X-Git-Url: http://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/7dcabb7ee706e082b4eb1e8f70d008ba282b715f..fc69198f89b689c41f669748e7e9839dfcf9d19b:/blog/index.html diff --git a/blog/index.html b/blog/index.html index 70ec190e90..4402fb8ab0 100644 --- a/blog/index.html +++ b/blog/index.html @@ -20,184 +20,112 @@
-
Is there a PHP expert in the building? Debian Edu need help!
-
5th June 2013
-

Here is a call for help from the Debian Edu / Skolelinux project. -We have two problems blocking the release of the Wheezy version we -hope to get released soon. The two problems require some with PHP -skills, and we seem to lack anyone with both time and PHP skills in -the project: - -

    - -
  1. It is impossible to log into the slbackup web interface - (slbackup-php) using the root user and password. This is - BTS report #700257. - This used to work, but stopped working some time since Squeeze. - Perhaps some obsolete PHP feature was used?
    2. - -
  2. It is not possible to "mass import" user lists in Gosa, neither - using ldif nor using CSV files. The feature was disabled after a - major rewrite of Gosa, and need to be ported to the new system. - This is BTS report - #698840.
    3. - -
- -

If you can help us, please join us on IRC -(#debian-edu on -irc.debian.org) and provide patches via the BTS.

-
-
- - - Tags: debian edu, english. - - -
-
-
- -
-
Debian Edu interview: Cédric Boutillier
-
4th June 2013
-

It has been a while since my last English -Debian Edu and Skolelinux -interview last November. But the developers and translators are still -pulling along to get the Wheezy based release out the door, and this -time I managed to get an interview from one of the French translators -in the project, Cédric Boutillier.

- -

Who are you, and how do you spend your days?

- -

I am 34 year old. I live near Paris, France. I am an assistant -professor in probability theory. I spend my daytime teaching -mathematics at the university and doing fundamental research in -probability in connexion with combinatorics and statistical physics.

- -

I have been involved in the Debian project for a couple of years -and became Debian Developer a few months ago. I am working on Ruby -packaging, publicity and translation.

- -

How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu -project?

- -

I came to the Debian Edu project after a call for translation of -the -Debian Edu manual for the release of Debian Edu Squeeze. Since -then, I have been working on updating the French translation of the -manual. - -

I had the opportunity to make an installation of Debian Edu in a -virtual machine when I was preparing localised version of some screen -shots for the manual. I was amazed to see it worked out of the box and -how comprehensive the list of software installed by default was.

- -

What amazed me was the complete network infrastructure directly -ready to use, which can and the nice administration interface provided -by GOsa². What pleased -me also was the fact that among the software installed by default, -there were many "traditional" educative software to learn languages, -to count, to program... but also software to develop creativity and -artistic skills with music (Ardour, -Audacity) and -movies/animation (I was especially thinking of -Stopmotion).

- -

I am following the development of Debian Edu and am hanging out on -#debian-edu. -Unfortunately, I don't much time to get more involved in this -beautiful project.

- -

What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux / Debian -Edu?

- -

For me, the main advantages of Skolelinux/Debian Edu are its -community of experts and its precise documentation, as well as the -fact that it provides a solution ready to use.

- -

I would add also the fact that it is based on the rock solid Debian -distribution, which ensures stability and provides a huge collection -of educational free software.

- -

What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian -Edu?

- -

Maybe the lack of manpower to do lobbying on the -project. Sometimes, people who need to take decisions concerning IT do -not have all the elements to evaluate properly free software -solutions. The fact that support by a company may be difficult to find -is probably a problem if the school does not have IT personnel.

- -

One can find support from a company by looking at -the -wiki dokumentation, where some countries already have a number of -companies providing support for Debian Edu, like Germany or -Norway. This list is easy to find readily from the manual. However, -for other countries, like France, the list is empty. I guess that -consultants proposing support for Debian would be able to provide some -support for Debian Edu as well.

- -

Which free software do you use daily?

- -

I am using the KDE Plasma Desktop. But the pieces of software I use -most runs in a terminal: Mutt and OfflineIMAP for emails, latex for -scientific documents, mpd for music. VIM is my editor of choice. I am -also using the mathematical software -Scilab and -Sage (built from -source as not completely packaged for Debian, yet). - -

Do you have any suggestions for teachers interested in -using the free software in Debian to teach mathematics and -statistics?

- -

I do not have any "nice" recommendations for statistics. At our -university, we use both R and -Scilab to teach statistics and probabilistic simulations. For -geometry, there are nice programs:

+
How to fix a Thinkpad X230 with a broken 180 GB SSD disk
+
17th July 2013
+

Today I switched to +my +new laptop. I've previously written about the problems I had with +my new Thinkpad X230, which was delivered with an +180 +GB Intel SSD disk with Lenovo firmware that did not handle +sustained writes. My hardware supplier have been very forthcoming in +trying to find a solution, and after first trying with another +identical 180 GB disks they decided to send me a 256 GB Samsung SSD +disk instead to fix it once and for all. The Samsung disk survived +the installation of Debian with encrypted disks (filling the disk with +random data during installation killed the first two), and I thus +decided to trust it with my data. I have installed it as a Debian Edu +Wheezy roaming workstation hooked up with my Debian Edu Squeeze main +server at home using Kerberos and LDAP, and will use it as my work +station from now on.

+ +

As this is a solid state disk with no moving parts, I believe the +Debian Wheezy default installation need to be tuned a bit to increase +performance and increase life time of the disk. The Linux kernel and +user space applications do not yet adjust automatically to such +environment. To make it easier for my self, I created a draft Debian +package ssd-setup to handle this tuning. The +source +for the ssd-setup package is available from collab-maint, and it +is set up to adjust the setup of the machine by just installing the +package. If there is any non-SSD disk in the machine, the package +will refuse to install, as I did not try to write any logic to sort +file systems in SSD and non-SSD file systems.

+ +

I consider the package a draft, as I am a bit unsure how to best +set up Debian Wheezy with an SSD. It is adjusted to my use case, +where I set up the machine with one large encrypted partition (in +addition to /boot), put LVM on top of this and set up partitions on +top of this again. See the README file in the package source for the +references I used to pick the settings. At the moment these +parameters are tuned:

    -
  • drgeo and -kig to do -constructions in planar geometry - -
  • kali -to discover symmetry groups (the so-called wallpapers and frieze -groups), although the interface looks a bit old.
    • - -
- -

I like also -cantor, which -provides a uniform interface to SciLab, Sage, -Octave, etc...

- -

Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to -get schools to use free software?

