tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52367534502018997672024-03-13T17:00:16.244+00:00Integrating open source into a primary schoolHow a primary school in Holmfirth, Huddersfield ventured down an open source route.Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-49564466603045696542007-11-08T11:19:00.001+00:002007-11-08T11:24:08.936+00:00More Windows less Linux<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">It must be said that there are certain features of Windows that I think 'why on earth doesn't Ubuntu employ such methods!'<br /><br />This is a great little way of editing files as root using the desktop. This saves having to login as root and navigating a text editor! More windows less linux<br /><br /><b><big>Step 1</big></b><br />Open a terminal and type:<br /><br /> <small>sudo su</small><br /><br /><big><b>Step 2</b></big><br />Then type:<br /><small><br /> gedit .gnome2/nautilus-scripts/Open\ as\ root</small><br /><br /><b><big>Step 3</big></b><br />Now add the following three lines of code to the file:<br /><br /> <small>for uri in $NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_URIS; do<br /> gksudo "gnome-open $uri" &<br /> done</small><br /><b><big><br />Step 4</big></b><br />Go back to the terminal and type:<br /><br /> <small>sudo chmod +x .gnome2/nautilus-scripts/Open\ as\ root<br /><br /><big><b><big>Step 5</big></b></big><br /><big>Reboot the machine and now when you right click on a document and goto scripts, there is the option to open the document as root!<br /><br />*note that there are certain security implications with this method see <a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo">this link</a><br /></big></small><br /><br /><br /><p class="poweredbyperformancing">Powered by <a href="http://scribefire.com/">ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-24612457559593818092007-11-08T10:13:00.001+00:002007-11-08T11:22:40.579+00:00HOWTO: Edubuntu LTSP login screen resolution problem<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">There were a few points in my departure to the latest version of Edubuntu - 7.10 that I thought I may need to downgrade. Unfortunately, it's often the case that a new version of the operating system comes complete with a new set of bugs that only maturity will iron out.<br /><br />One problem in particular was really bugging me and rendered the upgrade useless for our system if I didn't find a fix - quick! The problem came when a thin client displayed it's login screen, the monitor would just go off with a disturbing message (from the monitor) saying 'unsupported resolution' or something to that effect - the message may vary between different models of monitors.<br /><br />It quickly became clear that the monitor does not support the resolution that Edubuntu or Xorg was trying to output. I thought a quick tweak in the admin panel might sort things out but the problem was a little deeper - as are many linux problems. Once again I was forced to use the now very familiar terminal.<br /><br /><big><b>Step 1</b></big><br />Locate the file lts.conf using this path:<br /><pre>/opt/ltsp/i386/etc/lts.conf</pre><br /><big><b>Step 2</b></big><br />Add the following line:<br /><pre>[default]<br />X_MODE_0 = 1024x768 #or other resolution that you'd like to use</pre><b><big><big><br /><small>Step 3</small></big></big></b><br />Bring up the terminal and type:<br /><pre>ltsp-update-image</pre><br /><small><b><big><big>Step 4</big></big></b></small><br />Reboot the server, when it's all booted up then all systems go with the thin clients! Now you can see!<br /><br /><br /><p class="poweredbyperformancing">Powered by <a href="http://scribefire.com/">ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-82312479116433847212007-11-05T20:29:00.001+00:002007-11-05T20:31:42.796+00:00HOWTO: Setting Firefox's Global Settings<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">We use a proxy server in our school and having to put the network information into Firefox for each user would be a nightmare!<br /><br /><big><b>Step 1</b></big><br />Locate the file /usr/share/firefox/greprefs/all.js and open. In the terminal you can type:<br /><small><br />sudo gedit /usr/share/firefox/greprefs/all.js</small><br /><br />This will open the firefox preferences file in the terminal.<br /><br /><br /><big><b>Step 2</b></big><br />Locate the string "proxy.type" using the find function (CTRL+F) and change the following appropreately:<br /><small><br />pref("network.proxy.type", 1);<br />pref("network.proxy.ftp", "YourIPAddressToProxy");<br />pref("network.proxy.ftp_port", 8080);<br />pref("network.proxy.gopher", "YourIPAddressToProxy");<br />pref("network.proxy.gopher_port", 8080);<br />pref("network.proxy.http", "YourIPAddressToProxy");<br />pref("network.proxy.http_port", 0);<br />pref("network.proxy.ssl", "YourIPAddressToProxy");<br />pref("network.proxy.ssl_port", 0);<br />pref("network.proxy.socks", "YourIPAddressToSocks");<br />pref("network.proxy.socks_port", 0);<br />pref("network.proxy.socks_version", 5);<br />pref("network.proxy.socks_remote_dns", false);<br />pref("network.proxy.no_proxies_on", "localhost, 127.0.0.1, .yourlocal.domains");<br /><big><br /><br /><b><big>Step 3</big></b><br />It's also possible to setup the global default homepage*, this time we edit /etc/firefox/pref/firefox.js. In the terminal type:</big><br /><br />sudo gedit /etc/firefox/pref/firefox.js<br /><big><br />Add the following lines:</big><br /><br />//Setup Home...<br />pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www.google.com");<br />pref("browser.startup.homepage_reset", "http://www.google.com");<br /><br /><big>Changing the urls appropreately. Save the file(s) and reboot.<br /><br />*This step might not work as expected in Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) It's a known bug: <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/19033">Bug Report</a><br /></big></small><br /><br /><p class="poweredbyperformancing">Powered by <a href="http://scribefire.com/">ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-40467511961264090642007-11-05T19:33:00.001+00:002007-11-27T21:42:46.594+00:00HOWTO: Sound, Flash & Thin Clients<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><a href="http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://questchile.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/ubuntu-gutsy-gibbon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://questchile.wordpress.com/2007/06/&h=279&w=275&sz=17&hl=en&start=16&um=1&tbnid=nBjZaLBvUgWmGM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgutsy%2Bgibbon%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enGB243GB243%26sa%3DN"><img src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:nBjZaLBvUgWmGM:http://questchile.