Re: EDU Distro - was Re: [seul-edu] Linux in Elementry

[William Kendrick <nbs@sonic.net>]

On Thu, Aug 23, 2001 at 09:17:08AM -0700, Samuel Hart wrote:
<snip>
> Actually, I personally think a whole distro should be made, instead of simply
> overlaying an existing one. The biggest problem (IMHO) with existing distros 
> is that they come with far too many server items that the average school 
> would never need. Does each desktop /need/ a web-server?

Well, personally, I think web-server is a bad example, here.
Depending on the age of the students, having simple access to the webserver
can be useful.  (Of course, I guess I'm comparing it to accessing some
really annoying-to-use Solaris boxes here at work... which is why I enjoy
having Apache right here on my desktop)

The other potential use of a webserver is web-based administration by
faculty.


But, I do agree... most current distributions often assume too much about
hardware.  When we're dealing with tiny hard disks, little RAM, and
slow 486 CPUs, _assuming_ we want zillions of powerful apps (and servers)
is bad.


I _kindof_ like the idea of a drop-in RedHat/Mandrake munger that someone else
brought up.  eg, the "EDU-Distro" installer kicks off packages you don't
need and installs all the K-12 stuff the existing install doesn't have yet,
but I fear that once RedHat 9.0 comes out, EDU-Distro 2.2 won't work
right and we/one'll need to start _all_ over again. :)

Just a fear...


<snip>
> One of the things I have been thinking about (and that we plan on doing in 
> Tux4Kids) is there needs to be multiple distros, each geared specifically for
> different needs and different skill-sets.
> 
> There would be one for the average school desktop machine, one for 
> administrative systems, etc.

Totally... this is, IMUO*, the best way to go.


> As a matter of fact, as a QND stop-gap solution, one could even make an 
> installationless distro (a Linux system on bootable CD) that contains lots of
> different edu software applications and is easy to use (you just pop in the 
> CD, and reboot ;-)

I used DemoLinux in an "intro to Linux" class that I taught at my
city's (Davis, CA) computer lab.  We couldn't install Linux over the
existing Win9x systems, so we just burned 20 copies of DemoLinux and
rebooted all the machines off the CDROM! :)


> We at Tux4Kids actually have a /very early/ prototype of just such a distro, 
> you can see screenshots of it here:
> http://www.geekcomix.com/snh/o/m/e/g/a/01-02-16/shots.html
> http://www.geekcomix.com/snh/o/m/e/g/a/01-02-19/shots.html

Hey!  Circus Linux! :)  Cool!  I need to make some more uber-kid-friendly
games.

-bill!
* In My Uninformed Opinion ;)