Getting free software in to schools
From DFEY
We need to create a good presentation to put to secondary schools on the merits of FLOSS "technologies" and how they can be supported.
Ideas:
- Small businesses can make use of it, generating more sustainable businesses.
- It is most importantly free and so isn't a drain on school resources
- It saves poorer families the cost of having to pay for Microsoft Products
- The interface hasn't changed (MS Office 2007 is unusable IMO)
- It promotes kids to become more interested in how computers and applications run/work
- Stability in open formats
- It promotes freedom of choice and doesn't support the Microsoft Monopoly
- It keeps the money in the UK, instead of sending it to MS Headquarters in Redmond.
I think the thing to put across is to make the change very stable by first introducing cross-platform OSS tools and then, if the school wants to, moving to Linux (although don't make a big fuss over that at this point). First get them using tools like OpenOffice.org, Blender, Gimp and FreeMind (mind mapping tool - schools love them in my experience). Showing too much change (an OS change) in one step is just too much for them to cope with to be honest.
Try distributing the OpenEducationDisc.
