Sweeping Initiative Puts 80,000 Computers Running GNOME Into Student's Hands in the Region of Extremadura, Spain.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2003 Regional government installs one computer for every two students, all running open source software. Additional initiatives put computers in hands of general population. Representatives of the Junta of Extremadura (regional government) announced that a sweeping initiative has put 80,000 computers in schools across that region. The announcement came at the 4th annual GNOME Users and Developers European Conference The GNOME Users And Developers European Conference, (GUADEC, also known as The GNOME Conference), is an annual conference taking place in Europe, whose topic is the development of the GNOME desktop environment. (GUADEC GUADEC Gnome Users and Developers European Conference ) in Dublin, Ireland. The program, which was instituted last year, has just completed installation in schools, with a ratio of one computer for every two students. All of the computers are using a customized version of Linux, called GNU/LinEx, and features the GNOME gnome (nōm), in folklore, tiny subterranean creature associated with mines and quarries. Usually represented as misshapen, frequently as hunchbacked, gnomes are said to be guardians of hidden treasures. desktop. Other free software productivity programs are also installed on every computer. The total cost savings exceeded 18 million euros, or nearly one third of the total budget of 67 million euros. "For us, software libre (open source software) was the only choice," said Francisco A. Huertas Mendez, technical coordinator The American Radio Relay League Technical Coordinator (TC) is a section-level official appointed by the Section Manager to coordinate all technical activities within the section. of GNU/LinuEx of the Junta de Extremadura. "We were able to stretch our budget very far and provide a powerful and easy-to-use environment with Linux and GNOME. We are also able to give the students all of the productivity programs they need." The Junta of Extremadura has also created 33 computing centers for the general population. The centers feature one-on-one computer assistance, so users who are unfamiliar with computers can learn computer and e-mail basics. The centers have drawn citizens of all ages and walks of life. The oldest user of the centers is 99 years old. "Extremadura has launched a very significant initiative, and we are extremely pleased that they chose to use GNOME as their desktop environment for Linux," said Miguel de Icaza Miguel de Icaza (born c. 1972) is a Mexican free software programmer, best known for starting the GNOME and Mono projects. Miguel de Icaza was born in Mexico City and studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) but never received a degree. , CTO (Chief Technical Officer) The executive responsible for the technical direction of an organization. See CIO and salary survey. of Ximian, Inc. and GNOME Foundation The GNOME Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, coordinating the efforts in the GNOME project. The GNOME Foundation president. "This initiative not only gives computing ability to all of its students, it also has the potential to grow a local IT industry in Extremadura. This is an excellent example of the control and flexibility that Linux and open source give governments and public sector institutions." More information on the Junta de Extremadura's computer initiative can be found at www.linex.org. About GNOME GNOME is a free software project that provides a complete, easy to use desktop for a variety of operating systems, including GNU/Linux (more commonly known as Linux), BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) The software distribution facility of the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) of the University of California at Berkeley. , Solaris (tm) Operating Environment, HP-UX HP's version of Unix that runs on its 9000 family. It is based on SVID and incorporates features from BSD Unix along with several HP innovations. (operating system) HP-UX - The version of Unix running on Hewlett-Packard workstations. , UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). , BSD and Apple's Darwin. The GNOME desktop is used by millions of people around the world. More than 700 computer developers, including over 100 full-time, paid developers, contribute their time and effort to the project. About the GNOME Foundation Comprised of hundreds of volunteer developers and industry-leading companies, the GNOME Foundation is an organization committed to supporting the advancement of GNOME. The Foundation provides organizational, financial and legal support to the GNOME project and helps determine its vision and roadmap. GNOME is an entirely free user environment for desktops, networked servers and portable Internet devices. The modern architecture and design of GNOME includes a technically advanced application development platform and a powerful end-user desktop environment. Major leading software industry and computer manufacturers support the GNOME development effort, which is led by a worldwide community of volunteers. More information on GNOME is available at www.gnome.org. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion