A workshop on Free and Open Source Software given at AISA teachers' conference in October 2010: encouraging others to try & use FOSS.

1. FREE
Good!
is
AISA • Nairobi • October 2010
John Iglar
International Community School
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

3. FREE

4. Good!

5. Good!

6. Good!

7. Good!

8. Good!

9. Good!

10. Caveat:
≠
≠
≠
$£€ is for spending

11. Why?

12. Community
http://opensourceschools.org.uk/
http://flossed.org/
http://opensource.com/
http://www.schoolforge.net/
http://www.k12opensource.com/

13. Customize

14. Programming

15. FREE
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Nobody should be restricted by the software they use.
There are four freedoms that every user should have:
the freedom to use the software for any purpose,
●
the freedom to change the software to suit your needs,
●
●
the freedom to share the software with your friends and
neighbors, and
the freedom to share the changes you make.
●

16. License
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 3, 29 June 2007
Copyright © 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. <http://fsf.org/>
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document,
but changing it is not allowed.
Preamble
The GNU General Public License is a free, copyleft license for software
and other kinds of works.
The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to
take away your freedom to share and change the works. By contrast, the
GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to
share and change all versions of a program--to make sure it remains free
software for all its users. We, the Free Software Foundation, use the GNU
General Public License for most of our software; it applies also to any
other work released this way by its authors. You can apply it to your
programs, too.

17. ●
Operating System
Cost Estimated costs of software
(based on licenses for 200 computers)
●
Windows vs. Linux
$120,000
●
Productivity Suite
●
Microsoft Office vs. OpenOffice $100,000
●
Applications $80,000
●
Mavis Beacon vs. TuxType Hardware
Admin/Student
Communication
●
Photoshop vs. Gimp $60,000 Applications
Productivity Suite
Operating System
●
InDesign vs. Scribus
$40,000
●
Inspiration vs. Freeplane
●
Communication $20,000
●
FirstClass vs. Zimbra
$0
●
Admin/Student Info 200 Netbooks
Proprietary Software
Open Source Software
●
Admin+ vs. Centre

18. But isn't it niche software?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10187248

19. But isn't it niche software?

20. But isn't it niche software?
Web Browser Usage
as reported by W3schools.com
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2007 2008 2009 2010
Internet Explorer Firefox Chrome Safari Opera

21. But isn't it niche software?

22. But isn't it niche software?
http://www.webmasterpro.de/portal/news/2010/01/25/verbreitung-
von-office-programmen-openoffice-ueber-21.html

23. But I NEED Microsoft Office
...don't I?!

24. But who uses OpenOffice?
●
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of South Africa
●
Ministry of Defence in Singapore
●
University of Southern Denmark
●
City of Rovereto (Trento -Italy)
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City of Birmingham (UK)
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The Guardian newspaper (UK)
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City of Berlin (Germany)
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French Ministry of Interior
●
Howard County Libraries (Maryland, USA)
●
City of Steamboat Springs (Colorado, USA)
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Earlham College (Illinois, USA)
●
Maine Learning with Technology Institute (Maine, USA)
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Major_OpenOffice.org_Deployments

25. Who cares about ODF?
●
Government of Belgium
●
“From September 2008 on, all document exchanges within the services of the
Belgian government will have to be in an open, standard format, according to the
proposal. ODF is the only accepted standard in the proposal.”
●
State of Misiones (Argentina)
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“Any electronic document created or generated by the state government of
Misiones/Argentina aimed to store and distribute information to state offices and
employees must use the OpenDocument format ( ISO/IEC 26300 specification ).”
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US Government
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“each agency shall take prompt steps to expand access to information by making
it available online in open formats...…..An open format is one that is platform
independent, machine readable, and made available to the public without
restrictions that would impede the re-use of that information........”
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Governments of Norway, Denmark...
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Major_OpenOffice.org_Deployments

26. Case study

27. Communication
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Saved money (license, annual license, training costs)
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More flexible
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More features
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Add accounts (all students)
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Support from wiki, forum, community
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Training available online & in various locations

28. Productivity Applications
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Save licencing costs
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Same version all operating systems
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Freely distributable
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Keep MS for those positions that need it
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Teach students processes, not procedures

29. Others
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Moodle for all online course materials
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Drupal for website creation and management
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Linux for servers
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iFolder for synchronizing data on laptops
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Scribus for desktop publishing

30. Operating System
+ +
●
Multiple OS across campus
●
Different OS promote student flexibility
●
Linux keeps older machines running longer
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Train students to be thinking users, not automatic consumers of one
system

31. Bottom line?

33. Over-reliance on a standard
‘office’ application and operating
system restricted their
opportunities to develop generic
and transferable skills.
The importance of ICT: information and communication
technology in primary and secondary schools, 2005/2008
Date: 03 Mar 2009 Publisher: Ofsted

34. What next?

36. Start small
●
Try TuxType or Gimp or Inkscape
●
Add Firefox as an alternative
web browser
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Don't “rip & replace” but
supplement
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Add value by setting up a
Moodle server
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Explore alternatives for
communication or
administration
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Get community support by
handing out free software
●
Partner up with local schools for
training and distributing
software

37. TAKE THE
PLUNGE

38. Any questions?
For links and this slideshow
sites.google.com/site/aisafreeisgood

39. FREE
Good!