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<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Just flying a kite here to see if there
would be any interest in the Uni assisting a local school with a Linux project.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>I am a governor at the school and we were
recently given a presentation by a company offering a system to display
material on screens around the premises. The system has the capability to show the
company’s own video content which is generic to the education sector
(e.g. content related to the ‘Every Child Matters’ philosophy) and
also incorporates a ‘ticker’ scrolling across the bottom of the
screen with the facility for school staff to create the text and thereby
broadcast relevant messages to parents and others viewing the screens. A third
aspect of the system is the ability for a school to produce its own video
material to be displayed on the screens.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>The head is very enthusiastic about the
system but the problem is the cost. The company sells the system as a package
so it is difficult to judge the cost of the individual elements of the package
such as Server, Operating Software, Generic Content and Screens although it is
known that they are pricing a 42” monitor at £900 because they were asked
to provide a price for the system with one 42” monitor and a separate
price for the system based on the school sourcing its own 42” monitor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>The head would be happy to live without the
generic content and to stream video content produced within the school but
retaining the ticker facility to allow staff to convey appropriate messages to
parents etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Someone please tell me if I’m being naïve
but I’m thinking that providing such a facility based on a Linux server
should not be too difficult or expensive and might well be a suitable project
for students at the University with students from computing possibly
collaborating with students from media studies working together to assist the
school in creating the server and the schools own video content.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>If I’m not being naïve, I would be
grateful if someone could put me in touch with an appropriate contact at the
University with whom I can explore this issue.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Peter Hawkins<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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