+
  • Set up cryptsetup to pass TRIM commands to the physical disk + (adding discard to /etc/crypttab)
    • -

    My suggestions would be to

    +
  • Set up LVM to pass on TRIM commands to the underlying device (in + this case a cryptsetup partition) by changing issue_discards from + 0 to 1 in /etc/lvm/lvm.conf.
    • -
      +
    • Set relatime as a file system option for ext3 and ext4 file + systems.
      • -
    • advertise the reduction of costs when free software is used.
      • +
    • Tell swap to use TRIM commands by adding 'discard' to + /etc/fstab.
      • -
    • communicate about the quality of free software projects, using - well known examples like Firefox, ThunderBird and - OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice.
      • +
    • Change I/O scheduler from cfq to deadline using a udev rule.
      • -
    • advertise the living and strong community around the project.
      • +
    • Run fstrim on every ext3 and ext4 file system every night (from + cron.daily).
      • -
    • show that it is not more difficult to use than any other - system.
      • +
    • Adjust sysctl values vm.swappiness to 1 and vm.vfs_cache_pressure + to 50 to reduce the kernel eagerness to swap out processes.
    + +

    During installation, I cancelled the part where the installer fill +the disk with random data, as this would kill the SSD performance for +little gain. My goal with the encrypted file system is to ensure +those stealing my laptop end up with a brick and not a working +computer. I have no hope in keeping the really resourceful people +from getting the data on the disk (see +XKCD #538 for an explanation why). +Thus I concluded that adding the discard option to crypttab is the +right thing to do.

    + +

    I considered using the noop I/O scheduler, as several recommended +it for SSD, but others recommended deadline and a benchmark I found +indicated that deadline might be better for interactive use.

    + +

    I also considered using the 'discard' file system option for ext3 +and ext4, but read that it would give a performance hit ever time a +file is removed, and thought it best to that that slowdown once a day +instead of during my work.

    + +

    My package do not set up tmpfs on /var/run, /var/lock and /tmp, as +this is already done by Debian Edu.

    + +

    I have not yet started on the user space tuning. I expect +iceweasel need some tuning, and perhaps other applications too, but +have not yet had time to investigate those parts.

    + +

    The package should work on Ubuntu too, but I have not yet tested it +there.

    + +

    As for the answer to the question in the title of this blog post, +as far as I know, the only solution I know about is to replace the +disk. It might be possible to flash it with Intel firmware instead of +the Lenovo firmware. But I have not tried and did not want to do so +without approval from Lenovo as I wanted to keep the warranty on the +disk until a solution was found and they wanted the broken disks +back.

    - Tags: debian edu, english, intervju. + Tags: debian, english.
    @@ -205,69 +133,54 @@ get schools to use free software?

    -
    Åpent møte på onsdag om bruken av Microsoft Exchange ved Universitetet i Oslo
    -
    3rd June 2013
    -

    Jeg jobber til daglig ved Universitetet -i Oslo, en institusjon som lenge har vektlagt verdien av åpne -standarder og fri programvare. Men noe har endret seg, og for en -liten stund tilbake annonserte USIT at dagens fungerende e-postsystemet -basert på fri programvare skulle byttes ut med Microsoft Exchange og -at Microsoft Outlook skulle bli den best fungerende men antagelig ikke -eneste støttede e-postklienten. Annonseringen har ført til flere -protester og en -underskriftskampanje, initiert av Diana Santos, der så langt 253 -personer har signert. Prosjektet -NIKE (Ny integrert -kalender/e-post) ble initiert for å se på mulige løsninger med -utgangspunkt i at en kombinert epost/kalenderløsning var påkrevd, og -prosjektet -NIKE-implementasjon -er igang med å rulle ut MS Exchange ved Universitetet i Oslo.

    - -

    For kun kort tid siden ble det annonsert at det blir et åpent møte -med ledelsen hos universitetet i Oslo med disse planene som tema:

    - -

    Tid: Onsdag 2013-06-05 kl. 10:00 -
    Sted: 9. etasje i Lucy Smiths hus (admin-bygget)

    - -

    Det kan være en god plass å stille opp hvis en som meg ikke tror -valget av Microsoft Exchange som sentral epostinfrastruktur er et -heldig valg for Norges ledende forskningsuniversitet, men at en er mer -tjent med å selv -beholde -kontrollen over egen infrastruktur.

    - -

    Saken har ført til endel presseoppslag så langt. Her er de jeg har -fått med meg:

    - - - - +
    Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB with Lenovo firmware still lock up from sustained writes
    +
    10th July 2013
    +

    A few days ago, I wrote about +the +problems I experienced with my new X230 and its SSD disk, which +was dying during installation because it is unable to cope with +sustained write. My supplier is in contact with +Lenovo, and they wanted to send a +replacement disk to try to fix the problem. They decided to send an +identical model, so my hopes for a permanent fix was slim.

    + +

    Anyway, today I got the replacement disk and tried to install +Debian Edu Wheezy with encrypted disk on it. The new disk have the +same firmware version as the original. This time my hope raised +slightly as the installation progressed, as the original disk used to +die after 4-7% of the disk was written to, while this time it kept +going past 10%, 20%, 40% and even past 50%. But around 60%, the disk +died again and I was back on square one. I still do not have a new +laptop with a disk I can trust. I can not live with a disk that might +lock up when I download a new +Debian Edu / Skolelinux ISO or +other large files. I look forward to hearing from my supplier with +the next proposal from Lenovo.

    + +

    The original disk is marked Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB, +11S0C38722Z1ZNME35X1TR, ISN: CVCV321407HB180EGN, SA: G57560302, FW: +LF1i, 29MAY2013, PBA: G39779-300, LBA 351,651,888, LI P/N: 0C38722, +Pb-free 2LI, LC P/N: 16-200366, WWN: 55CD2E40002756C4, Model: +SSDSC2BW180A3L 2.5" 6Gb/s SATA SSD 180G 5V 1A, ASM P/N 0C38732, FRU +P/N 45N8295, P0C38732.

    + +

    The replacement disk is marked Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB, +11S0C38722Z1ZNDE34N0L0, ISN: CVCV315306RK180EGN, SA: G57560-302, FW: +LF1i, 22APR2013, PBA: G39779-300, LBA 351,651,888, LI P/N: 0C38722, +Pb-free 2LI, LC P/N: 16-200366, WWN: 55CD2E40000AB69E, Model: +SSDSC2BW180A3L 2.5" 6Gb/s SATA SSD 180G 5V 1A, ASM P/N 0C38732, FRU +P/N 45N8295, P0C38732.

    + +

    The only difference is in the first number (serial number?), ISN, +SA, date and WNPP values. Mentioning all the details here in case +someone is able to use the information to find a way to identify the +failing disk among working ones (if any such working disk actually +exist).

    - Tags: norsk, standard. + Tags: debian, english.
    @@ -275,142 +188,26 @@ fått med meg:

    -
    Educational applications included in Debian Edu / Skolelinux (the screenshot collection :-)
    -
    1st June 2013
    -

    Included in Debian Edu / -Skolelinux, there are quite a lot of educational software. -Created to help teachers teach, and pupils learn. We have tried to -tag them all using debtags use::learning and role::program, and using -the debtags I was happy to be able to create a collage of the -educational software packages installed by default, sorted by the -debtag field. Here it is. Click on a image to learn more about the -program.

