PreviewReleaseFeedback

Edubuntu Preview Release Feedback

The Edubuntu team is proud to announce the Preview Release of Edubuntu 5.10 [10 September 2005]

This is the beta release for the new distro, Edubuntu - code named "Breezy Badger". The Preview Release consists of an Install CD for the PC (Intel x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64) and PowerPC (Apple iBook and Powerbook, G4 and G5) architectures.

Edubuntu is being developed as a version of the Ubuntu operating system, which is suitable for classroom use. The aim is that an educator with limited technical knowledge and skill will be able to set up a computer lab, or establish an on-line learning environment, in an hour or less, and then administer that environment without having to become a fully-fledged Linux geek. This is our first step towards that goal. Principal design goals of Edubuntu are centralized management of configuration, users, and processes, together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important is the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education.

Basically Edubuntu is built on top of the solid and stable Ubuntu base, and incorporates the LTSP thin client architecture, as well as Educational specific applications, aimed at the 6-18 age group. It also focuses on enabling resource poor environments to maximise their available (older) equipment.

As with Ubuntu, Edubuntu is a Linux distribution for your (education environment) desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, every other package you can imagine available from the network, a commitment to security updates for 18 months after each release. We will also be pursuing establishing a network of professional technical support from many companies around the world.

To Get the Edubuntu 5.10 Preview

Download the Edubuntu 5.10 Preview here (choose the mirror closest to you):

Please download using Bittorrent if possible.

Some of the CD images are larger than 650MB, you will need to ensure you have 700MB blank CDs and a burner capable of using them.

The final version of Edubuntu 5.10 is expected to be released in October 2005.

Please give us your feedback here

Please leave detailed and constructive feedabck with your name. This will help us to improve Edubuntu

Posted By: JeremiahForshey

Hi, I'm the de facto IT department at the small private school where I teach. We were donated some old university computers and can't afford 10 copies of Windows XP, so we decided to try an easy-to-use distro of Linux for our labs. I'm very excited about your project, since it is pretty much exactly what we're looking for. I would love to be able to help with feedback, or in any other non-technical way (I'm a Linux newbie).

My first suggestion would be to streamline the wiki account creation or provide better documentation for it. It took me a while to figure out that this wiki didn't want the account name I registered with Launchpad, but the email address.

I've installed Ubuntu before, but I wasn't able to get your preview edition up and running. I did the default install (perhaps I want the "workstation" install?) and was required to supply my IP address (easy enough), network adapter (choosing eth0 -- kind of a lucky guess -- worked), but even then told me that I'd have to edit the dhcpd.conf file. I'm an experienced Windows user, albeit a fresh-off-the-boat Linux user, and I found the setup process very daunting. Unless someone at a school that wants to adopt edubuntu happens to hack Linux in his spare time, I can't imagine most other small schools having an easier time of it than I did.

Like regular Ubuntu, Edubuntu recognized my machine's onboard graphics and ignored the NVidia TNT2 PCI card that the monitor is actually plugged in to. Unlike regular Ubuntu, apt-get installing it and then editing the xorg.conf file did not allow Gnome to boot. It told me that X-something wasn't configured correctly. Xorg.conf is configured identically on the Ubunutu and Edubunutu machines, but it works with Ubuntu 5.04 and won't work with Edubuntu.

This is somewhere between feedback and a request for some help. We might just have to install Ubuntu, since I'm able to get that one working, but I would really prefer to put Edubuntu on there and be able to provide feedback and support what I think is an excellent project you guys have here.

