Stockport schools take open-source route

Schools in the Manchester area have been linked together with a networked system that uses open-source software.

The Stockport system gives 30,000 pupils across the town a wide range of services including calendar and content-management functions. The system uses a single login screen to make access to the system easy and it will provide "dynamic use of the internet in a learning environment", and include security features that should block inappropriate content.

According to Blue Fountain, which makes the Linux system on which the network is based, the system is fully scalable and incorporates plans to expand at a future date.

The systems in Stockport are run by Liverpool Direct, which is a joint venture, 80.1 percent owned by BT and 19.9 percent owned by Liverpool City Council.