πŸŽ“ PD Showcase Guide

Every tool installed on the school fleet's golden master image β€” and how to demo it to teachers.

30+ Packages Β· 6 Demo Scenarios Β· 100% Free Software
MachineDell01 (Golden Master)
Tailscale IP100.102.84.80
Managed ByHER (AI Administrator)
Fleet Size13 machines (12 clones)
Date2026-06-04

πŸ“‹ Table of Contents

1System & Administration 2Development & Programming 3AI & Machine Learning 4Media & Content Creation 5Office & Productivity 6Browser & Web Tools 7Network & Connectivity 8Chinese Language Support 9Translation & Accessibility 10PDF & Document Tools 11Security & Firewall 12What's Not Installed (Yet) 13PD Demo Scenarios β˜…Quick Command Reference

1. System & Administration

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
git2.43.0Version control β€” track changes to documents, code, lesson plansSave every revision of a worksheet; never lose work
htop3.3.0Interactive process viewer β€” see CPU/RAM usage"Watch Chrome eat RAM in real-time"
tmuxβ€”Terminal multiplexer β€” sessions stay alive after disconnectStart a task, disconnect, reconnect later β€” still running
neofetch7.1.0System info display β€” pretty hardware summaryIcebreaker: run on every machine to show specs
unattended-upgradesβ€”Auto security patches β€” no manual maintenance"Set and forget" security for the fleet
openssh-serverβ€”Remote SSH access β€” admin from anywhereHER manages all 13 machines from home
tailscaleβ€”Zero-config VPN mesh between all machinesSSH into Dell01 from HER across the internet, no port forwarding
ufwactiveUncomplicated Firewall β€” blocks unwanted traffic"This laptop is secure by default"
nmap7.94SVNNetwork scanner β€” discover devices on LANScan the school network, map connected devices
net-toolsβ€”Classic network utilities (ifconfig, netstat)Quick IP checks, network debugging
iperf3β€”Bandwidth testing β€” measure network speed"How fast is our classroom LAN?"

2. Development & Programming

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
python33.12.3General-purpose programming languageScript a text analyzer, word counter, or grammar checker
pip24.0Python package installerInstall any library instantly: pip install pandas
nodejsv24.16.0JavaScript runtime β€” run JS outside browserBuild a local web server, run web apps
npm11.13.0Node package managerInstall 2 million+ JS libraries for any project
jupyter-notebook6.4.12Interactive Python notebooks β€” code + text + output⭐ Star demo: Live coding lesson β€” students write Python, see results instantly
docker.io29.1.3Container runtime β€” isolated apps without installingRun a web server, database, or AI model in a box that doesn't touch the system

🐳 Docker Quick Demo

# Run a web server in 10 seconds docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx # Open Chrome β†’ http://localhost:8080

3. AI & Machine Learning

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
python3-pip24.0Install AI/ML librariespip install transformers torch β€” run Hugging Face models locally
jupyter-notebook6.4.12Interactive AI experimentationBuild a notebook that generates text, analyzes student essays
Ollama⏳ PendingLocal LLM runner β€” ChatGPT-style AI on your own machineRun Llama, Mistral, or other open-source LLMs without internet
πŸ’‘ Ollama Demo (After VPN Install):
ollama run llama3.2 # β†’ Local chatbot running on the laptop, no data leaves the building

4. Media & Content Creation

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
ffmpeg6.1.1Swiss Army knife of video/audio β€” convert, edit, streamConvert a video for the smartboard; extract audio from YouTube
mpv0.37.0Lightweight media player β€” plays anythingBetter than default video player; keyboard shortcuts for teachers
espeak-ng1.51Text-to-speech β€” robot voice reads any text⭐ Accessibility demo: highlight text, hear it spoken; pronunciation practice
obs-studio30.0.2Screen recorder + live streamerRecord a lesson, stream to YouTube, create flipped classroom videos
gimp2.10.36Image editor β€” Photoshop alternativeEdit photos for worksheets, remove backgrounds, create graphics
inkscape1.2.2Vector graphics editor β€” Illustrator alternativeDesign logos, diagrams, infographics for presentations

πŸŽ₯ OBS Studio PD Demo

  1. Record your screen + webcam simultaneously
  2. Stream a lesson to YouTube Live for remote students
  3. Create reusable video resources for flipped classroom

5. Office & Productivity

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
libreoffice-writer24.2.7.2Word processor β€” documents, lesson plans, worksheetsFull .docx compatibility; free, no Microsoft license needed
libreoffice-calc24.2.7.2Spreadsheet β€” grades, data, budgetsTrack student scores, calculate averages, make charts
libreoffice-draw24.2.7.2Vector drawing β€” diagrams, flowcharts, postersCreate classroom posters, mind maps, process diagrams
LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office:

6. Browser & Web Tools

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
google-chrome-stable149.0.7827.53Modern web browserGoogle Classroom, YouTube, Cambridge English, online quizzes
translate-shellβ€”Command-line translator (trans command)trans :zh "Hello students" β€” instant translation in terminal
Chrome PD Demo:

7. Network & Connectivity

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
tailscaleβ€”Mesh VPN β€” all 13 machines form a private networkDell01 can SSH into Dell12 across the school, no router config
sambaβ€”File sharing β€” Windows-compatible network foldersShare files between Ubuntu laptops and Windows machines
nmap7.94SVNNetwork discovery"Find every device on the school Wi-Fi"
iperf3β€”Speed testingMeasure LAN speed: "Is our network fast enough for 4K video?"