    - - - -

    field::arts

    -

    -audacity -childsplay -denemo -freebirth -gcompris -gimp -hydrogen -lilypond -lmms -rosegarden -scribus -solfege -stopmotion -tuxpaint -

    - -

    field::astronomy

    -

    -celestia-gnome -gpredict -kstars -planets -stellarium -xplanet -

    - -

    field::biology:structural

    -

    -pymol -

    - -

    field::chemistry

    -

    -atomix -chemtool -easychem -gchempaint -gdis -ghemical -gperiodic -kalzium -pymol -[viewmol] -xdrawchem -

    - -

    field::electronics

    -

    -gcompris -[gpsim] -

    - -

    field::geography

    -

    -kgeography -marble -xplanet -

    - -

    field::linguistics

    -

    -gcompris -kanagram -khangman -klettres -parley -

    - -

    field::mathematics

    -

    -childsplay -drgeo -gcompris -geogebra -[geomview] -grace -graphmonkey -graphthing -kalgebra -kbruch -kig -kmplot -mathwar -rocs -scratch -tuxmath -xabacus -

    - -

    field::physics

    -

    -gcompris -step -

    - -

    field::TODO

    -

    -blinken -cgoban -childsplay -gcompris -gnuchess -gnugo -gtans -ktouch -librecad -scratch -

    - -

    In total, 61 applications. 3 of them lacked screen shots on -screenshot.debian.net. If -you know of some packages we should install by default, please let us -know on IRC, #debian-edu -on irc.debian.org, or our -mailing list -debian-edu@.

    +
    July 13th: Debian/Ubuntu BSP and Skolelinux/Debian Edu developer gathering in Oslo
    +
    9th July 2013
    +

    The upcoming Saturday, 2013-07-13, we are organising a combined +Debian Edu developer gathering and Debian and Ubuntu bug squashing +party in Oslo. It is organised by the +member assosiation NUUG and +the Debian Edu / Skolelinux +project together with the hack space +Bitraf.

    + +

    It starts 10:00 and continue until late evening. Everyone is +welcome, and there is no fee to participate. There is on the other +hand limited space, and only room for 30 people. Please put your name +on the event +wiki page if you plan to join us.

    - Tags: debian edu, english. + Tags: debian, debian edu, english, nuug.
    @@ -418,48 +215,74 @@ debian-edu@.

    -
    How to install Linux on a Packard Bell Easynote LV preinstalled with Windows 8
    -
    27th May 2013
    -

    Two days ago, I asked -how -I could install Linux on a Packard Bell EasyNote LV computer -preinstalled with Windows 8. I found a solution, but am horrified -with the obstacles put in the way of Linux users on a laptop with UEFI -and Windows 8.

    - -

    I never found out if the cause of my problems were the use of UEFI -secure booting or fast boot. I suspect fast boot was the problem, -causing the firmware to boot directly from HD without considering any -key presses and alternative devices, but do not know UEFI settings -enough to tell.

    - -

    There is no way to install Linux on the machine in question without -opening the box and disconnecting the hard drive! This is as far as I -can tell, the only way to get access to the firmware setup menu -without accepting the Windows 8 license agreement. I am told (and -found description on how to) that it is possible to configure the -firmware setup once booted into Windows 8. But as I believe the terms -of that agreement are completely unacceptable, accepting the license -was never an alternative. I do not enter agreements I do not intend -to follow.

    - -

    I feared I had to return the laptops and ask for a refund, and -waste many hours on this, but luckily there was a way to get it to -work. But I would not recommend it to anyone planning to run Linux on -it, and I have become sceptical to Windows 8 certified laptops. Is -this the way Linux will be forced out of the market place, by making -it close to impossible for "normal" users to install Linux without -accepting the Microsoft Windows license terms? Or at least not -without risking to loose the warranty?

    - -

    I've updated the -Linux Laptop -wiki page for Packard Bell EasyNote LV, to ensure the next person -do not have to struggle as much as I did to get Linux into the -machine.

    - -

    Thanks to Bob Rosbag, Florian Weimer, Philipp Kern, Ben Hutching, -Michael Tokarev and others for feedback and ideas.

    +
    The Thinkpad is dead, long live the Thinkpad X230?
    +
    5th July 2013
    +

    Half a year ago, I reported that I had to find a +replacement +for my trusty old Thinkpad X41. Unfortunately I did not have much +time to spend on it, and it took a while to find a model I believe +will do the job, but two days ago the replacement finally arrived. I +ended up picking a +Thinkpad X230 +with SSD disk (NZDAJMN). I first test installed Debian Edu Wheezy as +a roaming workstation, and it seemed to work flawlessly. But my +second installation with encrypted disk was not as successful. More +on that below.

    + +

    I had a hard time trying to track down a good laptop, as my most +important requirements (robust and with a good keyboard) are never +listed in the feature list. But I did get good help from the search +feature at Prisjakt, which +allowed me to limit the list of interesting laptops based on my other +requirements. A bit surprising that SSD disk are not disks according +to that search interface, so I had to drop specifying the number of +disks from my search parameters. I also asked around among friends to +get their impression on keyboards and robustness.

    + +

    So the new laptop arrived, and it is quite a lot wider than the +X41. I am not quite convinced about the keyboard, as it is +significantly wider than my old keyboard, and I have to stretch my +hand a lot more to reach the edges. But the key response is fairly +good and the individual key shape is fairly easy to handle, so I hope +I will get used to it. My old X40 was starting to fail, and I really +needed a new laptop now. :)

    + +

    Turning off the touch pad was simple. All it took was a quick +visit to the BIOS during boot it disable it.

    + +

    But there is a fatal problem with the laptop. The 180 GB SSD disk +lock up during load. And this happen when installing Debian Wheezy +with encrypted disk, while the disk is being filled with random data. +I also tested to install Ubuntu Raring, and it happen there too if I +reenable the code to fill the disk with random data (it is disabled by +default in Ubuntu). And the bug with is already known. It was +reported to Debian as BTS +report #691427 2012-10-25 (journal commit I/O error on brand-new +Thinkpad T430s ext4 on lvm on SSD). It is also reported to the Linux +kernel developers as +Kernel bugzilla +report #51861 2012-12-20 (Intel SSD 520 stops working under load +(SSDSC2BW180A3L in Lenovo ThinkPad T430s)). It is also reported on the +Lenovo forums, both for +T430 +2012-11-10 and for +X230 +03-20-2013. The problem do not only affect installation. The +reports state that the disk lock up during use if many writes are done +on the disk, so it is much no use to work around the installation +problem and end up with a computer that can lock up at any moment. +There is even a +small C program +available that will lock up the hard drive after running a few +minutes by writing to a file.

