Is the IBM Client for Smart Work an alternative to 7 for schools?

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Thoughts: "IBM and Canonical, though, are asking if that upgrade path really needs to involve Windows at all."

Umm - dare I ask why large industries are allowed to influence education?

"Why migrate to Windows, though, when your client machines can run Ubuntu "

Because I don't need to deal with any migration headaches from changing OSes rather than merely upgrading an existing OS.

"with its regular, straight-forward updates,"

More straightforward than automatic updates? Every OS, be it Windows, Mac OS, or Linux, has an automatic update system.

"your users can store their data in IBM?s robust cloud"

Well, clouds are everywhere these days. That's not saying much.

Basically, you listed things everybody has. Why switch to IBM?

"IBM claims lower prices and lower TCO"

Everybody does. Proof is in the pudding, not in the claims.

Same with all of the other claims they list.

"is a perfectly adequate, free productivity suite."

"adequate?"

Not exactly the most encouraging description.

"Ubuntu 9.10 is a highly competitive OS."

Yes, compared to other *nixes it is quite competitive.

"(this isn?t for the faint of heart yet - read the directions)"

Umm - education system, hello? Most students are still novices, still learning the ropes, and you want to shove something that "isn?t for the faint of heart" on them?

Honestly, it looks like a big business solution, not really something that's designed to be shoehorned into an educational environment. No, the students are not your employees. They are your customers.

"make the Windows underneath largely irrelevant for many users."

Right. Many != most. And frankly, all we have to support that claim that has been re-hashed a gazillion times is occasional anecdotes. Most from ABMers with an axe to grind.

If OSes are truly irrelevant, why switch to any OS from another, including from Windows to Linux?

Supposedly OS doesn't matter, so it doesn't matter if you stay with Windows, RIGHT?

*OR* do OSes really matter somehow?

When people claim that "everybody should switch to *nix, it's better" and in the same breath claim "well, OS doesn't matter," frankly that seems totally contradictory.

Either the OS doesn't really matter (therefore there is no reason to switch to another OS) or it does (something about the other OS makes it better).

"I just love the smell of competition."

This I'll agree with .

In the end, choose the right tool for the job, and don't forget your audience!; Posted by: CobraA1 Posted on: 10/21/09 (Edited: 10/21/2009 @ 10:24) You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use