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[Shannon Spurling <shannon@more.net>]

I work at an institution that supplies connections to many K12 schools in
the state of Missouri, and I am also a Linux user. Being in this position,
I have noticed a big problem with the current attitude of people towards
the use of Linux in education. With as much admiration that we had towards
our teachers as children, I must bring up the point that the average
computer teacher/ network support person dose not have the skills to
properly administer a Linux server in it's current implementation. Most
Linux users are computer geeks, and they approach the creation of these
Linux distributions as if you are one too. There needs to be system tools
made so that the average teacher can maintain their Linux box securely
without having to take four more years of college. This is also important
for your average windows user who we want to transition to Linux. The way
most distributions install by default leave so many back doors open that
the security people where I work don't even like to hear the words Linux
and School in the same sentence. The school will pay some consultant that
knows enough to put Linux on a box, and then he hooks it up and leaves. Now
what dose the school do with it? I'm not saying that Linux is not good. I
love it, and I see endless possibilities, but we also have to know who we
are dealing with and work to make it available to them in a manner they can
understand and work with effectively. A secure simple to install and
maintain distribution would be a start. That would mean that you would only
install needed server daemons and users, not every daemon and default user
account available, and a way for the admin to get a list of vital system
parameters without having to dig through the source code. Don't even make
them worry about source code! Chances are they are not CS majors,  and
probably never wrote a program before. I think this would be a good project
for any one with the time.

These are my own opinions and do not reflect those of my employer.


Thanks


Shannon Spurling
MOREnet	
Network Operations
shannon@more.net
3212 LeMone Industrial Blvd.					
Columbia, MO 65201			 
(573) 884-7200		      

/**** "My spelling is Wobbly.  It's good spelling but it ****/
/**** Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places." ****/
/****			  A. A. Milne (1882-1958)		   ****/