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Posted on 08/06/2005 3:46:50 PM PDT by N3WBI3
ELKHART, Ind., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Linspire, Inc. and Wintergreen Systems announced today that Indiana high schools are currently testing desktop Linux machines in school systems across the state as part of a plan to provide every public high school student with a computer. If successful, the plan, called the Indiana Access Program, will provide each high school student in the state with an individual desktop Linux computer for instructional use in each classroom they visit during the day -- meaning a potential 300,000 Linux machines could be deployed over coming years. "Indiana schools aren't just talking about desktop Linux -- students and teachers are actually using it every day," said Kevin Carmony, president and CEO of Linspire, Inc. "We're thrilled that a desktop Linux solution is being evaluated in Indiana with such success, and we're confident that other school systems will look to this deployment as an example for their own classrooms. This is a way educators can give every student quality, well-equipped computers at a price the schools can afford."
Over the past three years, thousands of Linspire and Wintergreen machines have been deployed in dozens of classrooms across the state to explore the benefits of one-to-one classroom computing. The program is already having an impact in the state: Randolph Southern Jr./Sr. High School, in the eastern Indiana town of Lynn, is one of the schools that has been using the Linspire/Wintergreen computers for the past three years. There are about 125 systems in the school -- one computer for every student in each of three English Language Arts classrooms, as well as one Biology and one Social Studies classroom. Annette Wilson, technical director for the school, estimates that approximately 90-95 percent of the 300 students at her school will be exposed to the new computers this year.
"The kids are so excited to have their own computers during class," Wilson said. "They're able to do all of their projects and explore the Internet on these systems -- they even use them to take notes during class instead of using notebooks. It makes no difference to them if they are using Linux or another kind of system -- they just want computers that work, and these do."
A new deployment to three school districts will be complete by the start of school in August 2005 and will provide many classes in the pilot school districts with individual systems. The model program uses desktop Linux operating systems and standard hardware configurations to keep costs low. Currently, the Linspire/Wintergreen combo is the leading desktop Linux system available for the schools.
"Many schools across the state have already had the chance to try out desktop Linux, and everyone seems excited to get this program going," said John Levy, CEO of Wintergreen Systems. "This groundbreaking initiative makes it possible for schools to afford computers for every student, something that makes a huge impact in their overall education."
The Indiana Access Program is designed to provide affordable classroom computers for every secondary student. This program makes these systems available with the partnership of Indiana-based companies, benefiting the local Indiana economy. Wintergreen Systems, based in Elkhart, Indiana for five years, provides high-quality computer systems pre-installed with the Linspire operating system.
"We're glad local businesses have the opportunity to make such an impact with students across the state," Levy continued. "Supporting this program provides for a computer in front for the kids, but also helps sustain the businesses that will shape the future for Indiana families."
Schools across Indiana that have not yet had a chance to try the Linspire operating system should call or email Linspire at edu@linspire.com for a free evaluation copy.
For more information about the Indiana Access Program, Linspire, or Wintergreen Systems, please contact:
Heather MacKenzie Linspire, Inc. 858-587-6700 x263 858-587-8095 (Fax) pr@linspireinc.com About Linspire
Linspire, Inc. (www.linspire.com) was founded in 2001 to bring choice into the operating system market. The company's flagship product, the Linspire operating system, is an affordable, easy-to-use Linux-based operating system for home, school, and business users. Linspire pioneered CNR (click and run) Technology, which allows Linspire users to download and install thousands of software programs with just one mouse click. The more than 2,000 software titles available in the CNR Warehouse (www.linspire.com/cnrservice) include full office and productivity suites, games, multimedia players, photo management software, accounting tools, and more.
About Wintergreen Systems
Headquartered in Elkhart, Ind., Wintergreen Systems, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of computer products. Wintergreen Systems, Inc. sells Intel- and AMD-based computers through a network of mass merchandising, indirect resellers, and catalog resellers.
Linspire, CNR and CNR Warehouse are trademarks of Linspire, Inc. All other marks herein may be property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Heather MacKenzie of Linspire, Inc., +1-858-587-6700, ext. 263,or fax, +1-858-587-8095, pr@linspireinc.com
Web site: http://www.linspire.com/ http://www.linspire.com/cnrservice/
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Educators again will train kids on an operating system that will not get them a job.
