Edubuntu
Encyclopedia
Edubuntu, also previously known as Ubuntu Education Edition, is an official derivative of the Ubuntu
operating system
designed for use in classroom
s inside school
s, home
s and communities.
Edubuntu has been developed in collaboration with teachers and technologists in multiple countries. Edubuntu is built on top of the Ubuntu base, incorporates the LTSP
thin client
architecture and several education-specific applications, and is aimed at users aged 6 to 18. It is designed for easy installation and ongoing system maintenance.
, a large number of educational applications including GCompris
, KDE Edutainment Suite, Sabayon Profile Manager, Pessulus Lockdown Editor, Edubuntu Menueditor, OpenOffice.org, Gnome Nanny and iTalc as well as many more. Edubuntu CDs were previously available for free through their Shipit service. However, as of version 8.10, it is only available as a download in a DVD format.
Edubuntu's default GUI
is GNOME
, but since release 7.10, KDE
is also available as Edubuntu KDE. Since Ubuntu 10.04, the Edubuntu community has also worked with the Qimo 4 Kids
project to provide a Qimo desktop that is Xfce
based.
The principal design goals of Edubuntu are centralized management of configuration, users and processes, together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important is the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education. According to a statement of goals on the official Edubuntu Website: "Our aim is to put together a system that contains all the best free software available in education and make it easy to install and maintain."
It also aims to allow low income environments to maximize their available (older) equipment.
The first Edubuntu release coincided with the release of Ubuntu 5.10, which was codenamed Breezy Badger on 2005-10-13. With the 8.04 Hardy Heron release of Edubuntu it was given the name of Ubuntu Education Edition and was changed to be an add-on to a standard Ubuntu installation instead of being an installable LiveCD. From version 9.10 onwards, Edubuntu changed to be available as a full system DVD instead of an Add-on CD. Edubuntu is also installable via a selection of "edubuntu" packages for all distributions using the official Ubuntu repositories (Ubuntu
and Kubuntu
mainly).
is using Edubuntu in all primary and secondary schools. The program, called Computer for every child, was started in 2008.
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
designed for use in classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s inside school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, home
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
s and communities.
Edubuntu has been developed in collaboration with teachers and technologists in multiple countries. Edubuntu is built on top of the Ubuntu base, incorporates the LTSP
Linux Terminal Server Project
Linux Terminal Server Project is a free and open source terminal server for Linux that allows many people to simultaneously use the same computer. Applications run on the server with a terminal known as a thin client handling input and output...
thin client
Thin client
A thin client is a computer or a computer program which depends heavily on some other computer to fulfill its traditional computational roles. This stands in contrast to the traditional fat client, a computer designed to take on these roles by itself...
architecture and several education-specific applications, and is aimed at users aged 6 to 18. It is designed for easy installation and ongoing system maintenance.
Features
Included with Edubuntu is the Linux Terminal Server ProjectLinux Terminal Server Project
Linux Terminal Server Project is a free and open source terminal server for Linux that allows many people to simultaneously use the same computer. Applications run on the server with a terminal known as a thin client handling input and output...
, a large number of educational applications including GCompris
GCompris
GCompris is a suite of free educational software for children aged 2 to 10., and is currently part of the GNU project.It is available for GNU/Linux, Mac OS X and other systems...
, KDE Edutainment Suite, Sabayon Profile Manager, Pessulus Lockdown Editor, Edubuntu Menueditor, OpenOffice.org, Gnome Nanny and iTalc as well as many more. Edubuntu CDs were previously available for free through their Shipit service. However, as of version 8.10, it is only available as a download in a DVD format.
Edubuntu's default GUI
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
is GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
, but since release 7.10, KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
is also available as Edubuntu KDE. Since Ubuntu 10.04, the Edubuntu community has also worked with the Qimo 4 Kids
Qimo 4 Kids
Qimo 4 Kids is a child friendly desktop environment built entirely with free software. Qimo comes pre-installed with educational games for kids; TuxPaint, eToys, GCompris, Tuxmath, and Tuxtyping....
project to provide a Qimo desktop that is Xfce
Xfce
Xfce is a free software desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms, such as Linux, Solaris, and BSD – though recent compatibility issues have arisen with regard to BSD Unix platforms...
based.
Project goals
The primary goal of Edubuntu is to enable an educator with limited technical knowledge and skills to set up a computer lab or an on-line learning environment in an hour or less and then effectively administer that environment.The principal design goals of Edubuntu are centralized management of configuration, users and processes, together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important is the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education. According to a statement of goals on the official Edubuntu Website: "Our aim is to put together a system that contains all the best free software available in education and make it easy to install and maintain."
It also aims to allow low income environments to maximize their available (older) equipment.
Versions
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
and Kubuntu
Kubuntu
Kubuntu is an official derivative of the Ubuntu operating system using the KDE Plasma Desktop instead of the Unity graphical environment. It is part of the Ubuntu project and uses the same underlying system. It is possible to install both the KDE Plasma Desktop as well as the Unity desktop on...
mainly).
Usage
The Republic of MacedoniaRepublic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
is using Edubuntu in all primary and secondary schools. The program, called Computer for every child, was started in 2008.