blog/Debian_Edu_interview__Nigel_Barker.html

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   6     <title>Petter Reinholdtsen: Debian Edu interview: Nigel Barker</title>
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  12  <h1>
  13      <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/">Petter Reinholdtsen</a>
  14
  15  </h1>
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  17 </div>
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  21       <div class="title">Debian Edu interview: Nigel Barker</div>
  22       <div class="date"> 9th March 2012</div>
  23       <div class="body"><p>Inspired by the interview series conducted by Raphael, I started a
  24 Norwegian interview series with people involved in the Debian Edu /
  25 Skolelinux community.  This was so popular that I believe it is time
  26 to move to a more international audience.</p>
  27
  28 <p>While <a href="http://www.skolelinux.org/">Debian Edu and
  29 Skolelinux</a> originated in France and Norway, and have most users in
  30 Europe, there are users all around the globe.  One of those far away
  31 from me is Nigel Barker, a long time Debian Edu system administrator
  32 and contributor.  It is thanks to him that Debian Edu is adjusted to
  33 work out of the box in Japan.  I got him to answer a few questions,
  34 and am happy to share the response with you. :)
  35
  36
  37 <p><strong>Who are you, and how do you spend your days?</strong></p>
  38
  39 <p>My name is Nigel Barker, and I am British. I am married to Yumiko,
  40 and we have three lovely children, aged 15, 14 and 4(!) I am the IT
  41 Coordinator at Hiroshima International School, Japan. I am also a
  42 teacher, and in fact I spend most of my day teaching Mathematics,
  43 Science, IT, and Chemistry. I was originally a Chemistry teacher, but
  44 I have always had an interest in computers. Another teacher teaches
  45 primary school IT, but apart from that I am the only computer person,
  46 so that means I am the network manager, technician and webmaster,
  47 also, and I help people with their computer problems. I teach python
  48 to beginners in an after-school club. I am way too busy, so I really
  49 appreciate the simplicity of Skolelinux.</p>
  50
  51 <p><strong>How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux/Debian Edu
  52 project?</strong></p>
  53
  54 <p>In around 2004 or 5 I discovered the ltsp project, and set up a
  55 server in the IT lab. I wanted some way to connect it to our central
  56 samba server, which I was also quite poor at configuring. I discovered
  57 Edubuntu when it came out, but it didn't really improve my setup. I
  58 did various desperate searches for things like "school Linux server"
  59 and ended up in a document called "Drift" something or other. Reading
  60 there it became clear that Skolelinux was going to solve all my
  61 problems in one go. I was very excited, but apprehensive, because my
  62 previous attempts to install Debian had ended in failure (I used
  63 Mandrake for everything - ltsp, samba, apache, mail, ns...). I
  64 downloaded a beta version, had some problems, so subscribed to the
  65 Debian Edu list for help. I have remained subscribed ever since, and
  66 my school has run a Skolelinux network since Sarge.</p>
  67
  68 <p><strong>What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux/Debian
  69 Edu?</strong></p>
  70
  71 <p>For me the integrated setup. This is not just the server, or the
  72 workstation, or the ltsp. Its all of them, and its all configured
  73 ready to go. I read somewhere in the early documentation that it is
  74 designed to be setup and managed by the Maths or Science teacher, who
  75 doesn't necessarily know much about computers, in a small Norwegian
  76 school. That describes me perfectly if you replace Norway with
  77 Japan.</p>
  78
  79 <p><strong>What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux/Debian
  80 Edu?</strong></p>
  81
  82 <p>The desktop is fairly plain. If you compare it with Edubuntu, who
  83 have fun themes for children, or with distributions such as Mint, who
  84 make the desktop beautiful. They create a good impression on people
  85 who don't need to understand how to use any of it, but who might be
  86 important to the school. School administrators or directors, for
  87 instance, or parents. Even kids. Debian itself usually has ugly
  88 default theme settings. It was my dream a few years back that some
  89 kind of integration would allow Edubuntu to do the desktop stuff and
  90 Debian Edu the servers, but now I realise how impossible that is.  A
  91 second disadvantage is that if something goes wrong, or you need to
  92 customise something, then suddenly the level of expertise required
  93 multiplies. For example, backup wasn't working properly in Lenny. It
  94 took me ages to learn how to set up my own server to do rsync backups.