    + +

    I've contacted my supplier and asked how to handle this, and after +contacting PCHELP Norway (request 01D1FDP) which handle support +requests for Lenovo, his first suggestion was to upgrade the disk +firmware. Unfortunately there is no newer firmware available from +Lenovo, as my disk already have the most recent one (version LF1i). I +hope to hear more from him today and hope the problem can be +fixed. :)

    @@ -472,36 +295,34 @@ Michael Tokarev and others for feedback and ideas.

    -
    How can I install Linux on a Packard Bell Easynote LV preinstalled with Windows 8?
    -
    25th May 2013
    -

    I've run into quite a problem the last few days. I bought three -new laptops for my parents and a few others. I bought Packard Bell -Easynote LV to run Kubuntu on and use as their home computer. But I -am completely unable to figure out how to install Linux on it. The -computer is preinstalled with Windows 8, and I suspect it uses UEFI -instead of a BIOS to boot.

    - -

    The problem is that I am unable to get it to PXE boot, and unable -to get it to boot the Linux installer from my USB stick. I have yet -to try the DVD install, and still hope it will work. when I turn on -the computer, there is no information on what buttons to press to get -the normal boot menu. I expect to get some boot menu to select PXE or -USB stick booting. When booting, it first ask for the language to -use, then for some regional settings, and finally if I will accept the -Windows 8 terms of use. As these terms are completely unacceptable to -me, I have no other choice but to turn off the computer and try again -to get it to boot the Linux installer.

    - -

    I have gathered my findings so far on a Linlap page about the -Packard Bell -EasyNote LV model. If you have any idea how to get Linux -installed on this machine, please get in touch or update that wiki -page. If I can't find a way to install Linux, I will have to return -the laptop to the seller and find another machine for my parents.

    - -

    I wonder, is this the way Linux will be forced out of the market -using UEFI and "secure boot" by making it impossible to install Linux -on new Laptops?

    +
    The Thinkpad is dead, long live the Thinkpad X230
    +
    4th July 2013
    +

    Half a year ago, I reported that I had to find a replacement for my +trusty old Thinkpad X41. Unfortunately I did not have much time to +spend on it, but today the replacement finally arrived. I ended up +picking a Thinkpad +X230 with SSD disk (NZDAJMN). I first test installed Debian Edu +Wheezy as a roaming workstation, and it worked flawlessly. As I write +this, it is installing what I hope will be a more final installation, +with a encrypted hard drive to ensure any dope head stealing it end up +with an expencive door stop.

    + +

    I had a hard time trying to track down a good laptop, as my most +important requirements (robust and with a good keyboard) are never +listed in the feature list. But I did get good help from the search +feature at Prisjakt, which +allowed me to limit the list of interesting laptops based on my other +requirements. A bit surprising that SSD disk are not disks, so I had +to drop number of disks from my search parameters.

    + +

    I am not quite convinced about the keyboard, as it is significantly +wider than my old keyboard, and I have to stretch my hand a lot more +to reach the edges. But the key response is fairly good and the +individual key shape is fairly easy to handle, so I hope I will get +used to it. My old X40 was starting to fail, and I really needed a +new laptop now. :)

    + +

    I look forward to figuring out how to turn off the touch pad.

    @@ -514,127 +335,115 @@ on new Laptops?

    -
    Skolelinux-intervju: Nirosan Thiyagalingam
    -
    24th May 2013
    -

    En ting -Skolelinux-prosjektet har -hatt mye glede av er studentprosjekter. F.eks. er -stillbildeanimasjonssystemet -Stopmotion resultat av et studentprosjekt i Skolelinux. De siste -månedene har en ivrig student veiledet av Marius Kotsbak i -FRiSK testet hva en -kan få til med en datamaskin til NOK 400,- (antagelig 1700,- med -skjerm, tastatur og mus) når det brukes i Skolelinux. Jeg spurte han -om et intervju.

    - -

    Hvem er du, og hva driver du med til daglig?

    - -

    Jeg heter Nirosan Thiyagalingam. Jeg er 24 år og studerer -dataingeniør studiet ved Høgskolen i Sør Trøndelag. Interessen for -data har siden ung alder vært tilstede og jeg har i tillegg alltid -vært glad i å lære nye ting. Med teknologi som endres svært hurtig er -det alltid noe nytt å lære. Noe som igjen har gjort det svært -interessant å følge med på utviklingen. Jeg valgte dataingeniør -studiet grunnet ønske om å lære enda mer om programmering og utvikling -av store systemer.

    - -

    Hvordan kom du i kontakt med Skolelinux-prosjektet?

    - -

    Skolelinux prosjektet hørte jeg først om i media. Men det var først -når jeg skulle velge bacheloroppgave at jeg fattet mer interesse for -prosjektet. Et enkelt søk på nettet førte meg til skolelinux sine -hjemmesider. Informasjonen jeg fant der gjorde meg enda nysgjerrig og -jeg valgte derfor en oppgave som gikk ut på å få en -Raspberry PI. Altså en -ultra-billig datamaskin til å kjøre Debian Edu på lik linje med -vanlige datamaskiner. I løpet av prosjektet ble det gjort mye -forskning på nettet. Det var mye jeg måtte forstå rundt hvordan -operativsystemet Linux fungerte før jeg kunne angripe -problemet. Prøvde først å finne ut hvordan man kunne transformere en -vanlig installasjon av Skolelinux til Raspberry PI, men dette var -altfor vanskelig å jeg endte opp med mer spørsmål enn svar. Det ble -videre opprettet kontakt med Skolelinux utviklere på IRC der jeg fikk -diskutert hvilken retning jeg burde gå for å få til en fullverdig -løsning. Det ble bestemt at jeg skulle gå for å først installere -Raspian. Dette er et -operativsystem basert på Debian spesiallaget for Raspberry Pi sin -maskinvare. Nå som Debian var installert på datamaskinen gjenstod det -å installere de nødvendige Skolelinux pakkene for å få til et -fullverdig system. Disse pakkene ble installert manuelt i første -omgang, men ble senere installert automatisk via et script som Petter -Reinholdtsen laget. Dette scriptet er så enkel å bruke at man er i -gang med installasjonen i løpet av bare 5 minutter. Ikke nok med det, -alt skjer helt automatisk. Alt i alt er jeg veldig fornøyd med -resultatet av installasjonsprosessen. Raspberry Pi er en veldig svak -maskin og det merkes godt når man har installert Skolelinux på -den. Video og 3D-rendering fungerer utrolig dårlig, men nettsurfing og -kontorprogrammer fungerer godt. Det kan derfor konkluderes med at -datamaskinen er egnet for enkle oppgaver. - -

    Jeg syns det er viktig påpeke at dette kun er startfasen av en slik -løsning. På markedet finnes det nå maskiner som har bedre hardware enn -Raspberry Pi. Det er store muligheter for at man kan klare å -installere Skolelinux på disse også, og da forsvinner nok mest -sannsynlig ytelsesproblemene med Video og 3D rendering også.

