" Looking for a cost-effective way to deliver portable computing to every student, the San Diego Unified School District is installing machines with desktop Linux and other open-source software. In turning to open source, San Diego joins a growing number of school systems aiming to extend computing resources affordably to more users."

When you need to set up a computer lab, classroom or meeting room in a hurry, look no further than Edubuntu, "Linux for Young Human Beings." Edubuntu is targeted at the classroom, but it's a dandy Linux terminal server for all occasions. You can literally have an entire network up and and running in an hour.

Training teachers and students to use a piece of software makes that software more valuable. Vendors know this. Business sense, not altruism, is what drives deep discounts on software for education. I once spoke to a vendor of an online grade book who, upon learning that I train teachers, was very interested in my using it in my classes.

The Kamloops/Thompson School District in British Columbia, Canada, is a free software success story. Gregg Ferrie, manager of information technology for the district, believes its infrastructure may be the largest Linux on-the-desktop implementation in Western Canada in public education.