案例研究：自由／开源软件与政府部门
案例研究：自由／开源软件与教育
=概述=
Largo 市是最早的高级别政府管理部门迁移到 Linux 平台的例子。这个美国佛罗里达的小城市的信息系统为800名市政工作人员提供支持，包括当地的公共安全和卫生服务。项目在2000年开始实施，后来的几年中 Linux 给予了他们很好的体验。
=迁移到 Linux 平台的动机=
2000年，因为当时的 OpenServer 和 UnixWare 在 Santa Cruz 计划中不断带来问题，Largo 市的信息技术部门正在对升级方案进行评估。评审的几种方案包括微软的 Windows 系统。但是，因为原有的系统是基于 Unix 的瘦客户机架构，迁移到 Windows 的硬件和软件费用将无法承受。此外，信息技术工作人员也不愿意进入两三年就要升级的循环中，他们在这样的循环中将被迫为不必要的升级支付费用。
最终的决定是保留现有的瘦客户机架构，而把系统换为基于 Red Hat 发行版的 Linux 系统。
=实施方式=
经过测试的解决方案在2000年开始部署，并在2001年中期完成。两台高性能（在当时来说）的双处理器康柏服务器提供了大部分用户需要的服务。一系列的自由／开源和非自由／开源应用软件被搭配使用，包括 Netscape （浏览器），Evolution （email 客户端）和 WordPerfect 8 （字处理软件）。高负荷的数据库服务由私有的甲骨文数据库提供，而通过使用 Windows NT 和 Citrix Metaframe 服务，Linux 用户也可以使用微软的 Excel 和 PowerPoint。总共有20台运行着 Linux，Windows 和 Unix 操作系统的不同的服务器协同工作。
而桌面计算机的部分比较简单。瘦客户机模式只需要最简单的桌面硬件，因此购买硬件的成本可以降低。有些桌面系统每台只花费了信息技术人员5美元。这些桌面系统有十年的预期寿命，活动部件很少，因此它们很少损坏，而且寿命比一般的个人电脑桌面系统更长。
=结果=
迁移到 Linux 平台仅在第一年就为该市节省了多达一百万美元。Largo 目前的信息技术预算只有其他相似规模城市的 40％。这样的城市一般需要把预算的3-4％用于信息技术，而 Largo 的信息技术部门只需要城市预算的1.3％就绰绰有余。Linux 使用硬件的效率也大大减少了开销。信息技术部门估计他们直到2007年才需要升级桌面系统。
人力需求的削减也是显著的。对于有800名用户的单位，只需要2-3人提供支持服务。这样低的比例归功于系统的可靠性、稳定性和可预测性。这个城市由10人组成的信息技术部门的其他成员因此可以腾出手来进行其他工作，包括对信息系统架构进行进一步的完善。
1. Haber, Lynn, "City saves with Linux, thin clients", 10 April 2002, ZDNet; available from
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2860180,00.h...
Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
2. Harris, Stephen E., "City of Largo Completes Desktop Transition", 27 August 2001,
ConsultingTimes; available from http://www.consultingtimes.com/articles/desktop/
largo.html; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
3. Miller, Robin, "Largo loves Linux more than ever", 9 December 2002,
Newsforge.com; available from http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/12/04/
2346215&mode=thread&tid=19; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
4. The Dravis Group, "Open Source Software: Case Studies Examining Its Use", April
2003; available from http://www.dravis.net/reports.html; Internet; accessed on
November 7, 2003.
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Introduction
The city of Largo is one of the earliest high-profile cases of a government administration migrating over to Linux. The IT system of this small city in the state of Florida, USA, supports 800 city workers, including local safety and health services. Implementation began in 2000 and their experience with Linux in the years since then have been nothing but positive.
Motivation for migrating to Linux
In 2000, the IT department of Largo was evaluating upgrade options as problems were being encountered with existing OpenServer and UnixWare products from the Santa Cruz Operation. Various options were evaluated, including Microsoft Windows on personal computers. However, since they were already on a Unix-based thin-client infrastructure, the combination of hardware and software costs involved in such a migration was deemed prohibitively expensive. Additionally, the IT team did not want to be locked into a 2-3-year upgrade cycle, where they would be forced to pay upgrade costs even when upgrades were not necessary.
Ultimately, the decision was made to keep the existing thin-client infrastructure but migrate systems to a Linux system based on Red Hat's distribution.