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/ubuntu-gutsy-gibbon.jpg" style="border: 1px solid ;" height="114" width="112" /></a><br /><br />For a while now I've been working on an anoying problem. I've been trying to get the <b>sound</b> to work using <b>flash</b> on a <b>thin client</b>. The sound would play on the server instead of sounding on the thin client. Flash is so important to us that a sollution needed to be found otherwise LTSP would'nt have been a solution for us. I thought an upgrade to Edubuntu would solve all our problems, it didn't and in a final ditched effort I managed to find the following fix:<br /><br /><big><b><br />Step 1</b></big><br />bring up the terminal and type:<br /><br /><small>wget http://pulseaudio.vdbonline.net/libflashsupport/libflashsupport_1.0~2219-1_i386.deb </small><br /><br /><big><b>Step 2</b></big><br /><small><br />sudo dpkg -i libflashsupport_1.0~2219-1_i386.deb</small><br /><big><br /><small><b><big>Step 3</big></b><br />Close the terminal and reboot the server<br /><br /><br />There we have it, a 3 month problem put to bed in 2 lines of code! This silly problem just suddenly disappeared. This is one of those things in Ubuntu that should just work!<br /><br />I've recently been made aware (thanks to Tom!) that this fix does not work on 64bit versions of Ubuntu. This is tried and tested on 7.10 32bit.<br /></small></big><br /><br /><br /><p class="poweredbyperformancing">Powered by <a href="http://scribefire.com/">ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-46592935875893491312007-10-30T13:55:00.001+00:002007-10-30T13:55:21.934+00:00Document Interoperability<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><br /><blockquote>'Becta, the government's education technology agency,<br />recently made a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for<br />alleged anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in the schools<br />software marketplace and in relation to Microsoft's approach to<br />document interoperability. Becta's advice to schools in relation to<br />the deployment of Office 2007 remains that schools and colleges<br />should only deploy Office 2007 when its interoperability with<br />alternative products is satisfactory. That would necessarily imply<br />effective support by Microsoft of the internationally approved ODF<br />file format.Becta's final report, on Microsoft's Academic Licensing<br />Programmes, which was scheduled for January 2008, will now be<br />deferred until after the outcome of our complaint to the Office of<br />Fair Trading is known. Becta's final report on Vista and Office 2007<br />is scheduled for publication in January 2008.'</blockquote><br /><p><br/><br/>Could this mean that BECTA is likely to (deservedly) push<br />open source office applications and new web 2.0 office apps? In a bid<br />to steer the majority of educational establishments away from a once<br />popular, clever but now unnecessarily costly package? <br /></p><br /><br/><br/><p class='poweredbyperformancing'>Powered by <a href='http://scribefire.com/'>ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-60918919466950068872007-10-30T13:40:00.001+00:002007-10-30T14:05:28.381+00:00Developing an interactive whiteboard common file format<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><blockquote>There are plans to develop a common file format for interactive whiteboards, in consultation with industry, to allow resources to be easily shared. The lack of a common file format remains a major barrier to sharing interactive whiteboard resources. There has not been an open format available to allow a user to develop content on one platform and present it on another.<br /><br />With a common file format, resources can be developed once, then immediately distributed, without conversion, for presentation on any interactive whiteboard configuration. Institutions will no longer be locked into buying hardware from a particular vendor to support content developed on their existing systems. They will be free to purchase hardware and software from any supplier, or from a range of suppliers, assured that their files will be supported.</blockquote>Another good example of vendors creating a standard for interoperabilty! This move will no doubt aid the sharing of resources on various learning platforms.<br /><br /><p class="poweredbyperformancing">Powered by <a href="http://scribefire.com/">ScribeFire</a>.</p></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-85728761128581683802007-10-20T13:11:00.000+01:002007-10-20T13:39:51.017+01:00Great to know someone is listening!A big thanks to Joseph Hartman, San Diego, California for making me aware of his blog. He's trying hard to accomplish a similar project to myself using <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ubuntu</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LTSP</span>. Just like me he's coming across many obstacles and one by one he's managed to overcome them.<br /><br />He recently posted a great metaphor for his reasoning in using FOSS:<br /><a href="http://hartmansblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/ubuntu-day-and-understanding-operating.html"><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Understanding Operating Systems through the metaphor of automobiles </span></a><br /><br />His full blog can be found here:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://hartmansblog.blogspot.com/">Hartman's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Blogtastic</span> Blog</a></span><br /><br />I'd sure like to hear from anybody else who's doing a similar thing to our two primary schools, as they say - many hands make lighter work!Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-71852453317350090462007-10-19T21:16:00.000+01:002008-12-10T08:19:54.998+00:00The long overdue photos!Here are a few photos of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NABB's</span> library, before and after. Before the conversion, the room was mainly used for storage and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">eventually</span> became a dumping ground for all the items the teachers no longer required in the classrooms.<br /><br />Space is at a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">premium</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Holmfirth</span> J I & N School, it was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">therefore</span> essential that whatever furniture was fitted <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">accommodated</span> as much as possible.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ0Pl41TI/AAAAAAAAACE/4Wgj7MxfcCg/s1600-h/Picture+021+%28Large%29.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ0Pl41TI/AAAAAAAAACE/4Wgj7MxfcCg/s400/Picture+021+%28Large%29.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:180%;">Before</span><br />This was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">NABB's</span> library back in April 2007.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ0vl41UI/AAAAAAAAACM/I7_EeDgdKUU/s1600-h/Photo+033.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ0vl41UI/AAAAAAAAACM/I7_EeDgdKUU/s400/Photo+033.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:180%;">After</span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ0_l41VI/AAAAAAAAACU/VxaPIXzE8BI/s1600-h/Photo+037.