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Re: [LUG] FLOSS in schools

 

Clare Shepherd wrote:
> On 5 Feb 2008, at 09:20, Paul Sutton wrote:
>
>   
>> Tom Potts wrote:
>>     
>>> http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604987
>>>
>>> Never catch on here though....
>>> Tom te tom te tom
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>> We are always behind the rest of the world,   thing is by time we
>> eventually catch up the world has moved on.
>>
>> I want to see more people who want Linux skills to advertise,  to the
>> community,  there are people like me who want to learn and help,  but
>> more importantly understand that free software is not just free as in
>> cost,   something that commercial companies still can't grasp even
>> though its a pretty easy concept,  freedom.
>>
>> do you want people with just OSS skills, or people with the skills and
>> who care about what it all means, the latter is important in away
>>
>> Paul
>>     
>
> Not always, Paul. After all Sir Frank Whittle, the inventor of the  
> jet engine,was English., as were many important inventors. It can  
> appear so today because in the *)s we seemed to give up on  
> engineering, largely.
>
> Clare
>
>   
I agree however not just engineering  We are currently world leaders 
when it comes to space weather research,  however despite this the 
budget for this has been cut by £80 million,   we also invented a 
scanner,  to detect bombs at distance,  its being used in the USA right 
now,  the UK government is meant to be looking at it,  it could save 
lives and prevent another 7/7 its a british invention,  a young lad of 
14 has to go to russia to learn to conduct because there are no schools 
in the UK.  How are we going to stay world leaders if the investment is 
not in the right place.   This is why we are falling behind,  these 
people leave the uk in a brain drain and probably never come back.  But 
we need them here.

back in the days of whittle not only did we have the best engineers but 
we had investment and invested in british products and ideas,  we also 
taught the 3r's properly at school and encouraged kids in to 
engineering.   Of course the jobs were there,  at least until the dumb 
politicians sold everything off on the advise of their army of 'experts'

So in terms of investment in things like this we are falling behind,  it 
was odd the last issue of fusion the Open uni physics society newsletter 
had an article on getting people into phyiscs,  meanwhile astronomy now 
had an article on the budget being cut,   I don't think we can have it 
both ways.

meanwhile we seem to waste millions on things like the olympic 
managers,  who manage to go over budget and keep their jobs,  we also 
pay managers of companies like northern rock, who fail,  and keep civil 
servants in employment even if their actions of gross stupidity would 
get anyone else instant sacking,  (i work in a school, if i left a 
childs confidential file lying aroumd,  i would probably be sacked on 
the spot). 

Paul


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