[HLUG] Presteigne School - open source

[Julian Robbins]

Hi I know its out of our patch a tiny bit but interested and pleased to see
by accident their mention (strongly) of the use of Linux and Open source at
the school according to their website ie
https://www.newtown-hs.powys.sch.uk/website/index.php/information-mainmenu-61/school-it-facilities

Good to see official mention of so many well known FLOSS examples eg
Scribus, LibreOffice, Gimp, Kompozer, and even open lazlo

Perhaps we should make contact with them

Julian

PS John Beddoes, Presteigne is now run under Newtown School.

School IT facilities and information

Newtown High School has invested in a comprehensive network of modern IT
facilities and software, to give broad access to IT through subjects and
also for independent study. We aim to have IT facilities available whenever
required, with a ratio of one PC for every two students.

The school PCs run Windows 7 or 8.1 with Microsoft Office 2013, or Apple OS
X 10.10 with Office 2011 for the departments with Apple Macs. Additional
software used includes:

*Adobe Creative Suite 5.5/6*
*Dassault Systèmes Solidworks*
*Matchware Mediator*
*Avid ProTools*
*Avid Sibelius*
*Apple Logic Pro*

We also use many free and open source programs where available.

If you wish to purchase software in-line with the school's own facilities,
these guidelines will ensure compatibility:

*Hardware:* PC running Microsoft Windows (7 or newer) or Linux
<http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major>, Apple Mac running OS X
10.8 or newer, or another compatible device such as a tablet PC running
Android or Apple iOS (a physical keyboard is always recommended for these
machines).

*Software:* Office software, either Microsoft Office (2007 or later) or a
free alternative such as LibreOffice <http://www.libreoffice.org/> or
OpenOffice <http://www.openoffice.org/>. For tablets a version of Microsoft
Office is included with Windows RT, Office Mobile for iOS is available
free, or alternatives such as Kingsoft Office
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng&hl=en>
are available. Online services such as Office 365 can also be used.

For ICT and other lessons, a personal copy of Adobe CC
<http://www.adobe.com/uk/education/students.html> may be useful. Free
alternatives to many of the programs within the suite are available online,
such as The Gnu Image Manipulation Program <http://www.gimp.org/>, KompoZer
<http://www.kompozer.net/>, OpenLaszlo <http://www.openlaszlo.org/>,
Inkscape <http://inkscape.org/> and Scribus
<http://www.scribus.net/canvas/Scribus>.