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ0_l41VI/AAAAAAAAACU/VxaPIXzE8BI/s400/Photo+037.jpg" border="0" /></a> In August 2007 it was complete.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There are 17 thin clients housed in the room. The Promethean <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ActivBoard</span> is connected to a Windows <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">XP</span> machine in a server cabinet 15m away. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">USB</span> leads use repeaters so no data is lost. A standard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">USB</span> connection can be no longer that 7-10m before a repeater is required.<br /><br /><br />Each HP 5725 thin client is mounted to the bottom of the furniture using <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">HP's</span> quick release bracket. This provides quick and easy access to all the cables & means that a client is very quick to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">swap.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ1Pl41WI/AAAAAAAAACc/uIyVrFtVXWM/s1600-h/Photo+040.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkQ1Pl41WI/AAAAAAAAACc/uIyVrFtVXWM/s400/Photo+040.jpg" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-91503134631810611342007-10-19T18:55:00.000+01:002008-12-10T08:19:55.179+00:00Promethean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkLcvl41RI/AAAAAAAAAB4/m5sUrJc_Btk/s1600-h/Promethean_Logo_New_2_thumb.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RxkLcvl41RI/AAAAAAAAAB4/m5sUrJc_Btk/s320/Promethean_Logo_New_2_thumb.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123138639550272786" border="0" /></a>It's been almost a year now since Promethean revealed that they're working on Linux drivers for their range of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ActivBoards</span> and still no news of when and if it's to be released to the public.<br /><br />Through piecing together information I've googled, it seems that Promethean advertised for a Linux/Mac software tester back in March, it's unclear if they managed to recruit anyone for the position. Now they're again recruiting for a similar position :<br /><br />Software Tester: "You will be responsible for testing the full range of software & hardware products on Windows, Mac & Linux platforms. You will assist with maintaining the issue database & will liaise with other departments to qualify issues raised from internal & external users."<br /><br />This is becoming quite a problem for us because as I've mentioned before it's the school's intention to make the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">transition</span> to FOSS. There is certainly more demand for Linux support from Promethean, especially this year, but the exact numbers are unclear. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I would therefore urge Promethean to adopt a platform-agnostic approach within a reasonable <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">time frame</span> to satisfy this increasing demand.<br /></span>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-41400735476997966072007-09-27T21:20:00.000+01:002008-12-10T08:19:55.331+00:00Several tools to automate Ubuntu installationsI came across a few tools today to ease the setup of common <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ubuntu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">addons</span>. Commonly installed applications & drivers like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ATI</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">NVidea</span> drivers can now be installed with just a few clicks.<br /><br />These two programs are a great addition to an install of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ubuntu</span>. It saves time having to go through the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">repositories</span> and find the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">additional</span> utilities often required. Easy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ubuntu</span> is easy, graphical and safe.<br /><br />Here is a screenshot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RvwSIPl41QI/AAAAAAAAAA8/Ojn93FcifQM/s1600-h/screenshot1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RvwSIPl41QI/AAAAAAAAAA8/Ojn93FcifQM/s320/screenshot1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114983209619739906" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This is what Easy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ubuntu</span> does:<br /><h2>Multimedia</h2> <ul><li>Enhance video player: Install a better multimedia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">backend</span> (totem-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">xine</span> replace totem-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">gstreamer</span>)</li><li>Free <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Codecs</span>: Add Support for playing mp3 and other non-free formats</li><li>Binary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Codecs</span>: Add support for proprietary video and audio formats (w32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">codecs</span>) (only x86)</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">libdvdcss</span>: Read commercial and encrypted DVDs</li><li>MIDI: Add support for playing midi files</li></ul> <h2>Web</h2> <ul><li>Flash: Enable the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Macromedia</span> Flash <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">plugin</span> (only x86)</li><li>Java: Enable the Java <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">plugin</span> (Sun Java for x86, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">amd</span>64) (IBM java for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ppc</span>)</li><li>Videos: Enable viewing videos embedded in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">webpages</span></li></ul> <h2>Archives</h2> <ul><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">RAR</span>: extract and create <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">RAR</span> archives</li><li>ACE: extract ACE archives</li><li>7-Zip: Extract 7-Zip archives</li></ul> <h2>System</h2> <ul><li>Repository list: Main, Universe, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Multiverse</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">PLF</span> (replace your previous sources.list)</li><li>Fonts: Install Microsoft and other nice fonts</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">DMA</span>: Enable Direct Memory Access to improve DVD reading (breezy)</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Nvidia</span>: install the official driver to enable 3D on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Nvidia</span> graphics cards</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">ATI</span>: install the official driver to enable 3D on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">ATI</span> graphics