  95 I am afraid of anything to do with ldap, but perhaps Gosa will
  96 help.</p>
  97
  98 <p><strong>Which free software do you use daily?</strong></p>
  99
 100 <p>Nowadays I only use Debian on my personal computers. I have one for
 101 studio work (I play guitar and write songs), running AV Linux
 102 (customised Debian) a netbook running Squeeze, and a bigger laptop
 103 still running Skolelinux Lenny workstation. I have a Tjener in my
 104 house, that's very useful for the family photos and music.  At school
 105 the students only use Skolelinux. (Some teachers and the office still
 106 have windows). So that means we only use free software all day every
 107 day. Open office, The GIMP, Firefox/Iceweasel, VLC and Audacity are
 108 installed on every computer in school, irrespective of OS.  We also
 109 have Koha on Debian for the library, and Apache, Moodle, b2evolution
 110 and Etomite on Debian for the www. The firewall is Untangle.</p>
 111
 112 <p><strong>Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to
 113 get schools to use free software?</strong></p>
 114
 115 <p>Current trends are in our favour. Open source is big in industry,
 116 and ordinary people have heard of it. The spread of Android and the
 117 popularity of Apple have helped to weaken the impression that you have
 118 to have Microsoft on everything. People complain to me much less about
 119 file formats and Word than they did 5 years ago.  The Edu aspect is
 120 also a selling point. This is all customised for schools. Where is the
 121 Windows-edu, or the Mac-edu?  But of course the main attraction is
 122 budget.The trick is to convince people that the quality is not
 123 compromised when you stop paying and use free software instead. That
 124 is one reason why I say the desktop experience is a weakness. People
 125 are not impressed when their USB drive doesn't work, or their browser
 126 doesn't play flash, for example.</p>
 127 </div>
 128
 129       <div class="tags">Tags: <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian edu">debian edu</a>, <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/english">english</a>, <a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/intervju">intervju</a>.</div>
 130
 131
 132     </div>
 133
 134
 135
 136
 137     <div id="sidebar">
 138
 139
 140
 141 <h2>Archive</h2>
 142 <ul>
 143
 144 <li>2012
 145 <ul>
 146
 147 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2012/01/">January (7)</a></li>
 148
 149 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2012/02/">February (10)</a></li>
 150
 151 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2012/03/">March (6)</a></li>
 152
 153 </ul></li>
 154
 155 <li>2011
 156 <ul>
 157
 158 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/01/">January (16)</a></li>
 159
 160 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/02/">February (6)</a></li>
 161
 162 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/03/">March (6)</a></li>
 163
 164 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/04/">April (7)</a></li>
 165
 166 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/05/">May (3)</a></li>
 167
 168 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/06/">June (2)</a></li>
 169
 170 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/07/">July (7)</a></li>
 171
 172 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/08/">August (6)</a></li>
 173
 174 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/09/">September (4)</a></li>
 175
 176 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/10/">October (2)</a></li>
 177
 178 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/11/">November (3)</a></li>
 179
 180 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2011/12/">December (1)</a></li>
 181
 182 </ul></li>
 183
 184 <li>2010
 185 <ul>
 186
 187 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/01/">January (2)</a></li>
 188
 189 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/02/">February (1)</a></li>
 190
 191 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/03/">March (3)</a></li>
 192
 193 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/04/">April (3)</a></li>
 194
 195 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/05/">May (9)</a></li>
 196
 197 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/06/">June (14)</a></li>
 198
 199 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/07/">July (12)</a></li>
 200
 201 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/08/">August (13)</a></li>
 202
 203 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/09/">September (7)</a></li>
 204
 205 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/10/">October (9)</a></li>
 206
 207 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/11/">November (13)</a></li>
 208
 209 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2010/12/">December (12)</a></li>
 210
 211 </ul></li>
 212
 213 <li>2009
 214 <ul>
 215
 216 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/01/">January (8)</a></li>
 217
 218 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/02/">February (8)</a></li>
 219
 220 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/03/">March (12)</a></li>
 221
 222 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/04/">April (10)</a></li>
 223
 224 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/05/">May (9)</a></li>
 225
 226 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/06/">June (3)</a></li>
 227
 228 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/07/">July (4)</a></li>
 229
 230 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/08/">August (3)</a></li>
 231
 232 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/09/">September (1)</a></li>
 233
 234 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/10/">October (2)</a></li>
 235
 236 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/11/">November (3)</a></li>
 237
 238 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2009/12/">December (3)</a></li>
 239
 240 </ul></li>
 241
 242 <li>2008
 243 <ul>
 244
 245 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2008/11/">November (5)</a></li>
 246
 247 <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/archive/2008/12/">December (7)</a></li>
 248
 249 </ul></li>
 250
 251 </ul>
 252
 253
 254
 255 <h2>Tags</h2>
 256 <ul>
 257
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 259
 260  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/amiga">amiga (1)</a></li>
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 267
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 269
 270  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian">debian (54)</a></li>
 271
 272  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/debian edu">debian edu (84)</a></li>
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 274  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/digistan">digistan (7)</a></li>
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 276  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/english">english (113)</a></li>
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 278  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/fiksgatami">fiksgatami (14)</a></li>
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 280  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/fildeling">fildeling (12)</a></li>
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 282  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/intervju">intervju (17)</a></li>
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 284  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/kart">kart (15)</a></li>
 285
 286  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/ldap">ldap (8)</a></li>
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 292  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/multimedia">multimedia (14)</a></li>
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 294  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/norsk">norsk (149)</a></li>
 295
 296  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/nuug">nuug (119)</a></li>
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 298  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/open311">open311 (2)</a></li>
 299
 300  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/opphavsrett">opphavsrett (24)</a></li>
 301
 302  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/personvern">personvern (46)</a></li>
 303
 304  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/raid">raid (1)</a></li>
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 306  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/reprap">reprap (11)</a></li>
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 318  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/sitesummary">sitesummary (4)</a></li>
 319
 320  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/standard">standard (24)</a></li>
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 322  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/stavekontroll">stavekontroll (1)</a></li>
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 326  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/surveillance">surveillance (9)</a></li>
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 328  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/valg">valg (6)</a></li>
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 330  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/video">video (23)</a></li>
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 332  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/vitenskap">vitenskap (1)</a></li>
 333
 334  <li><a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/tags/web">web (18)</a></li>
 335
 336 </ul>
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