On 25 May 2010 07:35, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > Ubuntu-AU'ers I see a lot of time being spent on the Australian Ubuntu LoCo > structure and now the wiki. > > But what is happening around us and in particular in my area (Strathpine > Queensland). I now see year nine through 12 student running around with mini > notebooks (also called netbook) supplied through their school under the > Australian Federal Government's Digital Education Revolution (DER) program. > From my early findings it looks like that notebooks will be distributed to > eventually every year nine through 12 student. They are all to receive a > mini notebook with windows 7 installed by the completion of the rollout in > 2012. > > This is a big blow to the Linux community as for example 267,000 Windows 7 > based netbooks that the NSW Government alone has started rolling out to high > schools will come pre-installed with open source software. From information > gathered they were certainly looking seriously at Linux platforms, but > vendors didn't provide the answers or comfort they were looking for. > > I think part of the problem with the Linux tenders would have been that > they were represented by hardware vendors pushing Linux to increase their > profit on the units, rather than pushing Linux because they believed in it > or had the right answers. If they had gone with a Linux based system they > could have saved the country (tax payers) close to a $1 billion in licensing > fees. > > All this points out that we the Linux (Ubuntu) users must be active not > only within our own group(s) but engage direct with the community in > general, visit schools, educate hardware vendors and lobby with the > Australian Federal and State Governments. > > Cheers, > > Harry Degenaar > [email protected] > > > It's also a huge opportunity.. All those new machines going out to students that are naturally rebellious and inquisitive.
Time to really amp up a "Linux install Day" again... -- It's just a 2000 year old book of desert tribal myths.
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