The Edubuntu Linux distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to schools through its customized

Edubuntu uses the GNOME Desktop Environment. It has file managers, network browsers, menus, and system tools. It even comes with a selection of programs that you can download at the click of a button. No need to search the Internet for educational programs. Just choose the program from a built in application called Synaptic and the computer automatically downloads the application for you, provided you have an Internet connection.

The desktop is fun and easy to use. You can choose from three different theme setups for the desktop: "young", for younger users, "plain" for a clean desktop setup, and "default", which is a general purpose theme setup. The latest release, Edubuntu 7.10, was codenamed "Gutsy Gibbon".

KDE is a graphical environment and serves as an application framework for KDE Edutainment Suite, a collection of educational software for Language, Mathematics, Science, Keyboarding, Geography and other subjects. The latest version of the KDE Edutainment software is included in Edubuntu.

An example of a Science application, Kalzium is a small and quick database for the elements. It shows the symbol for the element, the element number, the most important oxidation-stages, the elemental weight, the atomic shells, orbital structure, density, etc. Some elements have information about their isotopes. See more screenshots of KDE software at http://edu.kde.org/

Gcompris is a collection of educational activities for kindergarten, for basic computer use, basic maths, reading, logic, experiential activities and others. It’s so easy to use. My 3 year old daughter uses it with minimal supervision. See more screenshots of GCompris at http://gcompris.net/

Software such as TuxPaint, TuxMaths and TuxTyping are software for developing graphics, math and keyboarding. See screenshots at http://www.tuxpaint.org/

Edubuntu includes OpenOffice.org version 2. OpenOffice.org components include a word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, simple vector drawing and web authoring. See screenshots at http://www.openoffice.org/

Edubuntu is easy to download and install. Just access this website http://www.edubuntu.org/Download.

You can try Edubuntu before installing it on your computer permanently. Choose the appropriate platform on the "Desktop CD" option and your computer will start to download a file named "edubuntu-7.10-desktop-i386.iso" for Intel computers (or edubuntu-7.10-desktop-amd64.iso for AMD)

Once the download is complete, burn the ISO file to a CD, insert the CD in your CD drive then follow the instructions that appear. (If you simply click on the downloaded file from your hard drive, the computer mounts the ISO file but will not execute.)

You do not have to uninstall Windows to use Edubuntu.

Time to switch

If your school is thinking about upgrading to Windows Vista, think again. Why spend hundreds of thousands of pesos on proprietary software when you can have high-quality software made specifically for schools at no cost?

Schools have all to gain from making the switch from proprietary software like Windows to Edubuntu Linux. A major reason for this is the hardware requirement.

Proprietary software upgrades occasionally require hardware upgrades too. This requires money that schools are reluctant to shell out for due to budget constraints. Edubuntu Linux and open source alternatives do not require frequent hardware upgrades. In fact, will run on a computer with 500 MHz x86 processor,192 MB of system memory (RAM), 8 GB of disk space (although only 4 GB is required), Graphics card capable of 1024x768 resolution, Sound card (optional) , a network or Internet connection. If I had known this twenty years ago, I would have kept my i386 computer rather than let it waste away in the basement.