Technology has become a key component in modern schools, and schools deserve the best software available to make their computing experience the best it can be. Open source software and schools are a natural combination, and we work to encourage the use and education of it in schools.
Surveying Schools
A key to getting schools interested in Open Source software is seeing what they know about it, and compiling a FAQ based on it. However, before we do that we actually need some way of getting that information from teachers, students, and administrators. The best way to accomplish this would be by means of a survey, that we could politely ask schools to have teachers at the least fill out, possibly the students.
Do You Really Need Microsoft Office?
One of the biggest questions I have seen many schools ask about Linux is "can I run Microsoft Office on it?" Well technically, you can, along with a lot more Windows software using something called WINE. But, before you go and start researching that I want you to think for a second, do you really need Microsoft Office?
Why Open Source is Green
When most people think of being green, they think of saving energy. But what most people don't think about, is making new use out of old computers. Or even better, making the same use out of old computers, but by using open source software. Most schools these days are Windows shops, or have a mixture of Windows machines and Mac's, and unfortunately XP will not be around forever.
So, what happens when Microsoft stops supporting XP? Can your hardware even run Vista? Chances are not, so you'll end up spending a large chunk of money buying new PC's that can run Vista. What will you do with the old machines then, you obviously have no use for them, and they're so outdated that there seems to be no use for them anyways, so just throw them away, right?