    - -

    Det ble også prøvd med en løsning som gjorde at Raspberry Pi -fungerte som en tynnklient. Denne løsningen hadde langt bedre ytelse -med tanke på hastighet og brukeropplevelse. Men også her var video og -3D rendering dårlig. Det ble brukt en liten Linux distribusjon kalt -BerryTerminal for å få til -dette.

    - -

    Hva er fordelene med Skolelinux slik du ser det?

    - -

    Fordelen med Skolelinux er mange. At det er gratis er en stor -fordel, men at det er så mange som er med på å utvikle det og -vedlikeholde det er en enda større fordel. Allerede før jeg startet -med prosjektet så jeg mange fordeler, og når jeg nærmet meg sluttfasen -så jeg langt flere. At prosjektet skulle inneha en så høy kvalitet -hadde jeg aldri trodd. En vanlig Skolelinux installasjon har de -nødvendige programmene og funksjonen som både små og store skoler i -tillegg til organisasjoner kan klare seg med. At prosjektet tilbyr en -så komplett løsning er en kjempefordel. Installasjonen er knirkefri -og det er svært enkelt å installere og komme i gang.

    - -

    Hva er ulempene med Skolelinux slik du ser det?

    - -

    Ulempene jeg ser med prosjektet er ryddigheten av websidene. Selv -om websidene er enkle og konsise er det allikevel ikke appellerende i -like stor grad som for eksempel -Ubuntu sine sider. Deres side -tilbyr, i tillegg til godt design og presentasjon, en nettbasert -emulator av deres operativsystem. Dette er en stor fordel slik jeg ser -det. Bortsett fra dette ser jeg absolutt ingen ulemper med -Skolelinux-prosjektet.

    - -

    Hvilken fri programvare bruker du til daglig?

    - -

    Til daglig er jeg en flittig bruker av det åpne media -sentersystemet XBMC. Det enorme -samfunnet rundt dette prosjektet har gjort dette til et program som -dekker alles behov. Man kan tilpasse det akkurat slik man vil både med -tanke på utseende og funksjoner ved installere plug-ins eller -scripts.

    - -

    Hvilken strategi tror du er den rette å bruke for å få -skoler til å ta i bruk fri programvare?

    - -

    Strategien som burde brukes sett fra mine øyne er -markedsføring. Jeg er sikker på at om flere skoler fikk et lite innsyn -i hvor bra Skolelinux er så ville de ikke nølt med å gå over fra noe -annet som koster de store summer. At skolelinux til de grader tilbyr -en så komplett løsning bure komme frem. Enten via reklamekampanjer -eller ved å sende ut folk til skoler for så å la skolenettverk -ansvarlige få teste ut hvordan Skolelinux fungerer i praksis. Om det -i tillegg ble utviklet gode websider og en emulator for å la brukere -prøve operativsystemet ville nok dette ha styrket inntrykket -betraktelig.

    +
    Fourth alpha release of Debian Edu/Skolelinux based on Debian Wheezy
    +
    3rd July 2013
    +

    The fourth wheezy based alpha release of Debian Edu was wrapped up +today. This is the release announcement:

    + +

    New features for Debian Edu 7.1+edu0~alpha3 released +2013-07-03

    + +

    These are the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux +7.1+edu0~alpha3, based on Debian with codename "Wheezy".

    + +

    About Debian Edu and Skolelinux

    + +

    Debian Edu, also known as +Skolelinux, is a Linux distribution based on Debian providing an +out-of-the box environment of a completely configured school +network. Immediately after installation a school server running all +services needed for a school network is set up just waiting for users +and machines being added via GOsa², a comfortable Web-UI. A netbooting +environment is prepared using PXE, so after initial installation of +the main server from CD, DVD or USB stick all other machines can be +installed via the network. The provided school server provides LDAP +database and Kerberos authentication service, centralized home +directories, DHCP server, web proxy and many other services. The +desktop contains +more +than 60 educational software packages and more are available from +the Debian archive, and schools can choose between KDE, Gnome, LXDE +and Xfce desktop environment.

    + +

    This is the fourth test release based on Debian Wheezy. Basically +this is an updated and slightly improved version compared to the +Squeeze release.

    + +

    Software updates

    +
      +
    • Dropped ispell dictionaries from our default installation.
      • +
    • Dropped menu-xdg from the KDE desktop option, to drop the Debian + submenu. It was not included with Gnome, LXDE or Xfce, so this + brings KDE in line with the others.
      • +
    • Dropped xdrawchem, xjig and xsok from our default installation as + they don't have a desktop menu entry and thus won't show up in the + menu now that menu-xdg was removed.
      • +
    • Removed the killer system to kill left behind processes on + multi-user machines, as it was no longer able to understand when a + X display was in use and killed the processes of the active users + too.
      • +
    • Dropped the golearn (from goplay) package as the debtags in wheezy + are too few to make the package useful.
      • +
    +

    Other changes

    +
      +
    • Updated artwork matching http://wiki.debian.org/DebianArt/Themes/Joy +
    • Multi-arch i386/amd64 USB stick ISO available.
      • +
    • Got rid of ispell/wordlist related debconf questions that showed + up for some language options.
      • +
    • Switched to using http.debian.net as APT source by default.
      • +
    • Fixed proxy configuration on Main Server installations.
      • +
    • Changed LTSP setup to ask dpkg to use force-unsafe-io the same way + d-i is doing it.
      • +
    • Made sure root and user passwords were not left behind in the + debconf database after installation on Main Server installations.
      • +
    • Made Roaming Workstation dynamic setup more robust and added draft + script setup-ad-client to hook a Roaming Workstation up to a + Active Directory server instead of a Debian Edu Main Server.
      • +
    • Update system to install needed firmware packages during + installation, to work properly in Wheezy.
      • +
    • Update system to handle hardware quirks (debian-edu-hwsetup).
      • +
    • Corrected PXE installation setup to properly pass selected desktop + and keymap settings to PXE installation clients.
      • +
    • LTSP diskless workstations use sshfs by default, allowing them to + work without adding them to DNS and NIS netgroups for NFS access.
      • +
    +

    Known issues

    +
      +
    • No mass import of user account data in GOsa (ldif or csv) + available yet (698840).
      • +
    • Artwork not enabled for all desktops.
      • +
    +

    Where to get it

    + +

    To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can use

    + + +

    The MD5SUM of this image is: 2b161a99d2a848c376d8d04e3854e30c +
    The SHA1SUM of this image is: 498922e9c508c0a7ee9dbe1dfe5bf830d779c3c8

    + +

    To download the multiarch USB stick ISO release you can use

    + + +

    The MD5SUM of this image is: 25e808e403a4c15dbef1d13c37d572ac +
    The SHA1SUM of this image is: 15ecfc93eb6b4f453b7eb0bc04b6a279262d9721

    + +

    How to report bugs

    + +

    http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/ReportBugs

    - Tags: debian edu, intervju, norsk. + Tags: debian edu, english.
    @@ -642,77 +451,70 @@ betraktelig.

