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Vince Callaway wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid1168361928.20430.32.camel@dbserver" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">On Tue, 2007-01-09 at 02:32 -0500, "Terrell Prudé Jr." wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">I have heard all of the following:
"Look, we have to prepare our children for the 'real world', and the
'real world' uses Microsoft."
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->Most of the 'real world' is moving to web based applications. The
system your working on is quickly becoming irrelevant.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"Microsoft is the standard. Employers are demanding that schools
teach the standard."
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->Employers are demanding that people can read, write and show up for work
on time.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"Nobody got fired for buying Microsoft."
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->I came across k12ltsp by reading a blog about just that. The blog was
the account of someone who was hired to replace all the microsoft based
computers companywide. The reason is because M$ had done a license
audit of the company and found they were not in compliance. Meaning
they could not document that all the PC's they bought actually came with
windows. The CEO made the decision to make the company Microsoft free.
The main office was converted first and done over a weekend. They saved
thousands of dollars by not needing expensive PCs at every desk.
Lastly the entire tech staff was fired for costing them so much money.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"Linux is for techies."
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->It's easier to administer than windows.
My wife uses it who barely knows where the on button is. She plays on
pogo.com, uses gaim to chat and quite often has a dvd playing at the
same time. She just laughs when her chat buddies tell her they were
offline because of a crash or virus.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"Will it work with <insert special pet application>?"
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->I've found very few windows apps that I could not run under wine.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"Where's Internet Explorer? Where's my Outlook? I can't take time to
figure this out, I have to do real work!"
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->Those apps are the reason you need virus scanners. I convert everyone
to firefox and either thunderbird or evolution.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"We'd have to retrain all our staff! That's expensive, we don't have
funding or time for that!" <Note: they seem to have no problem
spending big bucks for Windows training.>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->You could (god forbid) reduce tech staff and save money. Linux systems
don't self destruct like windows systems do.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">And the coup de grace:
"It was great while it lasted...." This was the undercover one that
got ripped out by the Windows Nazis after two trouble-free years.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->My condolences. Your comparison is a good one since it was removed out
of fear.
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Of course, the mindset that you have to turn 3rd graders into "good
little employees" is a little frightening to me....
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
3rd graders should not even be aware of what they are working with. If
you are teaching them write does it matter what brand of pencil they
use?
Banning Linux is like banning books. You are crossing line from
education to indoctrination.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
Vince, you are, you understand, preachin' to the choir. You, Bob, and
John Lucas are all absolutely correct. The blog to which you're
referring that describes that BSA audit is called "The Blog of Helios"
over at blog.lobby4linux.com, and I read it, too. Ken "Helios" Starks
now runs K12LTSP at "Ultra Secret Corporation," so named because
they're apparently in pending litigation with the BSA and Microsoft. <br>
<br>
Everyone on this list should read The Blog of Helios. Starks's story
is truly an example of Things Done Right. And he's doing it...WHILE
BATTLING CANCER. Unfortunately, his site is apparently now
password-protected; I just tried it. Hopefully this is just an
accidental Apache misconfiguration.<br>
<br>
--TP<br>
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