Linux as a platform

Wed Oct 11 23:28:01 UTC 2006

I agree Simon.  And believe it or not Maddog (Hall) and I have had this
discussion several times over the past couple of years.  It's
true....resistance is futile.  I see what awesome things are happening in
Indiana and also here in the Northeast....it's getting to be a big
snowball.  On the K12OS list there was a post recently by a guy who is
dismayed by the Open Source offerings at a recent conference in his
area...I replied to him (the list) and I'll post it here.  I know it
appears as if I'm boasting....and perhaps I am, but my intent is to show
others how to "build the snowball and push it down the hill".....so to
speak.  FOSS as a concept, in my opinion, has enough merit to stand all on
it's own.  It's the right thing to do.  It's when we as tech directors and
the like begin making a big deal out of it that we actually contribute to
it's slow adoption.  The idea is to "Just do it".  I too am a  classroom
teacher in addition to being a tech director and Linux zealot.  I
understand where they come from and that they simply don't care too much
about what the software is all about....they simply want it to work.  When
we (myself included...as I learned the hard way) make a big deal about
it....it raises their "hackles".  My reply to the guy I mentioned above is
below this...it's not Ubuntu specific, but it can be....in fact there are
many schools here in the Northeast beginning to use Edubuntu with LTSP in
place of K12LTSP....or as their installation of first choice (for those
just starting out).  This is a great thing...Edubuntu is awesome and I'm
hoping that over time more and more schools adopt it!

*snip*

Maine has their annual big tech conference this Friday and there are
several Open Source offerings for folks to attend....and guess what?  This
year I am not presenting!  Why is this important?  It shows how far we've
come....the movement has spread beyond just a select few....and has now
reached the others.  The biggest thing I have learned over the past few
years is "Just do it".  Don't spend too much time making a big deal about
it....or pontificating about the value of FOSS or projecting a "holier
than thou" attitude about FOSS.  Simply start using it as if it were any
other piece of software.  Conduct workshops on how to use it...just like
anything else....and then when folks ask about how much it costs or how to
get it....then explain briefly a little bit about FOSS and so forth, but
not too much....as it's human nature to assume "Free" is substandard.  WE
as linux geeks...understand the concept, many do not.  They can be won
over, but it's a slow process.  Once you understand that....then and only
then can you begin "winning" them over.  You'll eventually see things get
to a point where there will be a paradigm shift in thinking and suddenly
there will be more widespread adoption.  Maine has a one-to-one laptop
program that is now in it's second round (5th year).  We have Apple iBooks
for every 7th and 8th grader in the entire state.  It's a program that has
worked wonders for us here in Maine. (I certainly wish they were Linux
laptops, but at least they're not Windows laptops) Not every state or
district has had the same success, but I attribute some of the success to
the attitude behind technology in our state in the first place.  The image
that was created for the laptop project this time around (we are on our
second full-scale deployment...as the laptops are part of a 4 year lease
program...we are in our 5th year...so this year we have all new laptops)
has a number of Open Source titles on it.  NeoOffice, GIMP, Cyberduck, and
a bunch more.  Now think about this...the image was created by the project
team (Apple folks and state DOE folks) based on input and lessons learned
from the past.  We have come a long way.  Now every 7th and 8th grader in
Maine is using FOSS on a daily basis....no one made a big deal out of
it....it just happened.  This is cool....now kids are downloading and
installing OpenOffice on their home computers to be more compatible with
NeoOffice (mac version of OO).  They're asking me for copies of the Ubuntu
Live CD so they can use OO and GIMP...etc....at home.  When  I present at
conferences about LTSP....I tell folks...don't ask for permission and go
before the school board etc.....just do it....roll out an LTSP lab....let
it show everyone how it works and saves money and build on that success. 
If you make a big deal out of it...folks will become naturally defensive,
but if you install it with little fanfare and simply show that it works
without interfering with the general flow of things....you'll turn
heads....slowly, but they'll start to see...."hey, this can work".  As for
the vendors and the sour looks....in Maine...more and more vendors are
realizing that if they don't develop Linux versions....they're going to
get left behind.  It's amazing how many vendors each year show up at this
conference with a new attitude and a new product line geared toward Linux.
 Just like in Field of Dreams....build it and they will come  (or come
around). 

