Ubuntu November, the aftermath
Well, I'm now sold on Ubuntu and shall not be going back to the dark thing that is windows. I'm still finding the changeover to Linux a tad bit awkward, for example trying to find anything in open office after using MS office 2007/2010. My greatest problem is now with .docx format, open office screams and dies at the very thought of opening one of those correctly. I've got a converter going but even that's a bit crude. I think I might need a dedicated MS office install at this rate, although in fairness its about the one product they actually do well.
Also trying to edit images in GIMP is certainly easy enough to do although its definitely different to Photoshop, took me ten minutes and an internet tutorial to extract a single element from an image earlier. That takes me only 2 mins in its Adobe counterpart. Its all a learning curve and I will get there. I tried to edit a movie in a hurry a little while back, found some really annoying codec hurdles, might have fixed em now, haven’t tested to be honest.
Apart from that I can only say positive things about Ubuntu, it's ram usage is small, the whole system is elegant and works fairly well. The multiple desktop feature is so handy, I found my desktop really cluttered earlier today; instead of wading through everything in the taskbar or, heaven forbid, culling some of windows out. I just banished some to another desktop. Simples.
In an earlier post I decided to set myself another challenge of going the whole month without using a single piece of software I have or will have to pay for. That's gone quite well, the only piece of pay-for software I've had to use is a copy of MS windows (which I had a licence for already, surprise surprise.) That was only for the ability to play a single game on my machine.
I've found myself re-installing Ubuntu about once a week so far, admittedly that’s only because I keep fiddling with it and can't be bothered to fix it once I break something. Although my current setup seems quite sweet so I might be able to leave it alone for now.
So the grand question from this experiment considering all the good things everyone is saying about Ubuntu is why isn't it used more widely? Well my only thought-line, other than many people not knowing about it due to the alternate options death-grip's on the market, is that you don't have to scratch too far below Ubuntu's highly polished veneer to find a more complicated underside. I’ve resorted to the terminal a fair bit, OK only to use apt-get most of the time, plus other odds and sods that need considering. For example configuring Compiz to do things just how I like it. I must admit to other people such things may not appear important and they are able to skim along Ubuntu's veneer instead of awkwardly digging themselves in. In which case all I can say is Have Fun!
In the future I might play with other Linux distributions but I think windows is going to have to pull something amazing, flashy and really useful out the hat to even slightly stand a chance of pulling me back in for everyday use.
Ubuntu Linux in Primary Education
I am a member of the ICT Team at Wildern School, doing IT support for a number of primary schools in Hampshire. With this article, I will try to share my thoughts and experiences with using Ubuntu Linux in Primary education.
All the software discussed in this article can be easily obtained using the Synaptic Package Manager if not already present.
Linux has been around for some time now, but when comes to primary school education, most schools still use PCs with Windows while only a small number have Macs. In my opinion, a number of reasons for this are listed below.
- A large number of software, targeting primary education is only supported under the Windows platform, while only a minority has OSX versions, let alone Linux.
- In almost every school I've been, there is some type of interactive whiteboard in every classroom. Most of them were introduced with just Windows compatibility, while some have now full or limited Linux support. More on this later.
- Most of the teaching staff have used Windows in all their life and a Linux distribution will confuse them if not scare them as being something new they never seen before.
- Microsoft and Apple have donated millions worth of computer equipment to primary and secondary education in order to expand their influence and their market share.
On the other hand, Linux has its own strong points:
- Being an open-source Operating System, it has a free license as much as the software that sits on it. Schools can save a substantial amount of money from OS licenses and extra software (e.g. Microsoft Office) on their machines.
- Running a Linux Server will save even more money as no Windows Server License and Client Access Licenses will be required.
- Linux can run on inexpensive hardware, requiring far less processing power and system memory than a modern Windows Operating system.
- Ubuntu doesn’t suffer as much as Windows from spyware, viruses and other malware. This leads to more savings as Anti-virus software is not required.
- Linux is highly customizable, allowing users and network administrators to adapt it to their own requirements.
