3. Savings are shared with families.</h3>

<p>	Just as running OpenOffice.org at school can save your students money at home, running Linux at school can as well. Major vendors such as WalMart sell inexpensive computers with Linux installed for as little as $200 (without a monitor). WalMart's cheapest computer with Windows XP Home edition was over $400 (also without a monitor).  By encouraging your students' families to buy Linux computers, you can save them the extra cost of Windows.</p>

<h3>3.2.3. Linux is easy to use and teaches computing concepts well</h3>

<blockquote>Linux has graphical interfaces that can be learned quickly. "We have kindergartners using it on a daily basis without any problems," says Harry McGregor, CEO of the Open Source Education Foundation.<sup><a href="#endnotes">23</a></sup></blockquote>

<p>	OSS is not any harder to use than proprietary software. Linux has advanced graphical interfaces that are similar to those found in Windows and Macintosh. Switching to Linux, in this regard, is no more difficult than switching from Macs to Windows.</p>

<p>	As discussed above, you may be concerned that teaching students Linux will cripple them when they enter the job market.  However, desktop Linux is being quickly adopted by businesses.  A recent survey of corporate buyers showed that 43% said they would consider replacing Windows desktops with Linux. Sales of Linux desktop computers are now equal to that of Macs and are expected to double in the next three years.<sup><a href="#endnotes">24</a></sup> As with other OSS programs, we believe that Linux teaches general computing concepts well.  A student that learns about files, folders, windows, scroll bars, minimizing, maximizing, and so on using Linux will be well equipped to apply this knowledge to other operating systems.</p>

<h2>3.3. Recommendations on how to phase in Linux</h2>

<p>	If you decide to use Linux in your school, we recommend starting with one lab that uses the K12LTSP system.  Or, if you cannot dedicate an entire lab to your initial install, you can simply make one row of computers in a lab Linux terminals.  It will be easy to increase the number later.</p>

<p>	In switching to Linux, you may be afraid that you have no one to turn to when something goes wrong, because most OSS programs are not associated with any particular company. However, this does not mean that you are on your own. There are a number of companies that provide support for OSS, notably Sun and RedHat. </p>

<p>	OSS also enjoys excellent community support. Because OSS developers are often motivated primarily by a desire to help people, it is usually easy to find a website or mailing list that can answer your questions. Indeed, in many cases, you can e-mail the developers themselves and get prompt and helpful responses. </p>

<h1>4. You are not alone</h1>

<p>	Switching the way you run your school's technology is a big risk. It would be foolish to switch away from what you know works without any evidence that it will fit your needs. Fortunately you are not alone. </p>

<blockquote>Building labs has been a huge success for K12LTSP. The Portland Public Schools (PPS), which have had two of the labs and are activating two more this week, are certainly impressed with the technology. According to one representative of PPS, 16-17 more labs will be installed system-wide by this coming Fall. [May 2002]<br /><br />
In Riverdale, Nelson and his students have been working to take the lab network scenario to a new level. <br /><br />
"My high school class just built our first cluster this spring. We're experimenting with it to see how it works," he explained. "Our goal is to explore a cluster-based pool of application servers for a new high school we'll open in September. We'll be installing 65 new K12LTSP thin-clients for that building. "<sup><a href="#endnotes">25</a></sup></blockquote>

<p>	In 1999 Silver Valley High School in California installed 120 Linux terminals. Including the servers, the system cost them $312 per client. Originally they intended to spend $1000 per client on hardware - before software costs. By 2001, they had 140 Linux clients.  They also have 60 Windows clients, proving that schools can use Windows where they need it, but still use OSS where the added features don't justify the expense. <sup><a href="#endnotes">26</a></sup></p>

<p>	Open source is also being used extensively in other countries.</p>

<blockquote>In France, under the guidance of the Minister of Education's Centre National de Documentation Pedagogique program, 350 primary and secondary schools in the Grenoble academic district are accessing the Internet through inexpensive Linux servers. <sup><a href="#endnotes">27</a></sup></blockquote>

<h1>5. Conclusion</h1>

<p>	Preparing students for the world now involves an education in which computers play a major role. Unfortunately, purchasing and maintaining computer labs is expensive. Microsoft and other proprietary software companies have been generous enough to give significant educational discounts to schools, which by some accounts lowers the cost of computing in schools by about 40%.<sup><a href="#endnotes">28</a></sup></p>