Implementation approach
A solution was tested and implemented starting in 2000 and completed by mid-2001. Two powerful (for that time) dual-processor Compaq servers delivered the services needed by most users. A variety of FOSS and non-FOSS applications were combined, including Netscape (web browser), Evolution (email client) and WordPerfect 8 (word processor). Heavy-duty database needs were run on a proprietary Oracle database while Microsoft's Excel and PowerPoint were made available to Linux users via a combination of Windows NT and the Citrix Metaframe server. In total, there were about 20 different servers working together, running a mix of Linux, Windows and Unix operating systems.
On the desktop side, things were simpler. The thin-client model requires only the barest minimum from desktop units. Hence, desktop units could be obtained at a relatively low cost. In some cases, the IT team managed to obtain desktop systems for as little as US$5 per unit. With 10-year lifespans and few moving parts, these desktop units rarely broke down and had a longer useful lifespan than normal PC desktops.
Results
The migration to Linux was estimated to have saved the city as much as US$1 million in the first year alone. Largo currently has an IT budget that is only about 40 percent the size of comparable cities. Where cities of a comparable size normally spend 3-4 percent of their city budget on IT, the Largo team gets along quite comfortably with only 1.3 percent of the city budget. The efficiency with which Linux uses hardware has also reaped enormous savings. The IT team estimates that they will not need to upgrade their desktops until 2007.
The reduction in number of personnel required is also significant. The end-user help desk requires only two to three people to support a user base of 800 workers. This low ratio is attributed to the reliability, stability and predictability of the system. The remaining staff members of the city's 10-member IT department are then freed for other tasks, including making additional improvements to the IT infrastructure.
For further reading:
1.Haber, Lynn, “City saves with Linux, thin clients”, 10 April 2002, ZDNet; available from
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2860180,00.h... Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
2.Harris, Stephen E., “City of Largo Completes Desktop Transition”, 27 August 2001, ConsultingTimes; available from http://www.consultingtimes.com/articles/desktop/largo.html; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
3.Miller, Robin, “Largo loves Linux more than ever”, 9 December 2002, Newsforge.com; available from http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/12/04/2346215&mode=thread&tid=19; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
4.The Dravis Group, “Open Source Software: Case Studies Examining Its Use”, April 2003; available from http://www.dravis.net/reports.html; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
=概述=
果阿学校计算机工程（the Goa Schools Computer Project, GSCP）是印度果阿邦的一项旨在为邦内初中和高中提供经济可行的计算机实验室的计划。第一个试点工程在2000年启动，经评估后，较大规模的二期工程在2002年启动。
GSCP 是公共、私人单位和非政府组织的一项联合计划。计划的成功是果阿教育部、Red Hat Linux、果阿学校计算机计划非政府组织和果阿 Sudharop 社区开发慈善组织共同努力的结果。通过使用回收利用的计算机和自由／开源的 GNU/Linux 系统，总共125所学校得到了计算机系统。
=动机=
成本是使用 GNU/Linux 系统的主要推动因素，特别是私有软件的授权成本。因为工程一开始就决定使用回收的计算机（同样是出于成本考虑），找到适合这些系统使用的软件成为一个关键问题。捐赠计算机的机构处于安全考虑，一般都已经清空了这些系统的硬盘。购买软件将使使用这些计算机的成本增加数倍。
通过使用回收的计算机和 GNU/Linux 系统组合，GSCP 能以每套系统仅35美元的成本安装软件，而包括网络在内的整个计算机实验室只需不到500美元。相比之下，仅仅用于一台计算机的私有软件就需要至少400-500美元，是计算机本身成本的许多倍。
工程进行了全面的成本估算。根据印度其他各邦（Andhra Pradesh，Karnataka，Tamil Nadu 和喀拉拉邦）过去这类工程的数据，估计 GNU/Linux 和回收的硬件比传统的解决方案（使用新硬件和私有软件）节省了77％的费用。而在新硬件上使用 GNU/Linux 也能比私有软件／新硬件模式节省64％的费用。
=实施方式=
GSCP 使用了来自较富有和发达的国家的经过翻新的计算机。这些计算机一般都是公司升级换代过程中淘汰的型号。在必要的测试和组装后，这些计算机安装了 GNU/Linux 操作系统。较大规模的安装（拥有超过4台计算机的实验室）使用了瘦客户机模式的 GNU/Linux。
每个计算机实验室通常都是 GSCP 和当地学校合作的结果。GSCP 提供设备并培训教师，而学校提供实验室的不间断电源、线缆和家具。建成以后，实验室在工作时间提供学校使用，下班后则由当地社区自由使用。
=结果=
计算机交付使用后一年进行的一项调查显示90％的计算机已经到位，76％的计算机仍可使用。那些获得了超过4台计算机并使用瘦客户机模式的学校成效最为显著。城区的学校一般比郊区的学校效果更好，其一系列原因包括更好的支持和（由于较多的学生数量而安排的）较多可用的计算机。
这些学校目前对每个学生收取20派士用于支付维护和连接因特网的费用。收取社区的上机和上网费用的试点实验也在进行。其他国家类似项目的实验证明这是可行的，因此这一计划在果阿也有望成功。
