On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 11:20 AM, Greg DeKoenigsberg <g...@redhat.com> wrote: > On Thu, 15 Apr 2010, Shlomi Fish wrote: > >> I don't want to discourage Teaching Open Source or other efforts, but we >> should consider whether forcing young people to get involve in FOSS >> development against their will would be beneficial in the long run. > > I agree: this shouldn't be about forcing people to get involved. It > should be about providing the *opportunity* to get involved in a > structured way.
I like to view working on FOSS as another form of community service or volunteering. Everyone has gifts and skills and it is each person's responsibility to use them to better the world. My wife is not a computer nerd but she studied journalism and is great editor and reviewer. She files bug reports or gets me to fix things she spots. This is her gift to this domain. But her real gifts are in other areas and she volunteers those gifts where they benefit those (non-software) communities. Understanding the FOSS model is important for everyone but it is one part of a broader community involvement. Showing students how their gifts can benefit the community is important. But if this isn't their passion, they should find a better outlet where their skills can be appreciated. I feel like that turned into a philosophical rant. I hope it made sense. Evangelism and stewardship aren't just about FOSS. :) --joel sherrill RTEMS > --g > > -- > Educational materials should be high-quality, collaborative, and free. > Visit http://opensource.com/education and join the conversation. > _______________________________________________ > tos mailing list > tos@teachingopensource.org > http://teachingopensource.org/mailman/listinfo/tos > _______________________________________________ tos mailing list tos@teachingopensource.org http://teachingopensource.org/mailman/listinfo/tos
