[TriLUG] OC OSS

[Carl Crider]

*Open Source / Web 2.0 cost avoidance.* There is a movement supporting the

use of open source and web 2.0 applications in K-12 education. The
convergence of

web technologies and the growth of new virtualization solutions makes this
an

exciting time to manage a computing enterprise. In 2006 the district made
the

decision to stop purchasing new and upgraded licenses for Microsoft Office
for

teacher and student computers. The cost to upgrade all computers to the
latest

version of MS Office is $297,000. We do not plan to upgrade to this product
across

the district. Our current focus is to identify open source or Web 2.0
solutions to

replace costly proprietary software. This cost was most recently avoided by

installing the free, open source product called “Open Office” at Carrboro
High School,

on all High School teacher laptops, and at Morris Grove. At $50 per
workstation for

MS Office, this saved the district over $17,000. During the past few years
the

district has not purchased much software. We are requesting that our
customers use

free, web 2.0 products such as iTunes, Audacity, Tuxpaint, Photostory, and
Google

Sketch-up. This is a trend that is embraced by most schools.

Current: There is a minimal software budget at the district and within
schools. In

most cases, this has been transferred to support on-line resources or
hardware

needs. Reduction: None.

*Operating system savings.* Following applications, the next level of
opportunity for open

source is at the desktop operating system. Purchasing a thin client or

netbook with Linux rather than Microsoft could save the district $20-50 per
device.

This represents a savings of $8,000 - $20,000 per year. We are open to
testing this

model in our schools to determine the impact on accessing resources and the

engineering requirements to support this platform. This will become a
project

assigned to one of our technical staff in the months ahead. The goal will be
to

determine the costs and benefits of accessing web-based applications on a
Linuxbased

netbook. Until we perform this user case study on how well this platform

meets the needs of students and teachers, we cannot project the savings.
This

information will be shared with the Technology Advisory Committee in May.
For a

more detailed description of several of the cost avoidance and saving
initiatives,

please see the linked document: Tech Cost Avoidance.

Current: $8,000 - $20,000. Reduction: None - Note: Any savings resulting
from

the use Linux will be used to increase the number of access devices for
students.