Quote:"Our reason for going to Linux was predominantly philosophical, then for quality, and third was the cost - we wanted the best option," he said. "We bought the Mandriva PowerPack to get the manuals and to support open source companies. Often we download free stuff but the latest version was purchased. We're interested in free as in freedom, not that you don't have to pay for something."

Students using Linux at school is also having a flow-on effect outside campus with at least 12 using the operating system at home.

"The kids love their lab and have a lot of ownership. We take it seriously how they feel about lab, and they enjoy that it works," Rushton said. "The tinker value of Linux is brilliant and kids love to tinker so they organize their desktop in a way most people couldn't understand it."