almost $100 just for the operating system per machine. Buy 100
machines, and that is $100,000 in savings. Most of the linux software
is free (Office apps, antivirus, browser, etc.). I realize you can use
most of this same software on a Windows platform, this savings is
negligible. However, what I found is that teachers and students "want"
the paid Windows apps (Office over Open Office, Photoshop over Gimpshop,
etc.) on their Windows machines. On Linux, they don't have that choice
and learn to use the open source software which is generally as good for
what we are using as the costly alternatives.
I also find I save money in processing power / ram. Linux runs well
with 512 megs and great with 1 gig. Windows crawls at 512 megs and is
passable at 1 gig. With many of the new laptops only coming with Vista,
this means going to 2 gigs.
Although, I am still mostly Windows at the school, I am seriously
considering Linux for the 75% of the time the kids are doing word
processing and using online tools in middle school. (We are not one to
one yet. We currently have one laptop for every two students and I hope
to go to 1.5 to 2 by next year in our middle school.)
Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Bill Fitzgerald
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 1:35 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Back to Netbooks
Do you have any numbers/studies that indicate that using Windows XP
offers a cost savings over using Linux?
If so, I'd love to see them.
Thanks,
Bill
--- On Tue, 2/17/09, TJ Rainsford <tjrainsford@gmail.com> wrote:
> From: TJ Rainsford <tjrainsford@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Back to Netbooks
> To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 11:19 AM
> There is something to be said for the Linux route but it
> does not
> necessarily save you money unless you have the technical
> expertise to
> support it. While it may reduce the initial costs, it may
> cost you more in
> operational costs over the long term unless you have the
> internal capacity
> to support the environment.
>=20
=20
[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons,
attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L
[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=3DISED-L
