May 5th, 2009
How much does open source cost schools?
Obviously, there is money to be saved by using open source software in schools. Even merely substituting OpenOffice of Microsoft Office on student computers can save thousands in licensing costs. However, a Twitter comrade (I just can’t bear to call him one of my Tweeps, but thanks to @weemoosius) brought an article to my attention last night that I thought was worth highlighting.
The article was from Tech & Learning and was entitled “When Free Isn’t Free: The realities of running open source in school.” It provides a nicely well-balanced look at the real costs behind free software. In short, what one saves on licensing may end up (at least initially) being spent on training or dealing with the learning curve associated with a new environment.
Long term, once that curve has been climbed, I’d be inclined to think that costs drop off rapidly, especially with easy open source substitutions (OpenOffice still being the best example). However, there are some real barriers, both financial and social, to shifting critical operations (including desktop operating systems) to open source. As the author points out,
“I don’t know any large-scale implementation that didn’t cost a chunk of change to get there,” says Orwin [technology director of the Bainbridge Island School District in Washington State]. “It’s much more difficult than people realize.”
On a local level, it’s often tough to convince skeptical officials to switch to open source, especially to products that directly affect desktop users.
Similarly, if serious *nix expertise doesn’t exist in house, administrators will have their own learning curves. While these curves are usually worth the climb, there simply may not be enough time in the day or resources to devote to training.
Yet another hurdle looms for districts thinking about a switch to open source: expertise. It’s clear from numerous interviews that the technology director must be a champion of open source—not just a champion but also a Linux guru, adds Orwin.
Even Orwin is stumped as to how to eliminate the need for double log-ins from a Linux desktop (once to the desktop and again to the network) to access home folders without going through a Web browser. Striving to make the Linux experience as Windows-like as possible, Orwin has hired consultants to fix the problem by means of custom programming this summer.
What challenges have you faced in your own FOSS implementations? If you’re steering clear of open source, is the potential cost of implementation a reason? Or is it a lack of functionality? Something else? Let us know.
Follow Chris Dawson on Twitter! Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts and a member of the Internet Press Guild. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations, but always keep in mind that the opinions expressed here are his own and not those of his daytime employer, even if he talks incessantly about his day job.
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