So with Windows XP going out soon the schools in my local district will have to either upgrade or throw out the old computers. What I was thinking was what if I could suggest that the school switched to Raspberry Pi's for the classrooms? The only thing they do, and I know this because I TA at a few of them, is just do some internet browsing and do some reading comprehension tests so they don't need very much in a computer.
Plus since Raspberry Pi can't use Flash it would save the school trouble in blocking YouTube unless the student knew a work around, and in that case it just shows that the student is willing to learn the workaround and maybe even learn the Linux terminal.
So is this a good idea or even doable? If so how could I go to getting the Pi's into the schools?
I have yet to play with the Raspberry Pi but from what I've heard and seen it sounds like it is possible. Granted configuring all of them could be a long task. You should bring it up with some of the tech people who manage the schools system along with the boss/principle ,or whatever they are, to see if that kind of project could work at your school sites. This could even open up new curriculums for the like teaching kids some basic programming! That would be awesome.
Why couldn't they switch to linux on their current hardware? That would seem to be the cheapest, most efficient way for them move away from XP.
Because everyone that uses mainstream tech, ether doesn't know how to use linux or has never heard of it, and there not gonna learn a new OS for school. And linux doesn't have the widest selection of programs.
He's already suggesting they switch to Raspberry Pi's... what do you think they are going to run on those? Windows 8? I mean, maybe if they do a bunch of virtual machine terminals made out of Pis, with a couple standard PCs hosting them... but otherwise, linux is really the only game in town. I was simply suggesting cutting out the middle man and just run linux on the existing equipment rather than buying a bunch of Pis to do the same...
Also, unless you are gaming, doing high level graphics/media work or running enterprise type software/apps, linux has pretty much every type of software you would likely need. And all (alright, most) of it free.
As far as people not being able to operate it, there are plenty of linux distros that, at least on the surface, operate much in the same way that Windows does, or at least no different than Windows 8 is to someone coming from Windows 7. Hell, I recently put Ubuntu on my mom's computer to replace XP. After I set everything up, she has no problem operating it, and she is about as tech illiterate as they come. Something tells me students could figure it out. It's not like they need to learn terminal commands to launch a web browser or use libre office.
While this seems like a great route, it might be cheaper and easier for them to stick with newer windows platforms. Keep in mind your public school systems aren't going to pay the same consumer price for it's computers. Here in my city, HP donates thousands of cheap computers (usually intel atom based) to the school system, and I'm sure the ones they buy are discounted. With a public school population of about 200,000 students, not including faculty, it's a good way for Microsoft, HP, and others to market themselves.
I don't think Raspberry pis are really meant to be used as reliable desktop. There more of a learning tool and hobbyists project. Also, using Linux on the current machines would probably be more powerful than a Raspberry pi.
Your school system, if as large as mine was back in the day, also had entire office buildings dedicated to running servers. All computing was server based in the public school system here. Note: actually a dumb idea, every time the server went down, which was at least once a week, the computers became non-functional. Switching to Linux or Raspberry pi would require hiring new, or retraining current network administrators and engineers, as well as any infrastructure changes that might come with it. I'm sure your school would also like uniformity as well. While a Raspberry pi would be functional in the classroom for internet browsing, it isn't going to work in the computer labs where they might be doing heavier tasks.
I would definitely talk to administration about ideas though. Linux is definitely possible for a smaller school system. I can also promise you that your school's administration doesn't have a single clue, so anything you can offer could be beneficial. Keep us updated on what they say about upgrading.