- There is a lot of help available on the Internet and any reported problems are likely to be dealt with pretty fast.
Using Ubuntu Linux for supporting Primary School networks is the next experience I want to talk about. Most of the schools I visit have Windows Servers with a few using Linux and OSX ones. I will discuss the tools that I use to provide IT support as opposed to their Windows alternatives.
- As most of the Servers have no monitor or monitor will be placed somewhere inaccessible, being able to remote desktop is very important. The tool that will be used depends on what system you want to remote desktop into. For Windows the RDP protocol is needed. Ubuntu provides rdesktop (terminal command) and Remotedesktop client for doing this. Windows has native support for Remote Desktop. To access a Linux or OSX Server, vncviewer can be used as command or GUI. Also Remote Desktop Viewer provides a nice interface for doing this. On the other hand, there are a few free VNC clients for Windows.
- When comes to accessing a shell account, on a Linux or OSX Server by using a secure channel, Ubuntu is the clear winner. While a windows Operating System will need an SSH client, most Linux distributions provide native SSH access ability by using the OpenSSH package. Putty can also be used with its excellent GUI.
- Moving files to a Server and vice versa is something else that I often need to do. Ubuntu provides gFTP with a really nice GUI which can do wonders when comes to file transfers. It allows the user to transfer files by using the FTP and SSH protocol. Also Nautilus can be used to access a remote Server, by using FTP,SSH and SMB protocol for Windows shares. Windows has native support for Windows shares, while there are free alternatives to transfer files using FTP or SSH.
My next discussion will be about Ubuntu Linux as network client and the available software required for it. An increasing number of programs are already available for educational use:
- The KDE Education Project provides open source software targeting Maths, Science and Languages. This is a step in the right direction of using Linux in Education.
- Tux4Kids provides TuxMath, TuxPaint and Tuxtyping for use in Maths, Art and ICT. I have had a lot of success using them in primary schools as children can combine learning and fun in one package.
- The replacement of Microsoft Office Suite is another important issue for system administrators, thinking into moving to Linux. Open Office has been available for some time now and provides all the necessary components for a productive Office environment. Also KOffice is a nice alternative and blends very well in case you use KDE as your Desktop Environment.
- Ubuntu also provides a list of Accessories for every day use like Text Editor, Calculator, Scan software and many others.
Support for Interactive Whiteboards will be the last thing to talk about. I have experience in using the main three brands of Interactive Whiteboards. That would be Hitachi Starboards, Promethean Interactive Whiteboards and SMART Boards. They all have excellent Windows support but support for Linux is another story.
- Hitachi Starboards have no official support for Linux as of this moment.
- Promethean Interactive Whiteboards have Ubuntu support but is limited. Officially only up to Ubuntu 9.10 is supported. The ActivInspire software is available under the Synaptic Package Manager once you download and import the necessary key from Promethean. I installed Ubuntu 9.10 and I can confirm that ActivInspire 1.4 works with it out of the box.
- SMART Boards also work quite well. The latest available version 10.2 failed some dependencies under Ubuntu 10.10 but installed with no extra help under Ubuntu 9.10.
Despite all the Linux advantages, the number of schools that use it, still remains very small. Windows is also promoted as the platform of choice under many Local Authorities. The majority of new PCs come with Windows pre installed, with no other OS option. Developing countries are more likely to use Linux because of the low resources it requires.
The bottom line is that Linux is slowly gaining ground and shows how powerful it can eventually be. And with all the budget cuts in education, I can only see Ubuntu Linux as a very good alternative to Windows!
Nick Anastasiou
n.anastasiou[@]wildern.hants.sch.uk
I’m sold.
Been a fair while since my last post, but I've been using Ubuntu for almost all of the time spent on my laptop. All I can say is that I'm sold and shall not be returning to windows for mainstream computer use after November.
I've been able to find applications to do most of the tasks I need to. Admitadly I am forced to reboot into windows to play Combat Arms, my favourite FPS, but nothing else. Getting on with open office isn't too bad although I do like MS Office (in my opinion the one product they actually make well.) As for Photoshop, I was able to do some limited editing in GIMP although I havn't really stretched it's capabities yet...
