Let's not forget the target: - free (fsf style if possible) knowledge to
everyone.
The platform is not important , as long as it's not limiting.
For the young ones, there is no answer in GNU and others afaik.
For older kids, there are plenty of tools and resources. I mentioned earlier
phpbb which is an excellent
example. You should see the joy of this kids when they dwell into the
source, change it and immediately
see the results - not to mention the cultural experience using public
forums. It's just the beginning:
they share ideas and modifications to the software - minute as it comes but
I think you are getting my point.
they couldn't have been free to do so unless it was free. I remember that I
wanted to install the Turtle (it's a program
from Matah I think used to teach VERY young kids) and I found out that it's
not free and thus only few
could afford it. WHY? It's public money and it should be free.
Now I'm getting to my point, so please wake up :)
*****************************************************
Every software developed with public money should be free, FSF style.
******************************************************
I think that MOE should be the first target because in education, lame
security (MOD style) excuses will not hold
and at least formally, education is free and equal.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tzafrir Cohen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Ely Levy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, January 03, 2003 12:48 AM
Subject: Re: Edu in linux
> I'd like to try to give a summary of some of the points raised in this
> thread:
>
> On Thu, 2 Jan 2003, Ely Levy wrote:
>
> > Hey,
> > I wanted to raise a discussion about the intergation of linux on schools
> > and kindergardens around israel.
> > there are few questions that come to mind.
>
> There are a number of approches:
>
> Some people consider the option of totally replacing windows.
>
> Others considered partial replacement, where possible.
>
> >
> > 1)What programs does schools/kindergarden uses?
> > 2)How many of them already use linux?
>
> No name was given specifically. Just a vague claim that "some use linux
> for a number of years". On the server side or on the client side?
>
> > 3)What can linux offer that windows can't?
>
> - lower software cost
> - lower hardware cost (?)
> - development environment
> - Compared to win9x: a real OS, with solid networking support, with proper
> users system, remote control and such facilities
> - Compared to w2k and XP: Hardware requirements, and others
>
> Anybody tried to take a look at existing linux programs (e.g: TuxTyping?):
>
> - linux comes with a wealth of programs out-of-the-{cd|network} .
> Well-integrated (a least in debian). Quite easy to build a customized
> system from a major distro.
>
> > 4)What kind of problems might they get into while trying to move to
linux?
>
> * Existing windows-only knowledge:
> - managers making decisions
> - existing support contracts
> - Matach software
> * Hebrew supprot is not yet solid
> * running specialized applications: Matach programs, and other existing
> programs.
>
> > 5)Where are the places that linux might be most needed?
>
> My opinion:
>
> See what linux can do, and where there are schools that need it. There are
> many 486-s and pentuims in schools, that ned to be better-used. Whereever
> a school considerd using XP, the "junk" PCs should be utilized by linux
> for:
>
> - web browsing
> - development classes (C, C++, logo, perl, php, python, whatever)
>
> There are many computers today still running Borland C 3.1 on DOS. Some of
> them are even used for C++, even though that compiler is a horrible C++
> compiler (as it was written at around 1990)
>
> Such computers should be replaced with linux, because linux simply has
> more to offer (legal note: the TC IDE is not freely-distributable, IIRC.
> There are some nice linux clones, however).
>
> > 6)Does matach does programs which can't be replaced by opensourced
> > programs?
>
> Aparanetly: No
>
> My opinion: first get some computers inside schools, and then there will
> be pressure on Matach. In the mean-while: run it on wine, if it is very
> important.
>
>
>
> BTW: I've read this thread with pine 4.50 . unicode support is not yet
> there, but threading-view support is finally here (a-la-mutt)
>
> --
> Tzafrir Cohen
> mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://www.technion.ac.il/~tzafrir
>
>
> =================================================================
> To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
> the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
> echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
=================================================================
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
