[K12OSN] general acceptance of k12ltsp in schools

[Vince Callaway]

On Tue, 2007-01-09 at 02:32 -0500, "Terrell Prudé Jr." wrote:
> I have heard all of the following:
> 
> "Look, we have to prepare our children for the 'real world', and the
> 'real world' uses Microsoft."
Most of the 'real world' is moving to web based applications.  The
system your working on is quickly becoming irrelevant.

> "Microsoft is the standard.  Employers are demanding that schools
> teach the standard."
Employers are demanding that people can read, write and show up for work
on time.

> "Nobody got fired for buying Microsoft."
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.

> "Linux is for techies."
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.

> "Will it work with <insert special pet application>?"
I've found very few windows apps that I could not run under wine.

> "Where's Internet Explorer?  Where's my Outlook?  I can't take time to
> figure this out, I have to do real work!"
Those apps are the reason you need virus scanners.  I convert everyone
to firefox and either thunderbird or evolution.

> "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.>
> 
You could (god forbid) reduce tech staff and save money.  Linux systems
don't self destruct like windows systems do.

> 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.
My condolences.  Your comparison is a good one since it was removed out
of fear.

> Of course, the mindset that you have to turn 3rd graders into "good
> little employees" is a little frightening to me....

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.