"I think it's far more realistic to have a uni support free software on a proprietary OS than proprietary software on a free OS." I meant what students can run themselves on their own computers and still have the ability to complete their coursework and meet submission requirements without using any other computer, sorry for not being clear.
Ah, then, yes I wholeheartedly agree. A student should be able to work in whatever operating system they wish. I don't feel it *should* be staff members' duty to provide support for shall we say "unusual" operating systems (although it would be great if they could), but at the very least, any student who is comfortable enough working with Linux or any other modern operating system should not be actively prevented from doing so. That's just a basic courtesy. But despite my accidentally countering a point you didn't make ... is it worthwhile coming up with a list and then perhaps a brochure and/or website with a recommended set of free applications for us to recommend to university administrators to install on standard images? What did people think of my list?