cards</li></ul> <h2>Voice Over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">IP</span></h2> <ul><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Wengo</span>: a free Voice Over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">IP</span> software <strong>(available in dapper)</strong></li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Skype</span>: the most popular <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">VoIP</span> software <strong>(only x86)</strong></li></ul><br /><br />Another application that does a similar thing but is apparently more configurable is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Automatix</span>. See the screenshot below:<br /><br />To see a list of what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Automatix</span> is capable of installing:<br /><br /><a href="Automatrix%20installation%20options">http://getautomatix.com/wiki/index.php?title=Software_and_Tweaks</a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-11113560779617613162007-09-25T21:11:00.000+01:002008-12-10T08:19:55.636+00:00Kids + Ubuntu = Fun<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Nabb</span> saw it's first small influx of Year 5 children using the the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ubuntu</span> thin clients. They were very impressed.<br /><br />There were 6 children in all, I told them how to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">log in</span> to the machines and then left them to explore! They were engrossed by what it had to offer. Given free reign, they obviously went straight for the games. They loved the variety that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ubuntu</span> had to offer and word <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">quickly</span> spread when one of the children found snake.<br /><br />In an effort to explore their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">creative</span> potential, I pointed them in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">direction</span> of Tux Paint, a basic but feature rich paint program primarily for KS1 & 2 children. I showed them how to use the stamp feature (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">readily</span> created images) and they were engaged until break time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RvlwP_l41PI/AAAAAAAAAA0/3WKQGJhfq7A/s1600-h/Tux+Paint+Example.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/RvlwP_l41PI/AAAAAAAAAA0/3WKQGJhfq7A/s320/Tux+Paint+Example.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114242271926605042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A screenshot of Tux Paint.<br /><br />They wanted to remain in the library through break time, so I let them, encouraging them all to experiment with the applications offered by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Ubuntu</span>. Experimentation will never become a problem with the thin client system and I can remain confident that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">I'll</span> never 'fix' anything again, as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">administrative</span> tasks are locked down by default.<br /><br />In contrast, I've just spent two days locking down Windows Server 2003 whilst effectively allowing all our pupils and staff access to their own personal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">XP</span> environment! Each user now has their own <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">username</span> and password, therefore allowing access to their own personal My Documents. They also have the ability to customise applications and the desktop the way they want. Personalisation is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">something</span> all kids love - take <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ring tones</span> and wallpaper on mobile phones for example!Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-89830046882949571742007-09-18T09:04:00.000+01:002008-12-10T08:19:55.780+00:00Ubuntu, WIndows XP running together in harmony<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">It's taken several months, but we now have a suite of 17 thin clients and 16 further clients in two of the classrooms - reception and year 1. This brings our total PC count to 68, making our child to PC ratio slightly better than 4/1 (3.76/1 to be exact.)</p><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/Ru-HR3W9EPI/AAAAAAAAAAM/CtaHAOa6ewI/s1600-h/Picture+021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z5PMVmtOLp0/Ru-HR3W9EPI/AAAAAAAAAAM/CtaHAOa6ewI/s320/Picture+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111452843076554994" border="0" /></a>An outstanding job has been crafted in the library. Not only have we managed to house 17 thin clients in the moderate 47 square meters but also the original library's books. Careful thought was given to furniture's design, largely contributing to it's success. We drafted a design which was further refined by the bespoke furniture company. We even saved money by doing some of the simpler woodwork ourselves beforehand, allowing us to get a feel for the ergonomics of the desk and book space. A suspended ceiling was fitted in each of the four sections and lights were dropped evenly into the ceiling grid. Trunking was run around the room to accommodate the electrical sockets and CAT5 cabling.<br /><br />A 9u data cabinet was mounted on the wall to house the patch panel and two switches. One of the switches extends the school's LAN through to years 1,2 & 3 as well as reception and nursery. The other switch is used for the LTSP, feeding the 17 thin clients in the Library as well as 8 more machines in year 1.<br /><br />The server is a rather modest AMD64 x2 6200 with 2GB RAM. It has 2 x 10,000 rpm SATA hard drives, however it currently only uses one of these due to an issue with RAID and Ubuntu. We are running Edubuntu 6.10 as an O/S, purely because I felt the support was more thorough.<br /><br />Upon installing Edubuntu we were faced with a few minor issues:<br /><br />1) When using Adobe Flash, the server failed to port the sound over to the thin client. This is a known bug and now has a widely recognized workaround.<br /><br />2) Both hardware and software RAID proved difficult to setup and I decided against it given the short timescale in which to implement and test the system.<br /><br />3) Dual core support was not enabled, so Edubuntu was only running on one core. There is a simple workaround for this and that is to just change the Kernel. However, I'm not going to do this until I need to, just for the purpose of speed testing LTSP using a single core. Perhaps when the server's load starts getting maxed out I'll enable this. Currently I have only the 32bit version of Ubuntu installed as I forsaw more issues being created if I was to use a 64bit O/S. In fairness it's early days for 64bit programs.<br /><br />4) GCompriss failed to work in an LTSP environment, again this is a known issue and has a workaround.