    -
    How to transform a Debian based system to a Debian Edu installation
    -
    17th May 2013
    -

    Debian Edu / Skolelinux is -an operating system based on Debian intended for use in schools. It -contain a turn-key solution for the computer network provided to -pupils in the primary schools. It provide both the central server, -network boot servers and desktop environments with heaps of -educational software. The project was founded almost 12 years ago, -2001-07-02. If you want to support the project, which is in need for -cash to fund developer gatherings and other project related activity, -please -donate some money. - -

    A topic that come up again and again on the Debian Edu mailing -lists and elsewhere, is the question on how to transform a Debian or -Ubuntu installation into a Debian Edu installation. It isn't very -hard, and last week I wrote a script to replicate the steps done by -the Debian Edu installer.

    - -

    The script, -debian-edu-bless -in the debian-edu-config package, will go through these six steps and -transform an existing Debian Wheezy or Ubuntu (untested) installation -into a Debian Edu Workstation:

    - -
      - -
    1. Add skolelinux related APT sources.
      2. -
    2. Create /etc/debian-edu/config with the wanted configuration.
      3. -
    3. Install debian-edu-install to load preseeding values and pull in - our configuration.
      4. -
    4. Preseed debconf database with profile setup in - /etc/debian-edu/config, and run tasksel to install packages - according to the profile specified in the config above, - overriding some of the Debian automation machinery.
      5. -
    5. Run debian-edu-cfengine-D installation to configure everything - that could not be done using preseeding.
      6. -
    6. Ask for a reboot to enable all the configuration changes.
      7. - -
    - -

    There are some steps in the Debian Edu installation that can not be -replicated like this. Disk partitioning and LVM setup, for example. -So this script just assume there is enough disk space to install all -the needed packages.

    - -

    The script was created to help a Debian Edu student working on -setting up Raspberry Pi as a -Debian Edu client, and using it he can take the existing -Raspbian installation and -transform it into a fully functioning Debian Edu Workstation (or -Roaming Workstation, or whatever :).

    - -

    The default setting in the script is to create a KDE Workstation. -If a LXDE based Roaming workstation is wanted instead, modify the -PROFILE and DESKTOP values at the top to look like this instead:

    +
    Automatically locate and install required firmware packages on Debian (Isenkram 0.4)
    +
    25th June 2013
    +

    It annoys me when the computer fail to do automatically what it is +perfectly capable of, and I have to do it manually to get things +working. One such task is to find out what firmware packages are +needed to get the hardware on my computer working. Most often this +affect the wifi card, but some times it even affect the RAID +controller or the ethernet card. Today I pushed version 0.4 of the +Isenkram package +including a new script isenkram-autoinstall-firmware handling the +process of asking all the loaded kernel modules what firmware files +they want, find debian packages providing these files and install the +debian packages. Here is a test run on my laptop:

    -PROFILE="Roaming-Workstation"
-DESKTOP="lxde"
+# isenkram-autoinstall-firmware 
+info: kernel drivers requested extra firmware: ipw2200-bss.fw ipw2200-ibss.fw ipw2200-sniffer.fw
+info: fetching http://http.debian.net/debian/dists/squeeze/Contents-i386.gz
+info: locating packages with the requested firmware files
+info: Updating APT sources after adding non-free APT source
+info: trying to install firmware-ipw2x00
+firmware-ipw2x00
+firmware-ipw2x00
+Preconfiguring packages ...
+Selecting previously deselected package firmware-ipw2x00.
+(Reading database ... 259727 files and directories currently installed.)
+Unpacking firmware-ipw2x00 (from .../firmware-ipw2x00_0.28+squeeze1_all.deb) ...
+Setting up firmware-ipw2x00 (0.28+squeeze1) ...
+#

    -

    The script could even become useful to set up Debian Edu servers in -the cloud, by starting with a virtual Debian installation at some -virtual hosting service and setting up all the services on first -boot.

    +

    When all the requested firmware is present, a simple message is +printed instead:

    + +

    +# isenkram-autoinstall-firmware 
+info: did not find any firmware files requested by loaded kernel modules.  exiting
+# 
+

    + +

    It could use some polish, but it is already working well and saving +me some time when setting up new machines. :)

    + +

    So, how does it work? It look at the set of currently loaded +kernel modules, and look up each one of them using modinfo, to find +the firmware files listed in the module meta-information. Next, it +download the Contents file from a nearby APT mirror, and search for +the firmware files in this file to locate the package with the +requested firmware file. If the package is in the non-free section, a +non-free APT source is added and the package is installed using +apt-get install. The end result is a slightly better working +machine.

    + +

    I hope someone find time to implement a more polished version of +this script as part of the hw-detect debian-installer module, to +finally fix BTS report +#655507. There really is no need to insert USB sticks with +firmware during a PXE install when the packages already are available +from the nearby Debian mirror.

    - Tags: debian, debian edu, english. + Tags: debian, english, isenkram.
    @@ -720,106 +522,194 @@ boot.

    -
    Second alpha release of Debian Edu / Skolelinux based on Debian Wheezy
    -
    14th May 2013
    -

    The Debian Edu / Skolelinux -project is making great progress and made its second Wheezy based -release today. This is the release announcement:

    - -

    New features for Debian Edu 7.0.0 alpha1 released -2013-05-14

    +
    The value of a good distro wide test suite...
    +
    22nd June 2013
    +

    In the Debian Edu / +Skolelinux project, we include a post-installation test suite, +which check that services are running, working, and return the +expected results. It runs automatically just after the first boot on +test installations (using test ISOs), but not on production +installations (using non-test ISOs). It test that the LDAP service is +operating, Kerberos is responding, DNS is replying, file systems are +online resizable, etc, etc. And it check that the PXE service is +configured, which is the topic of this post.

    + +

    The last week I've fixed the DVD and USB stick ISOs for our Debian +Edu Wheezy release. These ISOs are supposed to be able to install a +complete system without any Internet connection, but for that to +happen all the needed packages need to be on them. Thanks to our test +suite, I discovered that we had forgotten to adjust our PXE setup to +cope with the new names and paths used by the netboot d-i packages. +When Internet connectivity was available, the installer fall back to +using wget to fetch d-i boot images, but when offline it require +working packages to get it working. And ad the packages changed name +from debian-installer-6.0-netboot-$arch to +debian-installer-7.0-netboot-$arch, we no longer pulled in the +packages during installation. Without our test suite, I suspect we +would never have discovered this before release. Now it is fixed +right after we got the ISOs operational.

    + +

    Another by-product of the test suite is that we can ask system +administrators with problems getting Debian Edu to work, to run the +test suite using /usr/sbin/debian-edu-test-install and see if +any errors are detected. This usually pinpoint the subsystem causing +the problem.

    + +

    If you want to help us help kids learn how to share and create, +please join us on +#debian-edu on +irc.debian.org and the +debian-edu@ mailing +list.