1. GSCP 网站; http://www.gscp.org/; Internet; 访问于2003年11月7日.
2. Martyris, Daryl, `Community - Government partnerships and open source
technology for low cost IT access in India - A case study', July 2003; available from
http://www.developmentgateway.com/node/133831/sdm/blob?pid=5474; Internet;
accessed on November 7, 2003.
3. Noronha, Frederick, `Linux provides cheaper alternatives for schools in India', 9
January 2002, Newsforge.com; available from http://newsforge.com/
article.pl?sid=02/01/09/1252220&mode=thread&tid=23; Internet; accessed on
November 7, 2003.
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Introduction
The Goa Schools Computer Project (GSCP) was launched in the Indian state of Goa to provide affordable computer labs to secondary and higher secondary schools in the state. The first pilot projects were launched in 2000 and after evaluation a second, larger project was launched in 2002.
The GSCP is a collaboration involving public, private and NGO organizations. The Goa Department of Education, Red Hat Linux, the Goa Computers in Schools Project NGO and the Goa Sudharop Community Development Charity all contributed to making this project a success. Using recycled computers and the FOSS GNU/Linux system, a total of 125 schools received computers that otherwise would not have been available to them.
Motivation
Cost was a primary motive for using the GNU/Linux system, particularly the licensing cost of proprietary software. Because the project decided from the start to recycle computers (also for cost reasons), finding software to place on these systems became a major issue. These systems were typically received with blank hard drives, due to concerns over security of the organizations donating the computers. Purchasing software to run on these systems would have multiplied the costs of using these computers manyfold.
By going with the recycled computer/GNU/Linux combination, the GSCP was able to install systems for as little as US$35 per system, with full computer labs, including networking, costing less than US$500. Proprietary software for a single computer would have cost at least US$400–500, many times the cost of the computer itself.
A comprehensive costing was performed for this project. Based on data from previous projects in other Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala), it was estimated that the GNU/Linux/recyled hardware model would save as much as 77 percent of a traditional solution (proprietary software, new hardware). Combining GNU/Linux with new hardware would have saved 64 percent of the costs of the proprietary software/new hardware model.
Implementation approach
The GSCP used refurbished computers imported from wealthier, more developed nations. These computers were typically outdated models, replaced in regular corporate upgrade cycles. After testing and refitting as necessary, the computers were installed with the GNU/Linux operating system. The larger installations (labs with more than four computers) used GNU/Linux in a thin-client configuration.
Each computer lab was typically a cooperative effort between GSCP and the local school. GSCP would supply the equipment and teacher training while the school would supply the UPS, wiring and furniture for the computer lab. Once set up, the computer lab would be used by the schools during school hours and by the community at large after hours.
Results
A survey carried out one year after the computers were shipped found that 90 percent of the PCs had been installed and 76 percent of the PCs were operational. Schools using the thin-client model, which were also the schools that received four or more PCs, fared best. Urban schools fared better than rural schools for a variety of reasons, including better support and a larger number of available computers (due to larger student populations).
The schools are now charging 20 cents per student to pay for maintenance and Internet access costs. Pilot experiments are also underway to test the sustainability of charging the community for after-hours access to the computing facilities and the Internet. Experiences from projects in other countries have shown this to be feasible and it is hoped that it will be just as successful in Goa.
For further reading:
1.The Goa Schools Computer Project website; available from http://www.gscp.org/; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
2.Martyris, Daryl, ‘Community – Government partnerships and open source technology for low cost IT access in India – A case study’, July 2003; available from http://www.developmentgateway.com/node/133831/sdm/blob?pid=5474; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.
3.Noronha, Frederick, ‘Linux provides cheaper alternatives for schools in India’, 9 January 2002, Newsforge.com; available from http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/01/09/1252220&mode=thread&tid=23; Internet; accessed on November 7, 2003.