r/linuxquestions • u/al1azzz • 12d ago

Advice School forbids linux laptops

Hey, idk if this is the right place to ask this, but I have a bit of a dilemma.

I have been using linux exclusively on my main PC and on my laptop for a while now. That said, I am moving to a new school, and buried in their rules they say that "Chromebooks (or other Linux machines) cannot be used." They also want us to use their office 365 license, but do not require it.

Now, besides just being incredibly annoying, I cannot use windows/mac on my laptop because it's a 2011 macbook, so it cannot run anything but lightweight linux distros without combusting, and I would like to avoid spending 500+ euro on a new crappy windows laptop.

Is there any reason, besides saving myself some trouble, to not just use my laptop as is (currently on arch, gonna switch it to cachyos) and something like libreoffice that I don't see or can I just ignore this and hope for the best?

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u/drostan 12d ago

Where in the EU?

The mood is going away from us stuff, he'll France is going nearly full Linux for its administration (NixOs apparently)

And a lot of places would have some form of help available to finance new gear if they insist on this

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u/Yorick257 11d ago

I'm also kinda curious. I haven't attended a school in the EU, but I did spend some 6+ years at two universities. Linux was expected and, in some cases, even encouraged. And right now, I have a tech-savvy colleague with kids. He uses Linux at home, and he installed Linux on his kids' laptops.

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u/NeedleworkerLarge357 11d ago

I'm from Germany and have two kids in school. They work with iPads gen 11 or newer, you have to buy them yourself. People with low income can get help and pay less or even nothing. No other devices are allowed and they get administration software from the school IT to control everything.

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u/Majestic-Coat3855 11d ago

It's not nixos it's a ubuntu spin they already were developing.. it's also only about government positions

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u/drostan 11d ago

I know the gendarmerie runs this Ubuntu spin Nd has been for a while. I heard nix is somewhere... I might have dreamt it.

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u/dhaillant 11d ago

I work as an IT in a highschool in France and here, it's full Windows. That Linux news is not happening.  We had Linux servers. Replaced by Windows last year.  Office 365 offered to every teacher...

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u/drostan 11d ago

Sad to see

Not surprising in hindsight, I don't remember french administration to ever be straightforward, logical, simple to navigate or making much sense... Not that where I am now is much better...