*snip*

"Support list for open source software in schools." <k12osn at redhat.com>
writes:
>I'd like to add what Robert has said.
>
>I just came from ITEC (Iowa Technology and Education Connection).  I
>looked and looked for open source seminars there, and really only
>heard 3 where open source software was mentioned, Moodle being the
>only FOSS project to have its own seminar.  The rest only had open
>source mentioned in passing.  Most vendors got a sour look on their
>face when I mentioned open source, with the exception of the people
>selling the web/mail/spam/virus filter appliances.    Of course their
>stuff was built on open source, but they packaged it all together to
>work nicely.
>
>In one seminar, entitled "The Great OS War of 2007", the speaker
>mentioned Linux at the very tail end of his seminar, saying that it
>was "still in development" and "comparable to Mac OS8 or Windows 95 in
>its development stage".  I really didn't agree with that last comment,
>but here's the "expert"  (actually, this guy was a Mac fanatic) giving
>his opinion as fact to everyone that Linux "may be ready by 2009".
>
>It discouraged me so much that I intend to do 2 presentations, one on
>FOSS in general (with an emphasis on mostly cross-platform
>applications), and another on K12LTSP.
>
>[my turn on the soapbox]
>While I know shame isn't always the best motivator, I intend to share
>my opinion that any district that DOESN'T adopt open source software
>obviously has too much money to waste.  Most of those here in Iowa are
>rather pragmatic, and if you can get something that does what you want
>for a good price, you get it.  If it's free, even better.  To me, its
>like a smoker who complains about not having enough money for
>rent/gas/food/children's school supplies.  Perhaps if they were
>smarter about how they spend their money, re-consider what's really
>necessairy and what isn't, they would have the money to cover
>necessairy things.  If we weren't addicted to commercial software, we
>can accomplish the job, and still have money for things that are
>needed like that new roof for the high school, an upgraded electrical
>system, new plumbing, that new addition to the grade school (all
>things our district currently needs to pay for).
>[/end soapbox]
>
>So consider any reply you make to this thread as one that I may
>potentially be discussing at ITEC 2007.  I'm always up for more good
>ways to convince people FOSS is the way.
>Thanks,
>Eric

*End of snips*  :-)   There was a lot more to the thread....you can see
the rest in the K12OSN list archives.  

"Simon Ruiz" <sruiz at mccsc.edu> writes:
>There is hope.
> 
>Let me tell you why I feel this way.
> 
>My state is funding Linux computers in 1:1 computing classroom
>environments. I see Open Source coming to schools, because I'm on the
>front lines fighting to give the project a breath, a fighting chance. My
>battle has been to provide support as a newbie when the established
>technical support stucture decided this project wasn't worth it, I've so
>far just been battling to have the computers up and running and all the
>essential services functional.
> 
>I never get enough time to improve the system, recently, but I'm hoping I
>soon will.
> 
>Free software will win this fight, it's just a matter of when. I see the
>free software coming in sort of like a snowball rolling down a snowy
>hill--small at first, and maybe slow, but if it can get started it will
>pick up velocity and mass until it's futile to try to step in its way.
> 
>I see free software rolling in, and proprietary content vendors are going
>to either jump on board or be left behind.
> 
>Not EXACTLY related to free, libre, open source software, but I also see
>big promise in open educational content.
> 
>Although I don't see an end to proprietary content creators, I do think
>they're going to eventually be a supplement to the standard curriculum,
>not be the bedrock upon which the standard curriculum is built.
> 
>And I'll put my own soapbox away for now.
> 
>Simón
>
>________________________________
>
>From: edubuntu-devel-bounces at lists.ubuntu.com on behalf of Andy Trevor
>Sent: Tue 10/10/2006 3:39 PM
>To: edubuntu-devel
>Subject: Re: Linux as a platform
>
>
>
>Soapbox going away now
>
>--
>Regards
>
>Andy Trevor
>
>Technical Director
>Cutter Project Limited
>http://www.cutterproject.co.uk
>
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David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Director
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcsvikings.org
(207)923-3100