<br /><br />We currently use Windows Server 2003 in school acting as a domain controller and file server for all the Windows workstations. So far this has proved really reliable and we are currently working on giving each child their own user name and password, as well as a share of it's storage space. Currently each year group has their own login but this is becoming increasingly difficult to manage for the administrator.<br /><br />The aim is to use SAMBA on Edubuntu to get the two servers talking, thereby having the same login credentials throughout the school. Currently users have to be setup on the LTSP server separately, in the long term this has the potential to cause a major headache for the Administrator, having to maintain user details on both servers.<br /><br />I've mentioned before in a previous post about our inability to use ActivPrimary in a linux environment. As yet the software has not been ported to the O/S however, Promethean are working on this, but very slowly. Their main competitor, SMART already have drivers and software in place and have done for a while, I believe that Promethean are just playing catch up. We have been in communication with Promethean and they are going to let our school test the software and drivers they're currently working on.<br /><br />As a workaround to this problem, we've successfully setup a Windows 2003 server running terminal services. The server is again very modest (P4 3.2ghz, 1GB ram) but at the moment this is a temporary workaround, so investment in a more powerful dedicated terminal server seemed unnecessary. Using RDP in Edubuntu, the thin clients connect to the terminal server and you suddenly have a Windows XP environment running in Edubuntu. The login credentials and share permissions are again determined by the domain controller for the TS environment. It's very impressive seeing all this in action.<br /><br />The school also invested in a 42u floor standing server cabinet which will house all the schools server equipment in one secure place. We also needed a Windows XP machine to run a Promethean ActivBoard in the library. This was setup in a rackmount server case also sitting in the cabinet. This cabinet has the potential to house all the servers required for each of the classrooms. </p>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-71285243229309565172007-05-07T14:44:00.000+01:002007-09-18T10:25:53.384+01:00Projector revivalWe have a total of 10 projectors in school, one for each classroom. Over time they gather dust and this effects the picture to such an extent that it's only visible in a darkened room. For a while the school thought the only option would be to replace them with new ones, however I came across a post in a news group that suggested that they could be cleaned given a certain amount of technical <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nous</span>. Upon seeing this I asked David if I could experiment with one of the spare projectors to see if I could revive it - after 9 hours I managed to do it - it was very rewarding!<br /><br />I posted to the school forum upon completion:<br /><br />I've managed to revive one of the projectors to its former self and it certainly is quite rewarding. Now it works brilliantly, back up to its 1400 strong ANSI <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lumens</span>!<br /><br />This particular projector is quite simple in it's layout and all the main lenses and filters are quite easy to get at. I would have liked to have a bottle of compressed air as this would have probably saved me having to dismantle every part of the projector. The prism assembly is the most complicated bit and having took it apart it took nearly 3 hours to get it back together!<br /><br />Patience is a must if you go this deep! However it improved my understanding and confidence. Given the right tools, and my newly found knowledge it would take a total of between 3-4 hours to clean. I've spent 9 hours on this particular one, but I'm now familiar with every part of it and have even managed to get hold of a service manual, which came in very handy when I put it back together for the second time and found the colours were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">muddled</span> up!<br /><br />Thankfully all the projectors we have, apart from the newer ones are of the same brand - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sanyo</span>, so they are likely to be very similar on the inside.<br /><br />Oh, and no screws left over!<br /><br />This is the newsgroup post that inspired me:<br /><br />Hi there, I have a query, the school technician has been cleaning the projectors we have, but in his haste he has used a compressor and blown air and I think dust into the machines. This has resulted in a grainy and dull picture being projected! Has he knackered them? Can they be opened and cleaned to get them back to their pristine state? Any help/ ideas would be massively useful!<br /><br />Cheers Simon<br /><br />How can these have been cleaned without opening them. The dust inside them is very fine as it has already passed through the filters (similar to static dust on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">tv</span> screen). So in answer to the question - No its not knackered just that the dust already inside has probably been forced into the lens/filters area.<br /><br />I clean our E<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pson</span> and S<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">anyo</span> projectors by opening them up and stripping them down. I use a hoover to suck out all the dust and an air duster to blow out dust from the lens area.<br /><br />Take photos at every stage of dismantling so that it can be put back together. You may have to clean the lens and colour filters. These on our projectors just slide out and need a quick wipe with a dry cloth/paper towel.<br /><br />We are no proactive in that they are now cleaned regularly before the quality deteriorates. You will need to be brave with the first one you do and allow yourself around 4 hours to complete the first time. You will have to undo all electrical connectors and ribbon connectors and remove circuit board to get to all of the dust.<br /><br />If you do go ahead pick the dirtiest one you can find as you will get a much better idea of the places that the dust can actually get into. It will also be much more rewarding when you put it back together and find that you no longer need to black out the room to see the picture. This is also cheaper than having to pay someone else to pick it up, clean it and then deliver it back.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Service Manuals</strong><br /><a href="http://www.smpcshop.com/">http://www.smpcshop.com/</a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-49822613319319171142007-04-06T09:44:00.000+01:002007-09-18T17:36:24.474+01:00LTSP & Thin Client Test Drive!The school term has now come to an end and the school is free of its usual hustle and bustle. This gives me a great opportunity to get to work on the library.