Linux for Students

[nsontaylo]

I think this an exciting new adventure by erasing Mac OS X from nearly all of the Macintoshes in our digital media lab and installing Ubuntu in its place. There is CollegeLinux, it is a new Linux distribution based on Slackware and aims to provide an easy installable operating alternative for students. I think linux is superior to MS windows in so many ways, they are too numerous to mention here..

[rachelstevens]

Linux is in one or more for students of IT practitioners, will benefit by opening up job opportunities, and hiring certified employees benefit employers ensure that the Linux operating system and network is the proper and safe operation certified.

[billhedrick]

While I agree linux is superior to windows... I wouldn't place it higher than Mac OSX. OSX is an X based OS and shows it a lot. I use it on my laptop (A G4 iBook) and while I could install Ubuntu, there is a version for PPC, it would be more trouble than it would be worth. On an intel Mac? I would be triple booting!

[sadmemories20]

After one an a half year of hardwork I finally conducted a workshop on Linux. IT was too hard for me to build a team and convince college authority( HOD changed this year ) and find time from busy-bookish univerisity curriculum. And you know guys, out of four laptops, three were running Ultimate 2.3.People were flattered to see compiz-fusion magic
And we even distributed 5 DVDs of UU 2.3 32bits.! as a price.
Rest of them were 60 CDs of Ubuntu 7.10 ( You can imagine how long I have been working on it)
You can find more information on workshop that we conducted at http://www.linuxtour.in

After this achievement I got some greater plans.
1) Move to Linux - A series of meetups among students(windows users) and linux experts within the college to help newbies assist in transition. As everything cannot be tought within 2 hours of workshop so we have decided to take the student interaction to next level by weekly meetings.

2) All Linux - This year we are getting new computers installed in one of our labs. To reduce cost college authority didn't ask for Windows( gonna run pirated version) and secodly PCs are not powerful enough to take full advantage of virtualization( to run windows XP) and compiz-fusion.

SO I am looking for solution. Our college authority will move to linux only when students demands are met. i.e we have softwares,compilers,IDE mentioned in our university syllabus. So I need alternates for the following( please note the version, its highly specific. We still dont follow latest GCC guidelines)

>Turbo C++ 3.0
>Java 2
>Visual Basic 6
>Visual Studio 2003

Apart from these we require office suites and couple other multimedia softwares which I are not so specific in version.


Pendrives and Viruses are one and the same thing for Windows XP. And our lab assistant just love to format and delete our programs/hardwork quite ofently.
I am looking for one more solution similiar to nover netware( i suppose) where each user logs in from a terminal and can access all his files and run his programs. i.e all student data is stored on one server and students can run their programs from any other machine. And please note that college is not gonna invest on 'awesome hardware' so I want to have all the processing done on client machine, but data remains on server.

I know I am asking for too much, but its my spirit of FOSS that has awakend a giant within me to change the world around. Please help me or tell me where to proceed.

Such a very amazing link!
Thanks you for the post.