The pilot project to migrate schools of three Russian regions to Free Software has recently expanded its geography. Now it is possible for the schools outside of Tatarstan, Perm krai and Tomsk region to voluntarily apply for participation by completing a special form (Russian) published on the project website.

Last year Russia announced an ambitious plan to use free software for all its schools. Now, it seems, things aren't going so smoothly. Funds have been cut back, faulty discs containing free software were sent out - and Microsoft is offering special deals on Windows XP...

I've often lamented how few schools in the UK use free software, and how difficult it is to break the lock that Microsoft has on the entire educational system. The pathetic state here is highlighted by contrast with Russia, which is making amazing strides in rolling out open source to schools.

"I've often lamented how few schools in the UK use free software, and how difficult it is to break the lock that Microsoft has on the entire educational system. The pathetic state here is highlighted by contrast with Russia, which is making amazing strides in rolling out open source to schools..."

"CNews found out a pilot open source software project was to be launched in the educational institutions in Tomsk Region and Tatarstan. According to the Ministry of Communication plans, in case of its successful implementation up to the 2009 year end an alternative software package is to be installed in all the Russian schools."

Russian Linux software developers have created an alliance to jointly participate in tenders to supply schools with open source software. The total number of specialist entering the alliance has exceeded the given number in Mandriva and Ubuntu Canonical producer, all in all.

The plan is that 60 thousand Russian teachers will be able to complete the training and testing procedure by the end of 2009 which means that as soon as next year all the schools in Russia will be able to switch to open-source software which definitely should be appreciated by the open-source community.

Microsoft is dumping Windows on all Russian schools in order to hinder the nationwide migration to GNU/Linux, which it has already attempted to derail several times before

A competitor to the recently created OS Linux software developers’ alliance is to appear in the near future. St. Petersburg Company Linux Ink has developed a project within which the domestic open-source community participants are suggested to enter an alternative consortium. It is to forge active PR-operations and close cooperation with educational institutions, the organizers say.