<br /><br />It's still unclear as to just how things are going to be set out in the library. We've had one discussion about the placement of the trunking which will accommodate the LAN cables. This would be ready to start as of Monday. We still are unclear about the quantity of thin clients we will house, but I would imagine the space could house nearer 20 thin clients. This would lower our overall child to computer ratio to nearly 3:1.<br /><br />The thin clients have now been sent back to Thin Store after a good trial period. In order to test the load that the server would be taking we setup 20 of our new PCs in the ICT suite to boot using PXE. We bought a 100/1000 switch from CCL computers for around £150.00. Using this we connected a 1000mb link to the server and each PC took a 100mb link. We ran a series of tests, mainly noting the speed and overall functionality of the LTSP thin client network. Here are our findings:<br /><br />Speed tests using <strong>1 thin client to 1 server:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Power on to Edubuntu logon screen</strong><br />The HP thinclient took 1:58<br />The IGEL 3110 took 1:34<br />The IGEL 3210 took 1:14<br /><br /><em>From logon screen to desktop took around 30 seconds for each machine.</em><br /><br /><strong>Loading the GIMP paint/draw application </strong><br />The HP thinclient took 0:10<br />The IGEL 3110 took 0:06<br />The IGEL 3210 took 0:05<br /><br /><strong>Loading the Open Office (word) application</strong><br />The HP thinclient took 0:06<br />The IGEL 3110 took 0:03<br />The IGEL 3210 took 0:04<br /><br /><strong>Loading the Tux Paint application</strong><br />The HP thinclient took 0:04<br />The IGEL 3110 took 0:03<br />The IGEL 3210 took 0:03<br /><br /><strong>Loading Firefox web browser</strong><br />The HP thinclient took 0:08<br />The IGEL 3110 took 0:04<br />The IGEL 3210 took 0:02<br /><br />Quite an impressive set of times. Functionality is great on all the machines. The HP lagged behind and its graphics capabilities were much weaker than the IGELs, taking longer to redraw the screen than the other two.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Speed tests using 20 (3 Ghz Celeron PCs, 512mb RAM) thin clients to 1 server (Pentium 4, 512mb RAM):</strong><br /><br /><strong>Simultaneous power on to Edubuntu logon screen</strong><br />1:25 - 2:00<br /><br /><em>From logon screen to desktop took around 20 seconds - 1 minute for each machine.</em><br /><br /><strong>Loading the GIMP paint/draw application </strong><br />0:51 - 1:00<br /><br /><strong>Loading the Open Office (word) application </strong><br />inconclusive due to bug which has now been remedied.<br /><br /><strong>Loading Firefox web browser</strong><br />inconclusive due to bug which has now been remedied.<br /><br />We had a few teething problems with Edubuntu to start off with. It was my fault as I hadn't created an individual login for each user. We all used the same login name which resulted in two of our tests remaining inconclusive.<br /><br />If two or more sessions have the same login then this will result in an error upon loading the desktop. A user must only be logged in on one workstation, otherwise, that user can't load the same applications they are using on the other terminal they are logged into.<br /><br />The test really surprised me all round. I was amazed at just how fast things were running, especially given such a modest server specification.<br /><br />When we get our thin client network running, I would like to install some more RAM in the server and use RAID. £200 would enable us to do this. Therefore bringing the value of our server to around £600.<br /><br />We never enabled network/intranet/Internet access on the server so don't know how the system would cope with streaming video. My hope is that the IGELs can handle it just as capably as the dedicated ICT suite machines in a Microsoft environment.<br /><br />CCL Computers<br /><a href="http://www.cclonline.com/">http://www.cclonline.com</a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-75571500828963572972007-03-20T19:54:00.000+00:002007-03-20T21:11:59.438+00:00The thin clients have arrived!One of the thin clients arrived yesterday (HP). It came with a mouse, keyboard and all necessary cables. The instructions were very basic, but so is the thin client itself. It was brand new and took 5 minutes to setup. I was impressed by the small size and it looked very smart. I would have to do further research to see how it attaches to the monitor.<br /><br />I turned it on and it instantly booted up, without having to be connected to a server. It came with a small cut down version of the O/S and was very easy to navigate and configure. Quite impressive.<br /><br />The next step is getting it talking with the server. If I was to use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">PXE</span> then the built in Linux, I believe, would become redundant. This is the way I intend to approach it though. I'm eager to know how fast it is using LTSP.<br /><br />I setup the school's hosting account yesterday also. We setup a domain name <a href="http://www.nabbschool.co.uk/">http://www.nabbschool.co.uk</a> so that all the schools resources can easily be accessed. I will move the school's forum to the hosting account before it grows in size. This will probably have to be done using cut and paste as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">createforum</span> will probably not allow export, it would go against their best interests. This would get rid of the adverts and simplify things by tighter integration into NABB. PhpBB maintains itself, so this should not be an issue.<br /><br /><strong>PhpBB</strong><br /><a href="http://www.phpbb.com"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.phpbb.com</span></a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-55832948319872029392007-03-16T18:57:00.000+00:002007-03-16T22:12:22.100+00:00Uptake of new leadership forumNow that the school's forum has been created, the challenge is getting the staff motivated enough to make full use of it. With no real prior knowledge in to the benefits of a forum, the basics are going to have to be taught.<br /><br />It's nice to see the staff logging in to the forum and it’s easy to keep track of its use. One of the members of the leadership team wanted to be kept informed of the developments of our open source integration. Now she can, she can also engage in discussion and probably shape key decisions.<br /><br />The members of the leadership team are at different levels as regards their ICT knowledge. It’s vital that if we are to create a successful forum then the lesser able users need to be taught the basics. Luckily there are competent users within the leadership team so they will share their knowledge with other members.<br /><br />I think a good first step would be to hold a short training session for the staff. Not lasting more than one hour. The leadership team will then be trained to a competent level and then that knowledge can be fed down to the remaining staff.