Thanks for answering the roll call. And now, a question.

[Tom Hoffman]

On 4/17/07, Jeff Spaleta <jspaleta at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 4/17/07, Tom Hoffman <tom.hoffman at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I think Red Hat should put all its eggs in the OLPC basket.
> >
> > I don't see anything about the XO and Sugar that wouldn't solve
> > problems right here in the south side of Providence, RI.  That is,
> > unless OLPC Just Doesn't Work, in which case it will be of no use to
> > anyone, here or abroad.
>
>
> I think there is definitely room to move towards introduction of Sugar
> into US schools..sure. But I think you need to make some less
> aggressive targets for near term successes that build inroads into US
> local school systems at all levels that matter: teachers, IT
> departments, and school boards;  before can can have a constructive
> serious discussion about Sugar as a new an exciting forward looking
> technology.
>
> Less aggressive targets would include well-packaged and sustainable
> moodle deployments and an establishment of a teacher/open-technology
> development network.

I'm not sure what a "teacher/open-technology development network"
looks like, but I think the incremental advances like Moodle
deployments are happening already and will continue to happen with or
without Red Hat's participation.

What we're missing now is the complimentary push for a big, ambitious
vision (that is simultaneously quite practical) that will catch
people's attention and make them think of free software as something
other than a low-rent alternative.  OLPC's the best chance we're going
to get for that.  It is our big splash.  And I think it is the right
thing, pedagogically and technologically.

--Tom