From: Petter Reinholdtsen Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 11:52:19 +0000 (+0000) Subject: Prepare a new interview. X-Git-Url: https://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/commitdiff_plain/4277e95a60c9d69c542eafe7c614afeab3f0dcdc?ds=sidebyside Prepare a new interview. --- diff --git a/blog/data/2012-06-02-skolelinux-mike-gabriel.txt b/blog/data/2012-06-02-skolelinux-mike-gabriel.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..eb8407a5c9 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/data/2012-06-02-skolelinux-mike-gabriel.txt @@ -0,0 +1,155 @@ +Title: Debian Edu interview: Mike Gabriel +Tags: english, debian edu, intervju +Date: 2012-06-02 14:00 + +

Debian Edu and Skolelinux + +Mike Gabriel + +

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

+ +

My name is Mike Gabriel, I am 38 years old and live near Kiel, +Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. I live together with a wonderful partner +(Angela Fuß) and two own children and two bonus children (contributed +by Angela).

+ +

During the day I am part-time employed as a system administrator +and part-time working as an IT consultant. The consultancy work +touches free software topics whereever and whenever possible. During +the nights I am a free software developer. In the gaps I also train in +becoming an osteopath.

+ +

Starting in 2010 we (Andreas Buchholz, Angela Fuß, Mike Gabriel) +have set up a free software project in the area of Kiel that aims at +introducing free software into schools. The project's name is +"IT-Zukunft Schule" (IT future for schools). The project links IT +skills with communication skills.

+ +

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

+ +

While preparing our own customized Linux distribution for +"IT-Zukunft Schule" we were repeatedly asked if we really wanted to +reinvent the wheel. What schools really need is already available, +people said. From this impulse we started evaluating other Linux +distributions that target being used for school networks.

+ +

At the end we short-listed two approaches and compared them: a +commercial Linux distribution developed by a company in Bremen, +Germany, and Skolelinux / Debian Edu. Between 12/2010 and 03/2011 we +went to several events and met people being responsible for marketing +and development of either of the distributions. Skolelinux / Debian +Edu was by far much more convincing compared to the other product that +got short-listed beforehand--across the full spectrum. What was most +attractive for me personally: the perspective of collaboration within +the developmental branch of the Debian Edu project itself.

+ +

Parallely, we talked to many local and not-so-local people. People +teaching at schools, headmasters, politicians, data protection +experts, other IT professionals.

+ +

We came to two conclusions:

+ +

First, a technical conclusion: What schools need is available in +bits and pieces here and there, and none of the solutions really fit +by 100%. Any school we have seen has a very individual IT setup +whereas most of each school's requirements could mapped by a standard +IT solution. The requirement to this IT solution is flexibility and +customizability, so that individual adaptations here and there are +possible. In terms of re-distributing and rolling out such a +standardized IT system for schools (a system that is still to some +degree customizable) there is still a lot of work to do here +locally. Debian Edu / Skolelinux has been our choice as the starting +point.

+ +

Second, a holistic conclusion: What schools need does not exist at +all (or we missed it so far). There are several technical solutions +for handling IT at schools that tend to make a good impression. What +has been missing completely here in Germany, though, is the enrolment +of people into using IT and teaching with IT. "IT-Zukunft Schule" +tries to provide an approach for this.

+ +

Only some schools have some sort of a media concept which explains, +defines and gives guidance on how to use IT in class. Most schools in +Northern Germany do not have an IT service provider, the school's IT +equipment is managed by one or (if the school is lucky) two (admin) +teachers, most of the workload these admin teachers get done in there +spare time.

+ +

We were surprised that only a very few admin teachers were +networked with colleagues from other schools. Basically, every school +here around has its individual approach of providing IT equipment to +teachers and students and the exchange of ideas has been quasi +non-existent until 2010/2011.

+ +

Quite some (non-admin) teachers try to avoid using IT technology in +class as a learning medium completely. Several reasons for this +avoidance do exist.

+ +

We discovered that no-one has ever taken a closer look at this +social part of IT management in schools, so far. On our quest journey +for a technical IT solution for schools, we discussed this issue with +several teachers, headmasters, politicians, other IT professionals and +they all confirmed: a holistic approach of considering IT management +at schools, an approach that includes the people at place, will be new +and probably a gain for all.

+ +

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

+ +

There is a list of advantages: international context, openess to +any kind of contributions, do-ocracy policy, the closeness to Debian, +the different installation scenarios possible (from standalone +workstation to complex multi-server sites), the transparency within +project communication, honest communication within the group of +developers, etc.