8. Chinese Language Support

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
fcitx55.1.7Chinese input frameworkType Chinese in any application
fcitx5-chinese-addonsβ€”Pinyin, Wubi, Cangjie input methodsMultiple input methods for different users
ibus-libpinyinβ€”Alternative Chinese input (Pinyin)Teachers can type Chinese lesson content natively

πŸ€„ FCITX5 Demo

  1. Switch input with Ctrl+Space
  2. Type Pinyin β†’ Chinese characters appear
  3. Works in LibreOffice, Chrome, terminal β€” everywhere

9. Translation & Accessibility

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
translate-shellβ€”CLI translation enginetrans :es "Good morning" β†’ "Buenos dΓ­as"
espeak-ng1.51Text-to-speech synthesisRead any text aloud β€” great for pronunciation, visually impaired
Accessibility Showcase:
# Read a passage aloud for pronunciation practice echo "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" | espeak-ng

10. PDF & Document Tools

PackageVersionWhat It DoesPD Demo Angle
pdfarrangerβ€”PDF page organizer β€” split, merge, reorder pages"Take pages 1-5 from file A, 3-7 from file B, combine into one PDF"
qpdf11.9.0Command-line PDF manipulationRotate, encrypt, decrypt, linearize PDFs from terminal
libreoffice-draw24.2.7.2Edit PDFs as drawingsOpen a PDF, annotate, add shapes, export back to PDF

πŸ“„ PDF Workflow Demo

  1. Download a Cambridge past paper PDF
  2. Open in LibreOffice Draw
  3. Add annotations, highlight answers
  4. Export as new PDF for students

11. Security & Firewall

ComponentStatusWhat It Does
ufw (firewall)ActiveBlocks all incoming except SSH, Tailscale, Samba
SSH key authEnabledNo password login β€” only cryptographic keys
unattended-upgradesEnabledSecurity patches install automatically
pam_sss.soDisabledFixed PAM misconfiguration that blocked logins
NOPASSWD sudoConfigureddell01 can run admin commands without password prompt
Security Talking Points for PD:

12. What's NOT Installed (Yet)

PackageWhy MissingPlan
Ollama (local LLM)Download blocked from ChinaInstall after VPN gateway working
Mullvad VPN.deb server unreachableDownload on VPN-enabled machine, push to fleet
VS CodeHeavy, not essential for PDOptional: sudo snap install code
Zoom/TeamsWeb versions work in ChromeInstall native clients if needed
AnkiFlashcard appOptional for vocabulary drilling
Khan AcademyWeb-based, no install neededAccess via Chrome

13. PD Demo Scenarios

Six scripted demos. Each takes 3–5 minutes. Perfect for a PD session or admin showcase.

πŸ“„

Scenario A: Replace Microsoft Office

5 min
  1. Open LibreOffice Writer
  2. Create a lesson plan
  3. Save as .docx
  4. Open on a Windows machine
  5. "Free. Compatible. No subscription."
πŸ€–

Scenario B: AI on a Local Machine

5 min
  1. Open Jupyter Notebook
  2. Run a Python word frequency script
  3. Show a pie chart of vocabulary usage
  4. "No cloud, no API keys, no internet required"
πŸŽ₯

Scenario C: Record Your Lesson

5 min
  1. Open OBS Studio
  2. Hit "Start Recording"
  3. Deliver a 30-second mini-lesson
  4. Hit "Stop Recording"
  5. Play back the video in mpv
πŸ€„

Scenario D: Chinese Input Everywhere

3 min
  1. Open LibreOffice Writer
  2. Press Ctrl+Space
  3. Type Pinyin: nihao
  4. Select δ½ ε₯½ from candidates
⌨️

Scenario E: Terminal Power User

5 min
  1. neofetch β†’ show specs
  2. trans :zh "Welcome to class" β†’ instant translation
  3. espeak-ng "Welcome to class" β†’ text-to-speech
  4. docker run hello-world β†’ containers in 5 seconds
πŸ–₯️

Scenario F: Remote Administration

5 min
  1. From HER (different machine), SSH into Dell01
  2. Run commands as if sitting at the keyboard
  3. "I can fix all 13 machines from my living room"

β˜… Quick Command Reference

⚑ Essential Commands

System Info

neofetch
htop

Development

jupyter notebook
# Web server in a box
docker run -p 8080:80 nginx
# JavaScript from terminal
node -e "console.log('Hello')"

Media

# Extract audio from video
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.mp3
# Play video
mpv filename.mp4
# Start OBS
obs

Office

libreoffice --writer &
libreoffice --calc &
libreoffice --draw &

Translation

# Translate to Chinese
trans :zh "Hello world"
# Text to speech
espeak-ng "Hello world"

Network

# Show Tailscale IP
tailscale ip -4
# Scan local network
nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24
# Test bandwidth
iperf3 -c <server-ip>

PDF

# GUI PDF organizer
pdfarranger &
# Rotate PDF
qpdf --rotate=+90 input.pdf output.pdf

AI (After VPN)

# Local LLM chatbot
ollama run llama3.2
# Python AI libraries
pip install transformers torch