<br /><br />In all I think things are going well, there are new threads starting and a few replies. It’s going to be up to myself to keep things fresh and taking time to reply so things don't become stagnant.<br /><br /><strong>Our leadership forum</strong><br /><a href="http://www.createforum.com/nabbleadership/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.createforum.com/nabbleadership/</span></a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-61541174755549543932007-03-14T21:53:00.000+00:002007-03-30T21:11:36.746+01:00Promethean is the keyOne of our worries was having the ability to use Promethean software with Linux. All the teachers in our school are familiar with ActivPrimary and keeping it is a fundamental requirment for us.<br /><br />Further research in this area prompted a few clear signs that development is under way for new platforms. Thankfully for us, Promethean are following Smart on this one.<br /><br />We have been given the chance to evaluate Promethean's Linux offernings. We plan to take up those offerings soon. As yet we are unsure as to what they have on offer, but I would imagine it's just the driver software for the board and not the ActivePrimary software.<br /><br />Promethean<br /><a href="http://www.promethean.co.uk">www.promethean.co.uk</a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-81148536563953826232007-03-14T14:35:00.000+00:002007-03-14T15:12:45.713+00:00Another milestone was achieved today at NABBToday was another <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">successful</span> day.<br /><br />David and myself discussed setting up a forum to enable the leadership team to communicate both in and out of school. We agreed to create a leadership forum and promote its effective use to the leadership team. A forum was setup in under 1 hour using 'Create a Forum.' Its quick and easy and much of the procedure is the same as creating an email account online.<br /><br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">challenge</span> now is getting the leadership team to adopt it. Upon my return on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Monday</span>, I shall organise a meeting and training.<br /><br />Also on my agenda today was the use of the open source virtual learning environment - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Moodle</span>. We have currently been in talks with a company called School Anywhere. Last week we held a conference call with the company and they took us through their configuration of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Moodle</span>. They've done a great job of setting up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Moodle</span> to suit a younger audience. Unfortunately the price they quoted to us in the meeting didn't reflect what was discussed in today's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">phone call</span>. Quite unfortunate for them really as we would have been a good addition to their portfolio. The only addition in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Kirklees</span>, as far as I'm aware.<br /><br />Thankfully, we had already discussed a plan B! We now plan to host the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">VLE</span> (for the short term) using an account on loan from a friend's marketing company - ID30. ID30 are mainly a (web)design company but have a very strong portfolio of clients and I can be sure that they will remain in business for the foreseeable.<br /><br />In the long term this is the better option. Using School <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Anywhere's</span> services would have cost the school £1000 to start off with, then a further £200 a year. Quite an expense for the school to outlay. Plan B would involve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">NABB</span> hosting the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">VLE</span> themselves.<br /><br />I've had my eye on a configuration of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Moodle</span> setup by Robert Clarke of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Jolesfield</span> school. He's a competent <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ICT</span> user and has setup the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">VLE</span> himself. He has used a template that goes against the grain of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Moodle's</span> default template. It's clean and much more intuitive. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Eventually</span> I hope to configure it in such a way that both visual influences are taken from School Anywhere and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Jolesfield</span>.<br /><br /><strong>Create a forum</strong><br /><a href="http://www.createforum.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.createforum.com/</span></a><br /><br /><strong>School Anywhere</strong><br /><a href="http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.schoolanywhere.co.uk/</span></a><br /><br /><strong>ID30<br /></strong><a href="http://www.id30.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.id30.com</span></a><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><strong>Moodle</strong></span><br /><a href="http://www.moodle.org/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.moodle.org</span></a><br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Jolesfield</span> School<br /></strong><a href="http://learning.jolesfield.w-sussex.sch.uk/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://learning.jolesfield.w-sussex.sch.uk/</span></a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-64826883702628890292007-03-13T23:28:00.000+00:002007-03-14T00:20:48.181+00:00My belief is that open source software is ideal in an educational establishment, especially in a primary environment. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Unfortunately</span> Microsoft dominates the home and educational sector and brings along its <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">maintenance</span> issues. While Apple Macs, which would be ideal for education, are reserved for the remaining elite and bring along ongoing costs.<br /><br />Applications that were once required installed on a PC can now be run directly from the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Internet</span>. Media on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Internet</span> could only once be distributed via CD. Browsers are becoming the only tool required by a computer user to access resources, films, music and more importantly applications. Quite an incredible evolution, in a digital way.<br /><br />In education, children are taught the basics of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ICT</span>, all the way <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">up to</span> year 6. They only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">therefore</span> need the basic tools. Why buy each of those children a pencil and a set of crayons if all you wanted for them to <em>draw</em> was a picture? The basics, open source, can be provided to every child while more elaborate tools, Windows or Apple Macs, should be provided as an alternative.