+ +

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

+ +

Every coin has two sides:

+ +

Technically: BTS issue #311188, tricky upgradebility of a Debian +Edu mainserver, network client installations on top of a plain vanilla +Debian installation should become possible sometime in the near +future, one could think about splitting the very complex package +debian-edu-config into several portions (to make it easier for new +developers to contribute).

+ +

Another issue I see is that we (as Debian Edu developers) should +find out more about the network of people who do the marketing for +Debian Edu / Skolelinux. There is a very active group in Germany +promoting Skolelinux on the bigger Linux Days within Germany. Are +there other groups like that in other countries? How can we bring +these marketing people together (marketing group A with group B and +all of them with the group of Debian Edu developers)? During the last +meeting of the German Skolelinux group, I got the impression of people +there being rather disconnected from the development department of +Debian Edu / Skolelinux.

+ +

Which free software do you use daily?

+ +

For my daily business, I do not use commercial software at all.

+ +

For normal stuff I use Iceweasel/Firefox, Libreoffice.org. For +serious text writing I prefer LaTeX. I use gimp, inkscape, scribus for +more artistic tasks. I run virtual machines in KVM and Virtualbox.

+ +

I am one of the upstream developers of X2Go. In 2010 I started the +development of a Python based X2Go Client, called PyHoca-GUI. +PyHoca-GUI has brought forth a Python X2Go Client API that currently +is being integrated in Ubuntu's software center.

+ +

For communications I have my own Kolab server running using Horde +as web-based groupware client. For IRC I love to use irssi, for Jabber +I have several clients that I use, mostly pidgin, though. I am also +the Debian maintainer of Coccinella, a Jabber-based interactive +whiteboard.

+ +

My favourite terminal emulator is KDE's Yakuake.

+ +

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

+ +

Communicate, communicate, communicate. Enrol people, enrol people, +enrol people.

diff --git a/blog/draft/2012-05-skolelinux-mike-gabriel.txt b/blog/draft/2012-05-skolelinux-mike-gabriel.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 05cf05db7d..0000000000 --- a/blog/draft/2012-05-skolelinux-mike-gabriel.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,180 +0,0 @@ -Title: Debian Edu interview: Mike Gabriel -Tags: english, debian edu, intervju -Date: 2012-04-15 11:30 - -