<p>	However, there are now options to lower your costs by significantly more than that. Because thousands of individual programmers around the world as well as companies such as RedHat, IBM, Sun, and Netscape donate their code to the public, schools can now get for free much of the functionality they used to pay for. OSS saves schools money by reducing the cost of software, hardware, upgrades, administration and maintenance. Less time and money spent on maintaining your computers means more time spent teaching. Using OSS in schools also cuts costs for families who want to use the same software at home as is used in schools. Various levels of commitment to OSS are possible, ranging from the replacement of a single application to switching entirely to Linux running OSS applications.</p>

<p>	You need to have computers to run a school, but it doesn't need to be nearly as expensive as it is today. School budgets are always tight. Consider what getting half of your technology costs back could buy your school and it should be clear that it is worth looking into Open Source Software.</p>

<h1>6. Further reading</h1>

<ol>
<li>Bill French, "Open Source Software in American Public Schools"
<a href="http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~french/hwk/bill-french-is290-17">http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~french/hwk/bill-french-is290-17</a></li>

<li>Organization for Free Software in Education and Teaching
<a href="http://www.ofset.org/">http://www.ofset.org/</a></li>
</ol>

<h1><a name="endnotes"></a>Endnotes</h1>

<ol>

<li>http://openoffice.org</li>

<li>http://mozilla.org</li>

<li>http://www.ximian.com/products/evolution/</li>

<li>http://gimp.org</li>

<li>PC World, July 2003, "World Class: Best of 2003"; 
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,110653,pg,1,00.asp</li>

<li>New York Times, 20 June 2002: "Office Turf: No. 1 Faces An Upstart "; 
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10D15F63C5B0C738EDDAF0894DA404482</li>

<li>http://ofset.sourceforge.net/drgeo/</li>

<li>http://tuxtype.sourceforge.net/</li>

<li>Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Feb 2003, "Linux Could Become Inexpensive Alternative to Proprietary Systems"; 
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Feb/02242003/monday/32333.asp</li>

<li>Simple End User Linux, "Impressions from ACPE [Association for Computer Professionals in Education] 2002"; 
http://www.seul.org/edu/acpe2002.html</li>

<li>Salon, 10 July 2001, "Microsoft to Schools: Give us your Lunch Money"; 
http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/07/10/microsoft_school/</li>

<li>News.com, "Se Habla Open Source?", 16 Feb 2004; 
http://news.com.com/2100-7344-5159179.html</li>

<li>Bill French, "Open Source Software in American Public Schools";
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~french/hwk/bill-french-is290-17</li>

<li>Danish Board of Technology, "Open-source software in e-government", Oct 2002;
http://www.tekno.dk/pdf/projekter/p03_opensource_paper_english.pdf</li>

<li>http://www.k12ltsp.org/</li>

<li>http://winehq.com/</li>

<li>http://www.codeweavers.com/</li>

<li>USA Today, 13 May 2002, "Microsoft pitches schools new licensing option"; 
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/05/13/2002-05-13-microsoft-schools.htm</li>

<li>http://www.k12ltsp.org/</li>

<li>Newsforge, 3 July 2001, "Linux project gives schools networks at fraction of Windows cost"; 
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/07/03/1616245</li>

<li>http://k12ltsp.org/casestudy.html</li>

<li>Newsforge, 3 July 2001, as above</li>

<li>Wired, 20 Aug 2001, "Penguin Enrolls in US Schools";
http://wired.com/news/school/0,1383,45862-2,00.html</li>

<li>Yahoo News, 13 Feb 2004, "Linux Moves In On The Desktop"; 
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/bw/20040213/bs_bw/b3871118mz063</li>

<li>Linux Planet, 22 May 2002, "Graduation Day for Linux"; 
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/4216/5/</li>

<li>"Using X-Terminals In A High School", 26 Jan 2001;
http://www.silvervalley.k12.ca.us/~chobbs/xterms/index.html</li>

<li>Linux Magazine, Feb 2002, "Open Schools to Open Source";
http://www.linux-mag.com/2002-02/trench_01.html</li>

<li>French, "Open Source Software in American Public Schools", as above</li>

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