Yeah...and using Microsoft makes you more employable? Give me a break.
I'm logged on through a Linspire 5.0 box through a Opteron 64 bit processor, serial ata with raid 1 array, gforce video card..all the goodies. Easy to use. few games. If you're a MOB=Mail, Office, Browser user - its relly all you need. Has an excellent office suite compatible with MS Office.
1) Time: Lets say a kids is a freshman in HS, and lest assume that he is at least going to take two years of college (more than 55% of Americans do).. That means the systems being used now will be *at least* 6 years old then. Six years ago kids were using windows 98 on the desktop, since then we have had 2000, XP, and soon to be longhorn. So handing a kid a windows XP box in school right now is no more helpful in using a computer in 6-8 years than handing them an OSX or a Linux desktop.
2) Worth of Education: If you really want kids to be computer literate and not just MS office users why worry about the OS they are using? I'm sorry if a kid can use Linux on the desktop windows will be no problem (nor will osx). In the same manner if a kid uses windows and is taught correctly using Linux should not be a big deal. I too was taught on Macs in the 80's and 90's, it did not prevent me from getting certifications with MS, CompTia, and RedHat in a variety of different technologies..
3) Cost: hey if MS would swoop in and undercut Linspire I would have no issue with them using MS on the desktop. The schools waste enough money as it is, if Linspire can reduce the cost for schools to bring technology to kids I'm all for it.
Twenty years ago, Microsoft was on a pretty new version 1 of Windows, and it did not have a very high percentage of users. IIRC, Word for Windows wasn't released until 1987, and certainly wasn't dominant in the business world for several years after that. In fact, in 1985, typewriters were still the dominant force in the business world. Word processors were in use, but they were still pricey, so they weren't dominant. So, unless you're willing to modify your data from "twenty years ago", you're wrong. 1985 was not a "Microsoft world".
Plenty of Linux here at my job.
The point of having computers in the early 80's was that kids learn to program. Nowadays, teaching kids "Office" seems the goal.
We went from minting future engineers, to minting fleets of secraterys now. At least with Linspire, the schools can "Click and Run" a development package, and those computers can be put to good use in any computer science class.
Learning HTML is not learning to program!
Newsflash, yes it does.
When I had to choose between a candidate who used windows vs one who used Mac systems. The windows user won out because I would not have to waste time teaching her windows stuff.
The differences may be slight but slight differences equal money in the real world.
It was an IBM world.
Wordperfect and Worstar were duking it out in the office environment.
Lannier's dedicated wordprocessor was being replaced by the (GASP!) 20 meg hard drive IBM XT.
To say you machine was IBM compatable meant you had a business machine. Apple II's were expensive toys. The Mac was a prettier B/W toy.
So no it was not a windows world, but it was DEFINITLY not in any way an Apple computer world.
(of course in those days reverse polish notation was still coooool.)
I agree. Good add-on post. ltm.
Then you might lose out on someone who is trainable vs someone who is not. Of course if someone knows all the tools you use you will choose them but knowing windows does not know they will mean technology..
I think any windows user, especially a young one, could make the switch without missing a beat.
It seems to me the big issue here is not windows vs linux but desktop vs. laptop.
Think of all the downtime of those machines (nights and weekends).
Also, if the kids had their own laptops they were responsible for, they might get a taste of the "ownership" society. Sitting at their desks with their "ball and chain" desktop machines will be good preparation for a future cubicle job.
The Broward County school district bought 5000 iBooks for their students. Much better idea. (I teach at a post graduate portfolio school. The transition from computer labs to personal laptops was a great leap forward).
Newsflash. You're full of it.
What the school hands you limits neither your abilities nor options. Only a person's lack of initiative does that. And if someone is such a drone that they have to be spoonfed Microsoft crapware in order to get by in life, then that's someone who isn't just marginally employable; that's someone who hasn't got the brains that God gave a cow.
SO by *giving* a buch of kids something they learn about the ownserhip society??
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