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Switzerland’s schools have announced they will stop using Windows and instead switch to the Linux operating system Ubuntu. Up until now the school system’s 9000 computers were set up to dual boot to Windows and Ubuntu. The country’s Department of Public Instruction has become serious fans of Open Source software. Their reasons are the money it saves them and the relief it gives students who may not be able to afford Microsoft’s expensive software packages such as MS Office. The director of the Media Service Schools, Manuel Grandjean, said the move would also “avoid providing captive customers for large companies.”

The Swiss are not the first to make the switch. Schools in Russia have also begun to make the switch, and many government agencies here in the US also use Linux. The operating systems rising popularity has even caught the attention of PC makers, who are beginning to offer systems with Linux pre-installed.  It is an especially popular choice for makers of ultra-portable yet affordable systems like the Eee PC.

Read [Foobar]

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 12:56PM
Remember that WiFi pact brewed up between AT&T and Starbucks earlier this year? How could you forget, right? As if it wasn’t official enough already, the two have announced that the rollout has begun at company-operated Starbucks locations, and the nationwide effort will continue throughout 2008. Effective May 1st, qualifying AT&T high-speed internet / WiFi customers — that’s those who subscribe to one of the three higher-speed residential broadband packages, a small business broadband package or a U-verse offering with high-speed internet — will have free WiFi access at over 7,000 coffeehouses across the US. Unfortunately, we’re not given any real insight into what kinds of potential deals are in the works for AT&T wireless customers (if any at all), but here’s to hoping you all can get a little love, too.

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Filed under: Wireless

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 1:57PM
Oh bum bot. We remember when you were fresh out of the hands of creator Rufus Terrill. Now look at you — featured on the Colbert Report. You may have seen photos of this vagrant-deterring robot before, but you haven’t lived till you’ve seen the hard-hitting, in-depth coverage that Stephen Colbert delivers on it. Take a look at the video after the break to see a defender of America (and bot) on the front lines of battle.

[Thanks, Tony S.]

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For Valentine’s day, Microsoft created a special edition red Zune 80 to celebrate, and cash in on the holiday. That Zune remained for just a short time, and was later brought back, but availability was limited to just Zune Originals. Overall it seems like it must have been a hit because Microsoft has decided to make it available everywhere. Cesar Menendez, the marketer for the Zune, confirmed this today and stated that they are already “beginning to make their way into retail stores.” So if you are still wanting the red, hit up your favorite retailer that carries the Zune, if its not already in stock, it should not be much longer.

Via [Electronista]

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Filed in archive Competition by jim on April 26, 2008

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If you love outdoor photography, and you've never visited any of the USA's National Parks, then there's a treasure trove of photo opportunities waiting for you.

I took the one above in Zion National Park during early November, 2006.

I haven't been to many National Parks because I caught on to them too late in life; but the ones I've visited have provided me with all the "photo ops" I could have hoped for. Because of various medical problems, I haven't been able to get to the better parts of many parks so I know there's even more to be explored, a lot more.

Now, Canon Digital Cameras is making a trip to a National Park even more inviting by giving you a chance to enter a digital photo you took in a National Park in their, "Photography In The Parks Photo Contest", and win some great prizes.

Here's the link to the government's National Parks website.

Have fun and good luck, and remember to take a camera with you whenever possible. Look around, you'll find a picture somewhere.

Source:www.jimippolito.com

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 9:54AM
What do you know? The former OLPC head of software and content did indeed resign at least partially over NickNeg’s growing fondness of Windows XP. In a recent soul-spilling interview with xconomy, Walter Bender made clear that he resigned his post at the non-profit due to the general de-emphasis of “radical projects like Sugar,” the innovative XO user interface which Mr. Bender was unsurprisingly neck-deep in during his stay. Essentially, he felt as if the outfit had stopped trying to “be disruptive” and started “trying to make things comfortable for decision-makers,” hence Walter darting out “to do his own thing.” Needless to say, the lead developer of Sugar isn’t satisfied with seeing his work forgotten, and while details have yet to be worked out, he is looking to “find a new central home for the community of educators and software developers who have been creating Sugar-compatible applications.”

[Image courtesy of The New York Times]

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Filed under: Laptops