[SLUG] Re: Graphic design quick guess at standard

[Bob Garrood]

Hi

John wrote: " For text, we use Helvetica for titles and Utopia for 
main body text."

Why Helvetica?  I prefer Kword which doesn't have it.

Here is a first (unfinished) draft for a sheet on free software in education.  
It offered for comment as to (a) things in that ought not be in,  and (b) 
things not in that ought to be in.  Also before it gets any 
further I need to know what else is likely to appear.  I assume other 
sheets on (a) commonly used free software such as Firefox and OpenOffice and 
(b) ways to put together  a cheap system that runs Linux.

"                            SCARBOROUGH LINUX


           Linux, free software, KDE and education.

Free software, Linux especially, is great for anyone in education, and great 
for anyone with a child in education. Most of our schools and colleges don't 
use it.  This is a shame.  Free software has at least as much value as 
commercial software and costs about half as much.  BECTA, the British 
Educational Communications and Technology Agency says so.  The fast growing 
economies of the Pacific rim use it. Our children will have to compete in a 
world that uses it. 
                                 BECTA-WHAT OPEN SOURCE COSTS IN SCHOOL.

A report produced by BECTA last May concluded that both primary and secondary 
schools could provide computer software for their pupils by using Open Source 
at about half the cost of commercial suppliers like Microsoft.  There is a 
short account at:
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/linuxunix/0,39020390,39197751,00.htm

The report stresses the importance of training for the teachers who use the 
software.   This reduces the need for specialist technical support.  The full 
report is available at: 
http://www.becta.org.uk/corporate/publications/documents/BEC5606_Full_report18.pdf

You might expect that this would make schools enthusiastic about free 
software.  Very few are.  One reason is that they need to bid to become 
specialist schools.  The sponsorship they need to do this often locks them 
into a single commercial supplier for their most important software.  You can 
find a report on this at: 
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2005/03/11/ms_specialist_schools_deal/ 
Another reason is that using this software properly needs training, and it is 
hard for schools to find time.
SCHOOLS THAT BENEFIT FROM LINUX NETWORKS

Even schools with lots of computers find it hard to give their students much 
'hands on' experience.  So they need more computers.  Orwell High School in 
Felixstowe found itself unable to provide all the computers it needed.  To 
exploit free software to the full they use Linux for networking and operating 
systems.  Linux provides the best and most widely used software for 
networking.  It can allow you to use older computer systems that might 
otherwise clog up landfill sites.  They can become thin client servers.  
These work without the most failure prone feature of the computer, its hard 
disc.  This can make them both cheaper and more reliable.  You can find a 
full account at: 
http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/page/linux_case_study_orwell_high_school.html    
 

The best way to exploit free software at home is by installing the Linux 
operating system.  
You can find plenty of information from FLOSS.
        FREE/LIBRE OPEN SOURCE SYSTEMS

FLOSS exists to support software, especially in education that is both free, 
as in free beer, and free (libre), as in free speech.  You can use free 
software in education best with Linux.  Firefox and OpenOffice are 
essential for both the college student, and for the family that wants to have 
reliable access at home to an internet computer that does not eat up their 
budget.  Try FLOSS on: 
http://www.schoolforge.org.uk/index.php/Try_FLOSS_Now .

Even without installing Linux, there is plenty of useful free software.  
OpenOffice and Firefox both work with windows.  For example, a really useful 
site is http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm .  This 
allows you to download an entire maths textbook.  Again FLOSS will help you 
to find software you need, once you have an internet connection. 

                  KDE

If you install Linux you should consider a version that uses the KDE window 
manager, and you should look for one that comes with the Kdeedu programs 
already installed.  This is an expanding collection of programs which 
contains various language games and activities, a touch typing tutor, a 
planetarium, a program for plotting graphs and much more.  
 

                  
"

Bob