The 267,000 Windows 7 based netbooks that the New South Wales Government has started rolling out to high schools will come pre-installed with open source software. The initial roll out that began today will see the 70,000 Year 9 students in NSW schools each receive a Windows 7 enabled Lenovo IdeaPad S10e by the end of this year. Over the next four years, each Year 9 student will receive one of the devices as a gift, which they can keep once they have left school. A total 267,000 netbooks will be handed out over the course of the program, which is part of the Rudd Government's $2.2 billion Digital Education Revolution. Many spokespeople from the free and open source software community feel that a Linux-based operating system would have been a better choice for students in Australia, but the netbooks will be pre-installed with a variety of open source software. Although other States and Territories are yet to announce comparable plans, a Microsoft Australia spokesperson said the company is confident that others will follow suit and roll out Windows 7 enabled devices to students as part of the Digital Education Revolution.
