New England schools turn to open source

Many New England schools are looking for ways to address growing IT needs and shrinking IT budgets, and are unable to afford new equipment. Some have turned to open-source software solutions provided by companies like Rosara, which converts PCs into networked Linux terminals that can run all programs from a central server. Warren Luebkeman, Resara’s VP of Operations, says “We have schools using 10 year old PCs that now run programs faster than if they were running on brand new PCs,” and adds that “converting to terminals is easier and much less costly to manage” vs. the cost of new computers. Joan Wright, IT Director of Sanford Public Schools in Sanford, ME, says her district’s limited budget resources prevented the district from replacing their computer lab. The district used Resara to install Linux terminals onto their 1998 Celeron 500 Compaq computers, which has helped the lab run “better than new.”