    +
    +
    + + + Tags: debian edu, english. + + +
    +
    +
    + +
    +
    Debian Edu interview: Victor Nițu
    +
    17th June 2013
    +

    The Debian Edu and +Skolelinux distribution have users and contributors all around the +globe. And a while back, an enterprising young man showed up on +our IRC channel +#debian-edu and started asking questions about how Debian Edu +worked. We answered as good as we could, and even convinced him to +help us with translations. And today I managed to get an interview +with him, to learn more about him.

    -

    This is the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux 7.0.0 edu -alpha1, based on Debian with -codename "Wheezy".

    +

    Who are you, and how do you spend your days?

    -

    About Debian Edu and Skolelinux

    +

    I'm a 25 year old free software enthusiast, living in Romania, +which is also my country of origin. Back in 2009, at a New Year's Eve +party, I had a very nice beer discussion with a +friend, when we realized we have no organised Debian community in our +country. A few days later, we put together the infrastructure for such +community and even gathered a nice Debian-ish crowd. Since then, I +began my quest as a free software hacker and activist and I am +constantly trying to cover as much ground as possible on that +field.

    + +

    A few years ago I founded a small web development company, which +provided me the flexible schedule I needed so much for my +activities. For the last 13 months, I have been the Technical Director +of Fundația Ceata, which is a free +software activist organisation endorsed by the FSF and the FSFE, and +the only one we have in our country.

    -

    Debian Edu, also known as Skolelinux, is a Linux distribution based -on Debian providing an out-of-the box environment of a completely -configured school network. Immediatly after installation a school -server running all services needed for a school network is set up just -waiting for users and machines being added via GOsa², a comfortable -Web-UI. A netbooting environment is prepared using PXE, so after -initial installation of the main server from CD, DVD or USB stick all -other machines can be installed via the network.

    +

    How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu +project?

    -

    This is the first test release based on Wheezy (which currently is -not released yet). Basically this is an updated and slightly improved -version compared to the Squeeze release.

    +

    The idea of participating in the Debian Edu project was a surprise +even to me, since I never used it before I began getting involved in +it. This year I had a great opportunity to deliver a talk on +educational software, and I knew immediately where to look. It was a +love at first sight, since I was previously involved with some of the +technologies the project incorporates, and I rapidly found a lot of +ways to contribute.

    + +

    My first contributions consisted in translating the installer and +configuration dialogs, then I found some bugs to squash (I still +haven't fixed them yet though), and I even got my eyes on some other +areas where I can prove myself helpful. Since the appetite for free +software in my country is pretty low, I'll be happy to be the first +one around here advocating for the project's adoption in educational +environments, and maybe even get my hands dirty in creating a flavour +for our own needs. I am not used to make very advanced plannings, so +from now on, time will tell what I'll be doing next, but I think I +have a pretty consistent starting point.

    + +

    What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux/Debian +Edu?

    -

    Software updates

    -
      -
    • Install freemind (0.9.0) by default, and stop installing vym by - default.
      • -
    • Install chromium (26.0.1410.43) by default.
      • -
    • Install goplay (0.5-1.1) to make golearn available by default.
      • -
    • Updated support for Japanese input methods, now based on - ibus-anthy.
      • -
    +

    Not a long time ago, I was in the position of configuring and +maintaining a LDAP server on some Debian derivative, and I must say it +took me a while. A long time ago, I was maintaining a bigger +Samba-powered infrastructure, and I must say I spent quite a lot of +time on it. I have similar stories about many of the services included +with Skolelinux, and the main advantage I see about it is the +out-of-the box availability of them, making it quite competitive when +it comes to managing a school's network, for example.

    + +

    Of course, there is more to say about Skolelinux than the +availability of the software included, its flexibility in various +scenarios is something I can't wait to experiment "into the wild" (I +only played with virtual machines so far). And I am sure there is a +lot more I haven't discovered yet about it, being so new within the +project.

    -

    Other changes

    -
      +

      What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian +Edu?

      -
    • Switched default file system from ext3 to ext4 for speed and - reliability improvements.
      • -
    • Got rid of unwanted winbind daemon and PAM setup activated because - of 706434.
      • -
    • Extended and improved the testsuite tests to detect more possible - problems.
      • -
    • Corrected proxy handling to not set http_proxy to a bogus - direct:// URL.
      • -
    • Corrected proxy setup for diskless workstations.
      • -
    • Corrected PXE setup to use our updated udebs during installation.
      • -
    • Made installation handling of low entropy level more robust.
      • -
    • Create larger partitions for Roaming workstations and Thin client - servers, to make room for all the software installed.
      • -
    • Fix bug in Roaming workstation PAM setup, making it impossible to - log in (706753).
      • -
    +

    As usual, when it comes to Debian Blends, I see as the biggest +disadvantage the lack of a numerous team dedicated to the +project. Every day I see the same names in the changelogs, and I have +a constantly fear of the bus factor in this story. I'd like to see +Debian Edu advertised more as an entry point into the Debian +ecosystem, especially amongst newcomers and students. IMHO there are a +lot low-hanging fruits in terms of bug squashing, and enough +opportunities to get the feeling of the Debian Project's dynamics. Not +to mention it's a very fun blend to work on!

    + +

    Derived from the previous statement, is the delay in catching up +with the main Debian release and documentation. This is common though +to all blends and derivatives, but it's an issue we can all work +on.

    -

    Known issues

    -
      +

      Which free software do you use daily?

      -
    • IP resolution for the local hostname give useless IPv6 address - (705900). Only install - libnss-myhostname on roaming workstations until it is fixed.
      • -
    • DVD images are not yet ready.
      • -
    • No mass import of user account data in GOsa (ldif or csv) - available yet (698840).
      • -
    • Missing artwork for the KDE desktop (and probably a few others).
      • -
    • KDE Debian submenu lacks icons.
      • -
    • LXDE menu lacks entry for changing GOsa password - (website). Installing gosa-desktop will be an option.
      • -
    • Backup configuration via web interface is impossible due to - password submission problem - (700257).
      • +

      I can hardly imagine myself spending a day without Vim, since my +daily routine covers writing code and hacking configuration files. I +am a fan of the Awesome window manager (but I also like the +Enlightenment project a lot!), +Claws Mail due to its ease of +use and very configurable behaviour. Recently I fell in love with +Redshift, which helps me +get through the night without headaches. Of course, there is much more +stuff in this bag, but I'll need a blog on my own for doing this!

      -
    +

    Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to +get schools to use free software?

    -

    Where to get it

    +

    Well, on this field, I cannot do much more than experiment right +now. So, being far from having a recipe for success, I can only assume +that:

    -

    To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can use

    +
  • students will love the openness of the system, and will want to + experiment with it - maybe we need to harvest the native curiosity + of teenagers more?
    • -

    The MD5SUM of this image is: 685ed76c1aa8e44b12d3fde21faf450b

    +
  • there is no "right one" when it comes to strategies, but it would + be useful to have some success stories published somewhere, so + other can get some inspiration from them (I know I'd promote + them!)
    • -

    The SHA1SUM of this image is: 6c874de157024da13e115bab29c068080a11ec4c

    +
  • more active promotion - talks, conferences, even small school + lectures can do magical things if they encounter at least one + person interested. Who knows who that person might be? ;-)
    • -

    How to report bugs

    + -

    http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/ReportBugs

    +

    I also see some problems in getting Skolelinux into schools; for +example, in our country we have a great deal of corruption issues, so +it might be hard(er) to fight against proprietary solutions. Also, +people who relied on commercial software for all their lives, would be +very hard to convert against their will.

    - Tags: debian edu, english. + Tags: debian edu, english, intervju.
    @@ -827,47 +717,131 @@ version compared to the Squeeze release.

    -
    Debian, the Linux distribution of choice for LEGO designers?
    -
    11th May 2013
    -

    In January, -I -announced a new IRC -channel #debian-lego, for those of us in the Debian and Linux -community interested in LEGO, the -marvellous construction system from Denmark. We also created -a wiki page to have -a place to take notes and write down our plans and hopes. And several -people showed up to help. I was very happy to see the effect of my -call. Since the small start, we have a debtags tag -hardware::hobby:lego -tag for LEGO related packages, and now count 10 packages related to -LEGO and Mindstorms:

    - -

    - - - - - - - - - - -
    brickosalternative OS for LEGO Mindstorms RCX. Supports development in C/C++
    leocadvirtual brick CAD software
    libnxtutility library for talking to the LEGO Mindstorms NX
    lnpddaemon for LNP communication with BrickOS
    nbccompiler for LEGO Mindstorms NXT bricks
    nqcNot Quite C compiler for LEGO Mindstorms RCX
    python-nxtpython driver/interface/wrapper for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robot
    python-nxt-filersimple GUI to manage files on a LEGO Mindstorms NXT
    scratcheasy to use programming environment for ages 8 and up
    t2nsimple command-line tool for Lego NXT

    - -

    Some of these are available in Wheezy, and all but one are -currently available in Jessie/testing. leocad is so far only -available in experimental.

    - -

    If you care about LEGO in Debian, please join us on IRC and help -adding the rest of the great free software tools available on Linux -for LEGO designers.

    +
    Debian Edu interview: Jonathan Carter
    +
    12th June 2013
    +

    There is a certain cross-over between the +Debian Edu / Skolelinux +project and the Edubuntu +project, and for example the LTSP packages in Debian are a joint +effort between the projects. One person with a foot in both camps is +Jonathan Carter, which I am now happy to present to you.

    + +

    Who are you, and how do you spend your days?

    + +

    I'm a South-African free software geek who lives in Cape Town. My +days vary quite a bit since I'm involved in too many things. As I'm +getting older I'm learning how to focus a bit more :)

    + +

    I'm also an Edubuntu contributor and I love when there are +opportunities for the Edubuntu and Debian Edu projects to benefit from +each other.

    + +

    How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu +project?

    + +

    I've been somewhat familiar with the project before, but I think my +first direct exposure to the project was when I met Petter +[Reinholdtsen] and Knut [Yrvin] at the Edubuntu summit in 2005 in +London. They provided great feedback that helped the bootstrapping of +Edubuntu. Back then Edubuntu (and even Ubuntu) was still very new and +it was great getting input from people who have been around longer. I +was also still very excitable and said yes to everything and to this +day I have a big todo list backlog that I'm catching up with. I think +over the years the relationship between Edubuntu and Debian-Edu has +been gradually improving, although I think there's a lot that we could +still improve on in terms of working together on packages. I'm sure +we'll get there one day.

    + +

    What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux / Debian +Edu?

    + +

    Debian itself already has so many advantages. I could go on about +it for pages, but in essence I love that it's a very honest project +that puts its users first with no hidden agendas and also produces +very high quality work.

    + +

    I think the advantage of Debian Edu is that it makes many common +set-up tasks simpler so that administrators can get up and running +with a lot less effort and frustration. At the same time I think it +helps to standardise installations in schools so that it's easier for +community members and commercial suppliers to support.

    + +

    What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian +Edu?

    + +

    I had to re-type this one a few times because I'm trying to +separate "disadvantages" from "areas that need improvement" (which is +what I originally rambled on about)

    + +

    The biggest disadvantage I can think of is lack of manpower. The +project could do so much more if there were more good contributors. I +think some of the problems are external too. Free software and free +content in education is a no-brainer but it takes some time to catch +on. When you've been working with the same proprietary eco-system for +years and have gotten used to it, it can be hard to adjust to some +concepts in the free software world. It would be nice if there were +more Debian Edu consultants across the world. I'd love to be one +myself but I'm already so over-committed that it's just not possible +currently.

    + +

    I think the best short-term solution to that large-scale problem is +for schools to be pro-active and share their experiences and grow +their skills in-house. I'm often saddened to see how much money +educational institutions spend on 3rd party solutions that they don't +have access to after the service has ended and they could've gotten so +much more value otherwise by being more self-sustainable and +autonomous.

    + +

    Which free software do you use daily?

    + +

    My main laptop dual-boots between Debian and Windows 7. I was +Windows free for years but started dual-booting again last year for +some games which help me focus and relax (Starcraft II in +particular). Gaming support on Linux is improving in leaps and bounds +so I suppose I'll soon be able to regain that disk space :)

    + +

    Besides that I rely on Icedove, Chromium, Terminator, Byobu, irssi, +git, Tomboy, KVM, VLC and LibreOffice. Recently I've been torn on +which desktop environment I like and I'm taking some refuge in Xfce +while I figure that out. I like tools that keep things simple. I enjoy +Python and shell scripting. I went to an Arduino workshop recently and +it was awesome seeing how easy and simple the IDE software was to get +up and running in Debian compared to the users running Windows and OS +X.

    + +

    I also use mc which some people frown upon slightly. I got used to +using Norton Commander in the early 90's and it stuck (I think the +people who sneer at it is just jealous that they don't know how to use +it :p) + +

    Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to +get schools to use free software?

    + +

    I think trying to force it is unproductive. I also think that in +many cases it's appropriate for schools to use non-free systems and I +don't think that there's any particular moral or ethical problem with +that.

    + +

    I do think though that free software can already solve so so many +problems in educational institutions and it's just a shame not taking +advantage of that.

    + +

    I also think that some curricula need serious review. For example, +some areas of the world rely heavily on very specific versions of MS +Office, teaching students to parrot menu items instead of learning the +general concepts. I think that's very unproductive because firstly, MS +Office's interface changes drastically every few years and on top of +that it also locks in a generation to a product that might not be the +best solution for them.

    + +

    To answer your question, I believe that the right strategy is to +educate and inform, giving someone the information they require to +make a decision that would work for them.

    - Tags: debian, english, robot. + Tags: debian edu, english, intervju.
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