ROC - Too big for an older PC

Tried loading it on a PC with 1.1 GB and 700MB HD's, but just too many (unwanted for 1st grade use) packages. I juggled filesystems/mount points around for /var (600+ MB seemed to finally suffice), and specified the workstation boot option after noticing mention of that on this wiki somewhere, and almost thought I was home free until after the 1st boot after installation when it started loading even more packages (how many package load phases are there?), and filled up my 900 MB / (root) filesystem with Open Office IIRC, so finally gave up. Just how much space does this "beast" need? All I really want is a lightweight window manager like IceWM or XFCE, Abiword, Firefox, and Gcompris - don't need all that development and server overhead (or emacs - vi is quite enough for admin, thank you ;-). You really should offer an option at least for fine-grained control over what is installed (leaving a default of "the world" for folks with modern HD's/PC's of course). TIA

Experience with Edubuntu ltsp-install & wine

Posted By: Jark

Hi, I am a stagaire at an foundation who controls the ICT over 17 primary schools in the Netherlands. For a project I am now testing how linux can replace linux in a cost-efficient way. I will try to describe what I found usefull about Edubuntu here. Well for the installation part: luckily I am sort of what familiar to Ubuntu and Linux, cause the default installation defines your internet connection as the ltsp network... Anyways after changing the dhcp-servers interface with dpkg-reconfigure dhcp3-server and setting a ip number for the interface of the dhcp-server. I only had to change the dhcpd.conf to encorporate my router setting. After that I just connected my laptop to the ltsp interface and bam it booted in edubuntu. Furthermore edubuntu recognized my laptop's graphics card and sound card. Because there are a lot of programs that teachers need, but still run in Windows I tried installing Wine. I just followed the instructions for the normal Ubuntu at www.ubuntuforums.org and it worked. After installing a bunch of Wine stuff I tried to install an educative application. I must say I don't have that much experience with Wine but when I tried to load the installer it didn't work at once. Then I downloaded the new Windows installer and after installing that I could load the setup program. Well after installing I could run it on my server and on my ltsp-booted laptop. I am now currently trying to improve the sound compatibility with wine but i'll keep you informed of my progress. ---

Linspire VS. Edubuntu at Indiana K-12 Schools

Posted By: sbarnesi

Hello, I am currently employed at an Indiana K-12 school corporation. I am also involved in test piloting the One-to-One program, which is a state funded grant that allows for schools to purchase hardware, but must run Linux on these machines. As of October 4, 2005, we are testing out Linspire 5.0. The Linspire developers are even trying to work with us to create an "image" of Linux that we would like. I haven't had the chance to download Edubuntu to try it, but based on the list of features and other user comments. Edubuntu may already do what we want Linux to do for us, with little editing. I am very excited about how Edubuntu will look later this month when it is officially released.

Edubuntu at german primary school

Posted by: RalphGlass

Hello, keep up the good work on edubuntu. I had already a standalone pc running Ubuntu 5.04 in my classroom (second grade) and upgraded it to the edubuntu preview recently. The children are using the education applications already intensively. I plan to promote free software to local teachers, edubuntu will be a great addition. I have to look into the administrative features in the next few weeks (selecting available applications, etc.)

Some comments on the testing hardware and the installation:

On an elderly Siemens 600 Mhz the installation process lasted over two hours, I would prefer selectable packages to decrease installation time (or a minimum installation option and then upgrade via gnome-app-install), or perhaps a fully automated installation script without user interaction during the process (perhaps questions and config before or after installation)

Are you sure about the LTSP default option, perhaps default fallback on a networkless system

Testing for Secondary School, Wales, UK

Posted by: David Vaughan-Williams

Currently testing 5.10 Preview on an old standalone PC and am very impressed with some of the packages. Installation took forever and I'm glad that I read some documentation that pointed me in the right direction of typing 'Workstation' at the command prompt when ready to install as it locked up the first time on the LTSP setup screen. Just one little niggle though, why are all the games installed as default when it's supposed to be an educational tool? Although very easy to uninstall, educational establishments dont want the pupils to play games unless they are of some educational benefit. Just one last point, root, super user? I didn't see any option to actually setup a superuser, root, admin when I installed and I dont believe I missed it on the installation screens???

Although the education folder dissapeared once?? I found the packages very useful. Maybe in the future, group software by year groups or be able to have a certain desktop policy for the different year groups so that they can use/see different packages that are aimed at their academic year?

Apart from that, easy installtion, very nice looking, nice interface and easy to use. Will be installing at home tonight to further investigate this very appealing educational package. Keep up the good work.

PreviewReleaseFeedback (last edited 2008-08-06 16:27:57 by localhost)