<br /><br />Schools can't afford the ongoing costs that come with a Microsoft environment. They're budget wouldn't stretch much further than <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">maintaining</span> a suite of 30 computers. In our school of 230 pupils, that would be a 1:7 ratio of PCs to pupils. Our long term objective is to get this as low as 2:1 and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">eventually</span> 1:1.<br /><br />At this level, space becomes a real issue. Thankfully, very small PCs, capable of running the same applications of it's bigger brother, are now becoming a reality. Its very exciting.<br /><br />There are Open Source alternatives to satisfy every part of the KS1 and 2 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ICT</span> curriculum requirements. The believe is that training would then become a barrier to not making the best use of those new tools. I aim to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">dispel</span> those myths.Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-13198728685998769842007-03-13T20:59:00.000+00:002007-04-06T11:01:43.750+01:00Our requirments, perhaps a start to a sollutionToday proved successful for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Holmfirth</span>. We managed to get the opportunity to evaluate three different models of thin clients, the HP t5125 the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">IGEL</span> 2110 and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IGEL</span> 3210. I look forward to setting up our first mini thin client network.<br /><br />I was advised by a friendly woman from Thin Store which model would better suit our needs.<br />My first requirement was the size, it had to fit on the back of a monitor. My second was its ability to boot from the network - this feature was called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">PXE</span>. My final requirement was it's cost.<br /><br />I was recommended the 3 models and was told they would all fit on the back of a monitor, although size is not too important at this stage.<br /><br />Our aim would be to scale down in size as much as possible given a budget of between £100 - £200. An overall budget of £250 - £350 per machine would be realistic given the price of monitor, keyboard, mouse and cables. 4 computers could be purchased for £1000, this price will only decrease given time. At this stage I'd like to experiment with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">LTSP</span>. I've looked into using an open source operating system called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Ubuntu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Linux</span>, this has a tremendous amount of support and is of course without any added license fees.<br /><br />I've previously installed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ubuntu</span> Server on a Pentium 4, 1GB Ram PC @ <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">nabb</span>. As yet I have not setup <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">LTSP</span>. I have recently discovered that the server version of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Ubuntu</span> is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">unnecessary</span> so have installed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Ubuntu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">as well</span> in a dual boot fashion. This can later be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">amended</span>.<br /><br />Now I look forward to reading through various resources to get the system working and start experimenting. Information on setting such a system up is available given <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">google</span> keywords '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">ubuntu</span>' and '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">ltsp</span>'<br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>Thin client models</strong></span><br />HP t5125<br /><a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/12454-12454-321959-338927-89307-472257.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/12454-12454-321959-338927-89307-472257.html</span></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">IGEL</span> 2110<br /><a href="http://www.igel.com/igel_rubrik/powerslave,id,52,nodeid,52,p,0,_language,en.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.igel.com/igel_rubrik/powerslave,id,52,nodeid,52,p,0,_language,en.html</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">IGEL</span> 3210<br /><a href="http://www.igel.com/igel_rubrik/powerslave,id,53,nodeid,53,p,0,_language,en.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.igel.com/igel_rubrik/powerslave,id,53,nodeid,53,p,0,_language,en.html</span></a><br /><br /><strong>Thin client sales</strong><br /><a href="http://www.thinstore.net/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.thinstore.net/</span></a><br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">PXE</span></strong><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environment"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environment</span></a><br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">LTSP</span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.ltsp.org/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.ltsp.org</span></a><br /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Ubuntu</span> Linux</strong><br /><a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.ubuntu.com</span></a>Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5236753450201899767.post-12137804967862400202007-03-13T20:34:00.000+00:002007-03-14T20:36:12.956+00:00The Project at handI'm nearly 26 and I've been working at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Holmfirth</span> primary school for over 7 months now. I came in as an electrician with backgrounds in Media, IT and communications. I hope to leave with a wealth of knowledge in the field of open source, thin clients, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ICT</span> and education.<br /><br />From the moment I walked through the door at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Nabb</span> in September 2006, I knew there would be more to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">experience</span> than fitting trunking and running wires.<br /><br />I'd never minded much for Linux, I just presumed it was complex and surplus to any <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">requirements</span> of mine. I was asked to look into it by the head - David <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Murgett</span>. This was the start of a very exciting journey.Stephen Walderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05372820619006168357noreply@blogger.com0