Microsoft is evil.
I know, I am beating a drum that many have beaten before me but being the nice lady that I am, I listened to my friends who are schooled in the ways of Gates and installed the XP operating system on my dinosaur of a computer and have been miserable ever since.
My misery springs from the fact that I have held on to Microsoft products for the simple sake of accessing my Blackboard Gradebook from off campus. Internet Explorer is the only browser that will allow me to do this. If I try to use Mozilla, the application hangs and I become increasingly frustrated. Add the fact that Service Pack II has only made my life more difficult and one can understand why I wish to run screaming into the world of open source computing.
I am not so much of a computer geek that I understand Linux, or even pretend to understand Linux, or have the time to understand Linux. This has been why I haven't switched over to Linux. I had Red Hat on my laptop for awhile to try to learn how to use it, but the fact that I could not figure out configuring of kernels in order to connect to the internet was cause for me to give up and go back to Windows for expediency's sake. I had to grade papers. I had papers of my own to write. I have a family and a dog and things to do and do not have the time to learn the intricacies of Linux.
My geek friends, however, came to my rescue this week and introduced me to Knoppix. I've been reading up on it and as well as an even newer OS: SimplyMEPIS. Anyone with a Windows system can use Knoppix, as it is an OS that boots and runs directly from the CD. SimplyMEPIS works somewhat the same way only once one gets the hang of it, it can easily be dropped onto the hard drive and used as a new OS. The other beauty of SimplyMEPIS is that it offers such niceties as Java and other applications (media apps such as Flash, etc.).
I'm seriously thinking of trying this out. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone out there who has any experience with either Knoppix or SimplyMEPIS. Both look pretty enticing right about now.
One more thing: Michael C. Barnes, the author of the article on SimplyMEPIS has written an interesting piece on Alternative Computing in Education.
Knoppix not best for newbies
Know that Knoppix is not the best configuration for just starting out. It's certainly full of many open source goodies, but IMHO, more for the computer geek than the Windows user seeking a Linux experience, especially since there are other options.
While I can't speak for SimplyMEPIS having not tried it myself (even though it looks worth considering), also download the SUSE Personal CD and give it a try. It's free and also a live cd. As I mentioned in this previous thread about Linxu distributions, I've been really impressed by SUSE, having recently switched to it from Fedora Core 1 (the community version of RedHat). The nice thing is, too, if you like SUSE, the 9.2 edition will soon be out. You could buy the boxed edition and get plenty of printed documentation to go with it (that's the value in the box edition). As far as software documenation goes, the docs are pretty good for explaining much of the basics. And SUSE installs very easily into a dual boot system (choice of booting into a Windows or Linux), although I recommend using a second hard drive for a second OS.
Open DL CMS?
Will you be able to access Blackboard from a linux-based browser?
Or in the perfect world, would you want to? It seems to me that Blackboard and WebCT replicate some of the authoritarian attitudes of MS, not just with closed-source but also the hierarchical way they structure a course.
But are educational bureaucracies likely to adopt a more open (in both senses) approach, and what will it take to convince them to abandon the traditional CMSes?
Linux on Old PC's
What are the spec's of your "dinosaur computer?" That can make a real difference in which distribution of Linux will run well on your system. I agree with the other poster that Knoppix is a great way to preview Linux but not the best choice for a newer user.
A friend has SUSE 9 running on an older PC, with a 1Mhz processor and 512Mg of RAM. It is a great looking and smoothly funtioning OS. Easy to install, but at this point in time most of the major distributionns install easily, relative to the situation you refer to with older Redhat versions.
I would suggest looking at Mandrake, SUSE, or Redhat Desktop or Enterprise Linux, both avaialable in Academic, discounted, versions. I have run Redhat 9 consistently and really like GNOME desktop. I have it running on an older Dell Laptop (400Mhz, 256Ram), but it is s l o w... I have Xandros installed on a newer 1.4 AMD with 512RAM. Its also a good desktop system.
Don't install something before checking the system requirements and optimums for it. It is a bit of a fallacy that Linux will run on old hardware, at least with a fully funtioning GUI. Most newer versions will need a fairly beefy processor to run well and provide the performance most users want from a desktop system.
There is something to be said for sticking with one of the major distributions. When I next update my AMD I will install either SUSE or Redhat.
Linux on Old PC's
I have that same "older Dell" only in desktop version and 596Mhz with 128Mb of RAM. Everything is slow. I'm getting a laptop shortly though, and I can try to load it on there first and get used to it before I decide what to do with the PC. It needs at LEAST another 128 of Ram, that's for sure OR I need to get the Tiger Direct catalog out and see about replacing the Dell.
Thanks for the tip. :)
I would access Blackboard fro
I would access Blackboard from my office computer on campus. That's all Windows. As it is, I have to do that now since the Gradebook function won't work for me off campus.
beware of laptops and Tiger Direct
Laptops are sometimes a real issue with Linux distributions, making it difficult to get all the hardware working. This has improved dramatically lately, but it can still be a problem. Try your live CD's on a laptop before you buy or do some research. Things that are particularly a problem are
*laptop display cards
*wifi
*modems
*touchpads
Sometimes they require additional configuration; other times, they don't work at all. Wifi may require purchasing additional software. However, I think that IBM may be able to tell you which of their laptops support RedHat and SUSE (since they use the two).
Otherwise, to get away from Windows on a laptop, go Mac.
As for Tiger Direct, I've bought tons of computer parts online personally and for consulting jobs. IMHO, Tiger Direct has one of the worst reputations for customer service and returns, and I've personally seen them do a bate and switch. Check out the reviews on reseller ratings for more evidence. I tend to use newegg almost exclusively because of their pricing and reliability (check their rating on reseller ratings). However, I don't believe they carry desktops (although they have laptops). Another vendor that I have used who gets really good reviews is Mwave, and I do think that they have desktops
Laptop Hardware
Good point about laptop hardware. You would be much better off to stick with an brand machine that uses well-known hardware. Also best not to be cutting edge but one generation behind. Although as I understand it the new Linux kernel (2.6.x) has an excellent set of hardware drivers providing more flexibility on newer systems.
Have to agree with you about the Mac laptop, too. If you can afford it they are great machines. And a new study Deep Study, the World's Safest Computing Environment by the mi2g security group out of the UK has shown that OSX (BSD-based Darwin) and BSD are the "world's safest and most secure 24/7 online computing environment - operating system plus applications."
In many ways jumping to the Mac gives you considerably more versatility than Linux, though I am an Open Source proponent and use both Linux and Mac (as well as MSWin which is almost impossible to avoid.)