Debian Edu and Skolelinux - - -Mike Gabriel - -> * Who are you, and how do you spend your days? - -My name is Mike Gabriel, I am 38 years old and live near Kiel, -Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. I live together with a wonderful partner -(Angela Fuß) and two own children and two bonus children (contributed -by Angela). - -During the day I am part-time employed as a system administrator and -part-time working as an IT consultant. The consultancy work touches -free software topics whereever and whenever possible. During the -nights I am a free software developer. In the gaps I also train in -becoming an osteopath. - -Starting in 2010 we (Andreas Buchholz, Angela Fuß, Mike Gabriel) have -set up a free software project in the area of Kiel that aims at -introducing free software into schools. The project's name is -,,IT-Zukunft Schule'' (IT future for schools). The project links IT -skills with communication skills. - -> * How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux/Debian Edu project? - -While preparing our own customized Linux distribution for ,,IT-Zukunft - Schule'' we were repeatedly asked if we really wanted to reinvent -the wheel. What schools really need is already available, people said. - From this impulse we started evaluating other Linux distributions -that target being used for school networks. - -At the end we short-listed two approaches and compared them: a -commercial Linux distribution developed by a company in Bremen, -Germany, and Skolelinux / Debian Edu. Between 12/2010 and 03/2011 we -went to several events and met people being responsible for marketing -and development of either of the distributions. Skolelinux / Debian -Edu was by far much more convincing compared to the other product that -got short-listed beforehand--across the full spectrum. What was most -attractive for me personally: the perspective of collaboration within -the developmental branch of the Debian Edu project itself. - -Parallely, we talked to many local and not-so-local people. People -teaching at schools, headmasters, politicians, data protection -experts, other IT professionals. - -We came to two conclusions: - -First, a technical conclusion: What schools need is available in bits -and pieces here and there, and none of the solutions really fit by -100%. Any school we have seen has a very individual IT setup whereas -most of each school's requirements could mapped by a standard IT -solution. The requirement to this IT solution is flexibility and -customizability, so that individual adaptations here and there are -possible. -In terms of re-distributing and rolling out such a standardized IT -system for schools (a system that is still to some degree -customizable) there is still a lot of work to do here locally. Debian -Edu / Skolelinux has been our choice as the starting point. - -Second, a holistic conclusion: What schools need does not exist at all - (or we missed it so far). There are several technical solutions for -handling IT at schools that tend to make a good impression. What has -been missing completely here in Germany, though, is the enrolment of -people into using IT and teaching with IT. ,,IT-Zukunft Schule'' tries -to provide an approach for this. - -Only some schools have some sort of a media concept which explains, -defines and gives guidance on how to use IT in class. Most schools in -Nothern Germany do not have an IT service provider, the school's IT -equipment is managed by one or (if the school is lucky) two (admin) -teachers, most of the workload these admin teachers get done in there -spare time. - -We were surprised that only a very few admin teachers were networked -with colleagues from other schools. Basically, every school here -around has its individual approach of providing IT equipment to -teachers and students and the exchange of ideas has been quasi -non-existent until 2010/2011. - -Quite some (non-admin) teachers try to avoid using IT technology in -class as a learning medium completely. Several reasons for this -avoidance do exist. - -We discovered that noone has ever taken a closer look at this social -part of IT management in schools, so far. On our quest journey for a -technical IT solution for schools, we discussed this issue with -several teachers, headmasters, politicians, other IT professionals -and they all confirmed: a holistic approach of considering IT -management at schools, an approach that includes the people at place, -will be new and probably a gain for all. - -> * What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux/Debian Edu? - -There is a list of advantages: international context, openess to any -kind of contributions, do-ocracy policy, the closeness to Debian, the - different installation scenarios possible (from standalone -workstation to complex multi-server sites), the transparency within -project communication, honest communication within the group of -developers, etc. - -> * What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux/Debian Edu? - -Every coin has two sides: - -Technically: BTS issue #311188, tricky upgradebility of a Debian Edu -mainserver, network client installations on top of a plain vanilla -Debian installation should become possible sometime in the near -future, one could think about splitting the very complex package -debian-edu-config into several portions (to make it easier for new -developers to contribute). - -Another issue I see is that we (as Debian Edu developers) should find -out more about the network of people who do the marketing for Debian -Edu / Skolelinux. There is a very active group in Germany promoting -Skolelinux on the bigger Linux Days within Germany. Are there other -groups like that in other countries? How can we bring these marketing -people together (marketing group A with group B and all of them with -the group of Debian Edu developers)? During the last meeting of the -German Skolelinux group, I got the impression of people there being -rather disconnected from the development department of Debian Edu / -Skolelinux. - -> * Which free software do you use daily? - -For my daily business, I do not use commercial software at all. - -For normal stuff I use Iceweasel/Firefox, Libreoffice.org. For serious -text writing I prefer LaTeX. I use gimp, inkscape, scribus for more -artistic tasks. I run virtual machines in KVM and Virtualbox. - -I am one of the upstream developers of X2Go. In 2010 I started the -development of a Python based X2Go Client, called PyHoca-GUI. -PyHoca-GUI has brought forth a Python X2Go Client API that currently -is being integrated in Ubuntu's software center. - -For communications I have my own Kolab server running using Horde as -web-based groupware client. For IRC I love to use irssi, for Jabber I -have several clients that I use, mostly pidgin, though. I am also the -Debian maintainer of Coccinella, a Jabber-based interactive whiteboard. - -My favourite terminal emulator is KDE's Yakuake. - -> * Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to get schools -> to use free software? - -Communicate, communicate, communicate. Enrol people, enrol people, -enrol people. - -> * Who should be interviewed with this questions in the future? - -Angela Fuß - -Not for public: without Angela's skills in communications our project -IT-Zukunft Schule would be dead already... - -> The result will show up on my blog and on -> . - -Greets, -Mike - - -[ 11-line signature. Click/Enter to show. ] --- - -DAS-NETZWERKTEAM -mike gabriel, dorfstr. 27, 24245 barmissen -fon: +49 (4302) 281418, fax: +49 (4302) 281419 - -GnuPG Key ID 0xB588399B -mail: mike.gabriel@das-netzwerkteam.de, http://das-netzwerkteam.de - -freeBusy: -https://mail.das-netzwerkteam.de/freebusy/m.gabriel%40das-netzwerkteam.de.xfb -[ application/pgp-signature ]