Utilizing Open Source Software in Schools of Hong Kong

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Utilizing Open Source Software in Schools of
Hong Kong
Teddy So teddy_at_cite.hku.hk June 4, 2005.
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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK

• After the first IT strategic plan (1998 2003)
• Necessary infrastructure laid
• Basic IT training provided to teachers
• Digital education resources collected

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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK

• Access and Connectivity
• Primary school 91 computers (40)
• Secondary school 247 computers (82)
• Broadband Connection 100
• gt 60 have fiber access at 10 100 MBPS bandwidth

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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK
Barriers found SchoolsMost consider that
hardware acquired some four to five years ago
when the Five-year Strategy commenced can no
longer support todays teaching needs, and
strategies for infrastructure renewal and funding
such renewal need to be developed/acquired (p. 5).
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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK
Barriers found StudentsThe cost of software and
hardware may still be prohibitively high for some
students (p. 8).
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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK
In the second IT strategic plan (2004 -
) Empowering Learning and Teaching
with Information Technology Seven strategic
goals were set (EMB, 2004, p. 11 - 12)
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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK
Future we will encourage computer recycling and
donation to help needy students to bridge the
digital divide (p. 27). Any problems caused by
recycling?
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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK
Goal 6 sponsoring projects such as the
development of open source or non-proprietary
school support and resource management systems,
and information technologies or software for
facilitating management and operation of
computers and equipment (EMB, 2004, para. 62e,
p. 25)
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What Is Open Source?

• Open source is an innovative method for
  developing reliable software (Raymond, 2001)
• The availability of source codes lets people from
  all over the globe participate in the process of
  debugging and improving software (Stallman, 1998)
• Open source represents the recognition of social
  cooperation in the information age (Weber, 2003)

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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK
The aims of this paper are to analyze the
values of OSS in both administrative and
educational perspectives through a comprehensive
literature review to study the usability of OSS
from a school point of view via a small scale
field research to provide a set of propositions
for utilizing OSS in school.
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Utilizing OSS in Schools of HK

• Research Methodology
• A set of field research is conducted to study the
  above questions
• Ten computer users are randomly selected in a
  school to ask about their opinions toward OSS
  utilization
• Five of them are then interviewed to learn about
  their experience on using an existing OSS and
  common proprietary software in a school
• Two typical participants are observed and
  inquired on their adaptation for the installation
  and usage of new OSS desktop systems
• Through these observations and inquiries, their
  opinions and attitudes of OSS utilization will be
  discovered and collected.

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Administrative Issues

• Budget Challenge
• Flexibility in Control
• Opening the Quality of Software
• Total Cost of Ownership

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Proprietary Software Price ListCosts are quoted
from the academic price list from Encore Software
and Konset Software listed in the EMB Procurement
Guidelines -- ED5 (2002)
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Proprietary Software Price List
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Budget Challenge

• OS Office Suite Anti-Virus
• Primary School
• 2,455 x 91 computers 223,405
• Secondary School
• 2,455 x 247 computers 606,385
• Technology Upgrading
• Hardware Lifespan
• Schools may develop a thinner version of Linux,
  like the K12LTSP, running on the obsolete
  computers

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Flexibility in Control

• License Management
• Storage of license
• Inventory control and audit
• Legal trap for administrators
• No software purchase red tape
• No Client Access License (CAL) needed

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Quality of Software

• Reliability
• Large IT firms and governments are investing in
  OSS
• Market shares are increasing
• Security
• Less attacks and fewer virus
• Bugs are transparent

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Research Findings Common Believes

• The majority of computer users has little
  understanding and has misconceptions on OSS
• They usually believe that the lower cost of OSS
  may eventually exchange the quality of the
  software
• Participants also concerns that the change in
  software will affect their efforts on existing
  files
• Most of them prefer not to change from familiar
  software existing in their work place

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Research Findings Staff Intranet

• Some successful OSS utilization ingredients
• Strong professional IT support team
• Soft launch with patience
• Availability of training

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Research Findings Desktop Trial

• Not quite like Microsoft
• Need time to find operating procedures
• Some common proprietary software has not yet had
  any OSS alternative
• File format conversion has problem
• Some desktop peripherals and website support only
  Microsoft products
• the acceptance of pirated software is higher than
  OSS
• OSS tends to yield its users to have better
  understanding on computer operation

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Conclusion - Pros

• Lower software acquisition / upgrade cost
• Keeping latest software in school
• Prolonging lifespan of hardware
• Greater flexibility and scalability
• Easier software inventory control
• Can be partially adopted
• Solving digital divide among students
• Real-life sample of collaborative learning and
  knowledge sharing

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Conclusion - Cons

• Not easy to configure
• Lower usability
• Requiring extra training for staff
• Higher support and maintenance costs
• Low acceptance from computer user
• Less software availability
• Less peripherals support
• Need patience to adapt and adopt

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Conclusion - Recommendations

• School must have more than one technical
  personnel who are familiar with the operation of
  OSS
• The OSS adoption may be started with new file
  servers, the Internet server, or Intranet server
  providing new services to users
• Rush or hustle often results in reluctance
• partial utilization does no harm, and the school
  can still benefit from OSS