In my last post I mentioned the in-ability to install Spotify. I think this is an issue that needs clearing up. I was and still am able to install Spotify under wine. However wine absoloutly refuses to talk to my sound system, I've identified my problem as being compatabilitly with PulseAudio, the built in sound system. This little issue has been rectified by the use of PlayOnLinux, which somehow manages to get wine to talk to the sound system.
25 Days in: How we are coping at Everest
Everest Community College have been trialling the use of Ubuntu on our technical support workstations as a direct replacement for Windows 7. The beauty of this scenario is that we have three technical minds who upon discovering a potential problem are able to find a resolution and then share it with the rest of the team. Having said that we have run into very few problems since making the switch, most of which are due to older systems that were poorly thought out at their time of creation, such as using an Access Database to store our inventory.
Whats working well:
- Open Office - I am really impressed with its capability to open the majority of documents we come across. I also really like the direct 'print to pdf' functionality.
- More than one workspace - Having 4 workspaces really allows me to multitask effectively. I am sure we have all been the position whereby we are deep in a project when a student comes in for a password reset.
- Ease of use - Even though we have been using Ubuntu for 25 days now, I can't say we have actually noticed it, as we have run into very little problems, it now feels "natural" to login to Ubuntu in the mornings.
- Excellent Memory Management - This would only be noticed by a room of technicians but I have to say we have not noticed our RAM creep up and make the system feel sluggish.
What do we need to switch to Windows for:
- Managing the Active Directory & Group Policies - However we are now just remoting into a server to do this.
- Capita Sims - We always knew it wasn't going to be compatible, but it would be nice to see a Linux release in the future! *hint*
Hopefully this article will persuade a few unsure readers to take the plunge before the month is up.
A little late, but prudent nonetheless…
It suddenly dawned on me today, it is halfway through the month and I have barely found the time to provide a post for this here space! I will admit, there have been a few struggles, but mostly, so far, I have found Ubuntu very easy to adapt to.
I was the person who first compiled the list of open source software alternatives, and being new to the school, had to figure out what a few of them did before finding replacements! I spent almost two solid days working on the alternatives, but what I have managed to find seems to have worked out quite well. Many thanks to one website in particular, http://www.osalt.com , which gives many lists of programs in different categories and their open-source alternatives.
I also volunteered to be the 'tech support' for Ubuntu, which I surprised myself at. I have never been a 'techie' before this job, and the idea seemed exciting. Needless to say, I panicked slightly one evening and bought myself a book all about using Ubuntu. Based on the 10.04 LTS version (although we are using 10.10), it is a fascinating read, providing a bit of background info before going into, and I can't stress this enough, understandable detail. Little has changed between the versions, so everything is still relevant, and made the task of support a lot less daunting. The book itself, should you like a read, is called 'The Official Ubuntu Book', 5th edition.
When it came to installation time, again, I panicked a bit. It's all very well listing software that can do a similar job to another, but installing them can be a very different experience. I have to give it to the developers at Canonical and around the world, the Ubuntu Software Centre certainly lives up to its name, and very much more than that. It was brilliant at installing programs without throwing terminal windows at me and demanding I enter information I barely knew. There were a few programs that required command-line installation, and my oh my, what a thrill. I would like to state here, I have actively avoided anything command-line, purely because I have seen the damage it can do if you have no idea what you are doing. Now, in preparation for this task, I researched some command-line operations, so I can at least make it seem like I know what I'm doing. Anyhow, let me put it this way; I would like to give a very firm virtual handshake to all of the forum users out there that are happy to help. Forums are definately one of the ways to go with problems; books can become outdated very quickly, whereas there is a good chance that someone out there has experienced before the same problem you are going through right now. The right advice is invaluable, and I thank them sincerely for it.
I do believe I've rattled on long enough for now, so I shall post again soon about the wonders of the bootloader that I have experienced. For those of you not yet convinced by Ubuntu, I strongly urge you to give it a go. There is an earlier post about the Live CD. Try it, you never know what you might discover.