Installing fedora at school

[Gene Heskett]

On Friday 28 January 2005 23:39, Arthur Pemberton wrote:
>Danial Rehman wrote:
>>My school is thinking of installing linux on some of the computers,
>>and were wondering if it's legal to use linux for non-private
>> usage. I really didn't get what they meant but something about
>> linux only beeing free if your going to install for yourself and
>> not for a whole school or corporation or whatever.
>
>Scary what some think about Linux in general.
>
>>So I'm wondering if it's allowed to get fedora for about 10
>> compters at my school the legal way.
>>I always thought linux was free for everyone?
>>
>>Thanks in advande

But, while you find it 'scary what some people think' you done have 
nothing to assuage the posters fears.

The only thing thats really unusual about the GPL is that you ARE free 
to copy it and give it away as many times as you can find takers for, 
AND if you improve it AND deploy that improvement off the premises, 
then you are also bound to GIVE those improvements away to anyone who 
asks, for not more than a small fee to cover the cost of the media 
you put it on, and your time to record that media.  I've seen $2 a cd 
mentioned.  But that set of cd's is not serial numbered, and can be 
used to install on as many machines as you like. All perfectly legal.

The first thing that anyone contemplating a new piece of software, any 
kind of software, whether its COTS, linux, or something you've 
contracted with someone to write for you if you cannot write it 
yourself, is the licenseing.  So go have the schools attorney take a 
look at the GPL, and discount anything he says that references his 
in-ability to make a buck from it other than what he charges you as a 
consultation fee.  I do not think any sensible legal beagle can say 
anything bad about it given that constraint.

Thats not to say that the very low cost is the only cost, primarily 
because those who have the skills to install and configure it have to 
eat, make the car payment, pay the rent/mortgage, utils etc, so they 
will need to be paid at some point in the budget.  But, if we are 
talking 25 or more machines, his salary will be peanuts compared to 
the dues M$ will charge you, and you will *still* need that 
knowledgeable person to install and maintain them.

IMO, going with linux is a no-brainer, you don't have to pay "the 
microsoft tax" per annum ever again.  And by judicius use of the 
schools purchasing power, buying fresh machines without any windows 
installed will typically save around a hundred per machine, often 
more if you build them yourself from the parts houses.  Or for that 
same budgeted price, you can get much more machine.  Its up to you 
and your technical types.  The bottom line should be a generalized 
reduction in total $ spent at the end of the budgetary year, after 
year.  There will also be a certain amount of pride in teaching the 
students that windows is not the only operating system on the planet.  
And that is worth a lot just in the educational aspects alone.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
99.32% setiathome rank, not too shabby for a WV hillbilly
Yahoo.com attorneys please note, additions to this message
by Gene Heskett are:
Copyright 2005 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved.