Many other countries are turning to Linux and open-source for their school-house computer needs, and now there's a conference for those who want to bring it to schools in the U.S.

The One Laptop per Child's XO, better known as the $100 laptop, gets most of the headlines but NComputing is showing in Macedonia, with its Ubuntu Linux based servers and virtual PC terminals, that there's more than one way to get inexpensive Linux desktops into students' hands.

Even though the Israeli Ministry of Education puts much emphasis on Microsoft products, Open Source activists are beginning to make a change in this scene. An example is Blich, a famous school in Ramat-Gan, where 2 16 year old students and the school’s IT staff have replaced an outdated proprietary portal with Drupal

"For years now, industry restrictions and tightening profit margins have forced PC manufacturers to shy away from offering productivity software on their new PCs," stated Eugene Chang, product manager for Everex. "Our main focus was to build a no-compromise, back-to-school PC with all the software applications a typical student would require," Chang said.

Microsoft has agreed to change the terms of its school agreement with Norwegian regional municipalities, following a complaint by Norwegian company Linpro to The Norwegian Competition Authority (NCA).