| Xandros Linux cozies up to schools |
Jan. 27, 2006
Xandros Inc. launched a special Education Edition of its flagship Xandros Desktop OS Linux distribution, this week, aimed at students ranging from elementary school through college. Combined with xDMS (Xandros Desktop Deployment and Management Server), Xandros Desktop OS Education Edition provides a full-service, managed alternative to Windows desktops at a fraction of the licensing and administrative costs, the company said.
The new Education Edition, based on a 2.6.11 Linux kernel and a KDE 3.3 desktop, comes set up for network use. It includes VPN support for secure remote access, Active Directory support to tie school desktops into existing Windows networks, and the ability to remotely deploy and manage user desktops, the company said. No previous Linux user or administrator experience is required, the company added.
"Through school surveys and test site feedback, we assembled the mix of features which satisfy both users and the administrators' requirements," said Xandros CEO Andreas Typaldos.
Xandros education sales manager Nick Zagaria told DesktopLinux.com that Xandros was able to put together its new offering in part by "removing StarOffice from the bundled software package, because we had to pay licensing fees on it. Besides, schools can get it for free [from Sun Microsystems]," he said. Instead, Xandros OS Education Edition includes OpenOffice.org 2.0, which supports both Microsoft Office and the new OpenDoc formats.
As part of its education program, the company allows participating schools to freely distribute Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition to its students and faculty for personal use, Zagaria said.
Zagaria said that the new Xandros edition has been beta-tested in high school and college labs for several months.
Other key features, as listed by Xandros, include:- Xandros Click-N-Connect wireless network AP (Access Point) finder
- Seamless file sharing on a Windows network
- Ximian Evolution, an easy-to-use alternative to Microsoft Outlook
- Firefox browser
Thanks to built-in Xandros Anti-Virus, Xandros Firewall Wizard, encrypted home folders, and secure access to virtual private networks, the Education Edition eliminates the security issues and related frustrations associated with using Windows, the company said.
Availability and pricing
The new edition provides academic institutions, students, and faculty with established brand Linux desktops for as little as $10 per seat, the company said.
"The pricing [structure] is a little complicated," Zagaria said. "An institution would have to acquire several thousand seats to qualify for the $10-per-seat pricing level. Our pricing depends on several factors: number of seats, level of services purchased, whether it's a one-time or yearly licensing agreement, and others."
Qualified academic institutions can purchase single copies of the new Education Edition for $49.95, reduced from the list price of $129.95. That special offer is available here.
Linspire also targeting schools
Back in October, Linspire Inc. launched a low-cost licensing program for schools that wish to install Linux desktops.
Through that program, educators sign up for single copies or per-unit volume license packs of Linspire at special educator rates -- starting at $15 per license. The company also tempted educators with free Linspire Linux evaluation copies.
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