Computerworld UK "Enterprise OS: How hard can it be?"

Saving Becta: a great new open source venture

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:48:00 GMT

This post follows swiftly on from last week's blog in which I touted BECTA's demise. Things in edu-world after this weekend are looking much worse if you believe Ed Balls the Labour Secretary of State for Education and Michael Gove the Shadow Secretary.

Becta and school ICT: end of the line for the gravy train?

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:52:00 GMT

Becta and School ICT: end of the line for the gravy train?

Linux users, the coolest cats in town

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:21:00 GMT

Only one topic in town this week and that's bullying …

Why teachers should boycott ICT (except Linux)

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:27:00 GMT

ICT in schools is a good thing... or maybe not if you are a teacher.

Microsoft and child protection

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:36:00 GMT

At a click of a button on Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 (and only on Microsoft Internet Explorer 8) a secret code is launched which reports an individual to a Government organisation called CEOPS which in turn accesses the Police databases.

Evolution and Open Source Software (last roar of the dinosaurs)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT

Symbian, the giant maker of that well known operating system for cell phones is an inspiration. By announcing that it was going to release 'billions of pounds worth of Intellectual Property' as Open Source software it made the BBC news.

Linux of the Rings

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:09:00 GMT

Last month saw the launch of http://www.data.gov.uk web site not only built on Open Source Technology but designed to give UK-data back to the UK-people.

Linux in the school office

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:34:00 GMT

A big MIS-take… MIS stands for Management Information System. A MIS is at the heart of every school office nowadays. In the UK the leading MIS is from Capita-SIMS.net and it has a huge market share. In fact for many it is the de-facto school MIS.

Bett 2010 roundup

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:10:00 GMT

It's all over for another year. BETT 2010 was really successful for us on so many levels.

Bett 2010 Day 3

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:12:00 GMT

Phew, what a day, even busier than yesterday so all of our brains are fried. Once again a day to make one think hard about what is going on in the UK.

Bett 2010 Day 2

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:30:00 GMT

Day two in the Bett House.

Bett 2010 Day 1

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:58:00 GMT

Day 1, Wednesday January 13th...

Linux at Bett 2010

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:30:00 GMT

You'll have to look hard for Open Source software at Bett 2010, but it's there all right and may even win a BETT award!

Open source business and customer selection management

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:33:00 GMT

Open Source enterprises are thriving and as they grow so the economic model that supports them becomes clearer. Service with a smile sums it up. It is very interesting to compare three businesses to see why.

Better ripped-off than switch to Linux?

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:42:00 GMT

This week Capita, UK Schools major supplier of ICT software and services was referred to the OFT. It is alleged that they overcharged schools to the tune of £75 million. Capita deny the allegation.

Linux private cloud best for Cabinet Office?

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:56:00 GMT

It looks like trouble is brewing somewhere in the UK Cabinet Office. CIO John Sherwood's ( who you remember was fresh from the mighty NHS ICT project?) latest missive ran thus:

Linux and the sheer utter misery of viruses

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:23:00 GMT

In our cosy *nix world we don't suffer from viruses, or rather we didn't. But thanks to an amazing piece of reverse engineering we have SAMBA, and SAMBA allows Windows machines to talk to Linux (and Solaris) networks and store files on them.

Open source revolution in the public sector

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:37:00 GMT

I was asked two very interesting questions by a thoughtful technical architect who worked for a major Local Authority who now, like many many others in this sector, wanted to know more about open source software.

Selling proprietary software the Top Gear way

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:06:00 GMT

Imagine you have just settled down to watch the BBC's Top Gear programme. You've cracked open a can and are looking forward to seeing all the latest shiny stuff on which you may just blow your redundancy cheque.

Truly revolutionary mashups

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:57:00 GMT

The Amazon Kindle, The Sony E-Reader and the iREX iliad all use Linux operating systems.

Is open source selling out?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:29:00 GMT

This post poses questions rather than positing answers. It's about the development of modern technology and asks whether it is time to stand back and take stock of where it is taking us.

Harry Tuxxer and the curse of Windows 7

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:25:00 GMT

Harry stretched his legs at his workstation under the stairs. He had been there for the entire night debugging the latest iteration of Ubuntu Owl mail.

Linux in an age of austerity

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:18:00 GMT

COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009, is only a month away. For many it represents the 'Last Chance Saloon' for combined action against climate change.

Is the UK Government really set to shed 10,000 school ICT staff

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:58:00 GMT

Some claim huh? Unfortunately I am not 'kite-flying', or scaremongering or even falling prey to hyperbole (heaven forfend). No, I mean it.

Open source can save schools billions

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Sometimes I think the BBC's on-line news front page is written just to wind me up.