[wplug] looking for old computers

Kevin Squire gentgeen at linuxmail.org
Thu Dec 5 00:13:53 EST 2002


----- Original Message -----
From: <REMOVED>
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2002 19:39:04 -0500 (EST)
To: Kevin Squire <gentgeen at linuxmail.org>
Subject: Re: [wplug] looking for old computers


> I imagine I'm not the only one, but I'd be very happy to volunteer some 
> time to help out with this project.  I also have a few old pc's I could 
> part with for a good cause.  Can you tell me/the list a little more about 
> what exactly you're planning?
> 
First I would like to thank those of you who have already responded - just amazing!!

Above is an e-mail that one WPLUGer sent that echos a few of those of you that replied, so I thought I would try to answer some questions.

We are a small charter school in Downtown Pittsburgh the services mainly inner city school students.  Since we are so small (200 students from 6th to 12th grade), a charter school, and only a few years old, we do not have the same monitary resources that many public schools have (although I know that most public schools don't have a lot of money either).

We have two computer labs, approx 20 computers each, one for the high school and one for the middle school.  All the computers at the school are running Windoze XP with M$ Office, and a few other apps.  At different times of the year, the teachers are fighting for time in the labs.  So the admin is interested in getting more computers into the school.  What I have noticed is that MOST of the teaches are using the computer only for internet and MS Office.  So I thought I would introduce the staff/admin to Linux.  

If your not familiar (SP?) with the the K12LTSP, it is a distro of Linux (basically RedHat) with the idea that one computer would be the Server,with all your other machines being Terminals to that server.  This way you only need to update/mantain/etc one machine in a lab, with the others just being diskless terminals.  
Earlier today I was tring to find the necessary specs. for the terminals, but could not find them (I had to run and catch my bus).  I do remember that they can be as old as 486's, and I think 16MB RAM. (Anybody know?)  

What I was thinking about doing was setting up 1 server and 4/5 terminals in my classroom to use as a test/demo set-up.  Then if things go well, maybe we could turn the whole school into Linux Users :-)

I have a lot of other ideas, but this post has already gotten to long.  If anyone has any other questions/comments/etc.  Please feel free to contact me.

Kevin Squire
gentgeen at linuxmail.org
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