[OS:N:] Re: Linux for Schools

["ekunin" <ekunin snet net>]

So the lady judge went for the M$ line, but she assures us she will monitor
Gates and company for five years. If she didn't get what's going on, there's
no chance she'll be any smarter in the immediate future.

Open source is all that remains to fight Gates. He's many things, lots of
them bad, but he's no fool. We would do well to take a few pages from his
book. It's all about how we relate to each other. When our son, a
Springsteen fan, got married, he had one of his brothers recite a
Springsteen lyric at the ceremony. It was the only time I heard it, so I
probably have it wrong. It was two people setting their rules. One says, "If
you get ahead of me, wait for me. If  I get ahead of you, I will wait for
you". The choice is to attempt equality and help each other, or to leave the
other in the dust. It is the difference between nurturing an "us" or being
hung up on "me". It is the difference between togetherness or separation.

This has implications for open source. The first is a need for the
oxymoronic sounding cooperative capitalism. If we want open source in
schools, we should attempt one operating system, our best including a DVD
capability so that schools all over the world can interact. We should be
able to agree that the overwhelming majority of schools have the same needs
and problems and one OS will do it. If there are a few schools with
telescopes who want to count stars, perhaps they can be accomodated somehow.
The point is we should go after the major market.

I am not sure of my ground here, but I suspect open source has moved a long
way from its roots. I'm guessing the differences between Red Hat 7.0 and 8.0
were developed in house and not on line like the original Linux. The school
OS should be developed on line with all the distros cooperating and
contributing their best. They can agree on how to split the profits when and
if they start coming in. If the thing takes off, the amount of money to be
made is staggering. Not only every school system at 40 bucks a pop, but kids
saying "Dad, we need Linux here at home".

It's a risk. Why should Red Hat with a market share and brand recognition
cooperate with anyone and why should I, who doesn't own a share of Red Hat
be so quick to have them take the chance? I say it's because that's how it
is. If we want things on this earth to change, we have to begin changing
what we can. It's a start that with luck can pay off big time.

The ideas of togetherness and simplicity have implications for computer
programming. We should forget about partitioning hard drives and install
Linux for Schools on a separate hard drive. Hard Drives are cheap and easily
installed. The separate drive insulates it from M$. Someone said Windows XP
seems to foster dueling partitions. Make no mistake. Mr. Gates sees open
source as his major competition and we know what he does to competition.
Separate drives makes everyone's life easier.

Appropos of that we should consider offering a choice as to how we label
drives. Windows uses a, c, d, etc. Linux uses hd0, 1, 2 etc. We should
permit the user to choose which system he wants with the default being the
Windows arrangement most people use.

We should also give the user the choice of seeing the list of what's
happening on the boot sequence. The Linux way of showing everything the
computer is doing is a nerdy, in your face, show offy way to people who have
no idea of what the various items mean. Windows does the same thing, but the
screen hangs or shows a green color while all this is going on. The user can
choose, but the default should be the Windows way.

That is all I have to say. Much of it I've said before so you will be
relieved to learn I won't say it again. If you don't see the need for and
advantages of one operating system, there's nothing I can do about it. Think
about how powerful Gate's monopoly would be if there were five competing and
incompatible Windows versions.

As I've said, I'm having trouble with my Red Hat Linux 7.0. Got "Red Had
Linux 6 Fast and Easy" by Coletta and Craig Witherspoon. Thought it would
help, but I'm getting error messages I don't understand. I'm trying to
install Star Office 5.2 and I don't think my CD Rom is properly mounted. If
anyone is interested in helping me out, please contact me off  list. I
promise to try to not be too large a pain in the neck.

Finally, my son sent these computer haiku. They're off the subject, but
they're clever. I hope you enjoy them. We might try haiku error messages in
Linux for Schools.

In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft Error
messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction
rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables: five syllables in the
first line, seven in the second, five in the third. Haikus are used to
communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and
powerful insight through extreme brevity-the essence of Zen:

-----------------------------

Your file was so big.

It might have been so useful.

But now it is gone.

----------------------------

The Website you seek

Cannot be located, but

Countless more exist.

-----------------------------

Chaos reigns within.

Reflect, repent, and reboot.

Order shall return.

-----------------------------

Program aborting:

Close all that you have worked on.

You ask far too much.

-----------------------------

Windows NT crashed.

I am the Blue Screen of Death.

No one hears your screams.

-----------------------------

Yesterday it worked

Today it is not working.

Windows is like that.

-----------------------------

First snow, then silence.

This thousand-dollar screen dies

So beautifully.

-----------------------------

With searching comes loss

And the presence of absence:

"My Novel" not found.

-----------------------------

The Tao that is seen

Is not the true Tao-until

You bring fresh toner.

-----------------------------

Stay the patient course.

Of little worth is your ire.

The network is down.

-----------------------------

A crash reduces

Your expensive computer

To a simple stone. (boat anchor)

-----------------------------

Three things are certain:

Death, taxes and lost data.

Guess which has occurred.

-----------------------------

You step in the stream,

But the water has moved on.

This page is not here.

-----------------------------

Out of memory.

We wish to hold the whole sky,

But we never will.

-----------------------------

Having been erased,

The document you're seeking

Must now be retyped.

-----------------------------

Serious error.

All shortcuts have disappeared.

Screen. Mind. Both are blank.


Ed Kunin
http://www.egalite.om