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Re: [LUG] Fwd: Linux @ School - Are we serious?



Getting a bit off topic but ...

In article <3C606C34.70909@xxxxxxxxxxx>, kevin bailey
<kevin_bailey@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes
also - it is important that computer studies students learn about 
computing as a whole - not just MS - because the important stuff runs on 
mainframes/UNIX.


also - hpw do you teach MS?  
I teach MS in the same way that I teach anything else. Give the students
a grounding in the concepts, show the application of the concepts and
then build on that to more complex ways of working.

with linux you learn how it works and them 
implement it. 
You make this sound so simple. Just how much does 'learn how it works'
cover? How much effort is expended on 'then implement it'. (Such a
wonderfully short phrase <g>)

I've been earning a living by working - on a small scale - with
computers for 20 odd years; Linux is just another bunch of software that
has good points and bad points. Ease of implementation is not yet a
*universal* good point. With my limited knowledge, I can make Linux work
on most of the computers I own but not always. I can usually get mail /
network / printer working - but not always. Sometimes it's a couple of
hours, sometimes a couple of days.

But exactly the same caveats apply to MS in its various flavours. There
have always been tricky cases but these are usually in the minority.

- with MS it is supposed to work out of the box - and when 
it doesn't you just reinstall/bang about until parts of it do work - and 
then later on it will stop working anyway :o)
A lot of *users* expect it to work out of the box. But then they would
expect Linux to work out of the box. Anybody that's been around
computers for a while will know to expect some problems.

To get back on topic ...

I'm interested in Linux in Schools. I don't have any departmental
responsibility but I can and do mention alternatives when there are
technical / budgeting / licensing problems. What's been missing is any
detailed information and knowledge on my part. Perhaps this event will
help.

Regards
-- 
Mike Callaghan
Newquay, Cornwall
PGP key available from http://www.at.pgp.net/pgpnet/wwwkeys.html
PGP Fingerprint: AB64 C466 8DCA DF48  8382 3F63 FC36 BAEF

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