On Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:24:54 +0200 (CEST) [email protected] wrote: > Hello Everyone, > > To start I just wanted to say a big Thank You for all that Trisquel and the > Free Software Community archived in the years that passed. I remember that it > > was thanks to Ubuntu that I switched from Windows to Gnu/Linux, and now it > was thanks to Trisquel Gnu/Linux that I've switched to an Only Free Software > Distribution. > > As I already told in the topic name, I am a student. To be more specific I'm > a Software Engineering Student from Portugal (near Lisbon), and I've lived in > > France for 8 Years (so I speak 3 languages which is not bad at all :D). > > I've already sent an email to Richard Stallman asking about the same > question, and he gently answered me even knowing that he have a lot of work > to do (and I'm thankful for that). But I wanted the opinion by more Free > Software Users, because it is a big decision that I have to make. > > So here it is (I will just copy the exact email I sent, I don't really know > how to say it in other words, I hope my English is not that bad since it is > not my native language). > > > Hello Mr. Stallman, > > I know that you probably are a very busy man, so when you got the time if you > > could answer me I will be very thankful. Before starting I just wanted to say > > that I am from Portugal so my English may contain some grammatical errors, > excuse me in advance for that. > > Quick Story: > In 2004 I had my first computer with internet (before that, only old > computers (mostly Mac found on the garbage) and no internet connection), at > that time I was living in France and not here in Portugal. So when I got my > computer (knowing nothing about computers), I start using Windows XP, and > never found it very appellative ... In the end of 2005 I tried out Ubuntu for > > the first time. And I am free of Windows since January of this year (hurray > for myself). I still use some (necessary for my school) proprietary software, > > and I really wanted to get ride of those and switch from Arch Linux to a > distribution like gNewSense, or even Parabola but I have problems with my > University because of that, that is why I send this email. > > Now that I've probably bored you with my story I can finally start with my > real problem. > > I am at the first year of Software Engineer, and for a lot of professores it > was very hard to see a student with only Linux installed, they almost pushed > me to install Windows (even on a Virtual Machine) but I decline and had to > work with the alternatives (not a real problem here, some alternatives where > not as good but it doesn't matter), I had also the same problem with Wrote > Works that needed to be in Doc file (I solved that by only sending on .odt of > > .pdf). The real trouble started with Java, but mostly JavaFX, the final > project was in JavaFX so I had to use JavaFX SDK with OpenJDK in order to > make it work (but Oracle now don't have them separate, instead of that it is > necessary to install Oracle JavaSDK 7 to have access to JavaFX and that is a > shame). > > That year passed well, but I am really worried about the next 2 years because > > of those technologies : > - Adobe Flash (for Multimedia Course) > - C# with Windows Forms (for Programming Course) > - DirectX (They start teaching OpenGL 2 years ago, then they switched to Ogre > > and now they are teaching Directx.. Don't know if this will change but > still). > - Oracle and Microsoft SQLServer (Don't really know about the licence of the > first one, but the second one is really bothering me...) > (And I hope I don't forget any)... > > I know that alternatives to the software that I listed exist, but they won't > change soon their ideas, and alone I can't do the difference (I've tried > believe me... but when everyone even the students are against you and you > even have difficulties to pay for you studies... you don't have a lot of > chances..). > > So my final question is: > > What are my rights ? What can I, and what can't I do in order to continue > studying and learning the same as other without having to use those software > (at least on my machines). I already failed to one discipline because I > didn't use a software for UML with the right symbols that they wanted. I have > > courses only based on works done with proprietary software (I don't mind to > learn, but to be force to use them is another thing). > > > So what do you think I should do ? RMS Told me to try to make understand my > opinion and if they don't want to listen then just drop this bad school and > try to find my way with Free Software and with what I really believe, he even > > proposed me to put me in contact with people in the free software movement in > > Portugal (which would be awesome in my opinion :D). > > When I wrote this post I was thinking that maybe someone who will read this > (with a lot of patience since it is a huge text), had the same problem and > found a solution that he/she could share. > > I just hope that this long and badly wrote text didn't confused you. > > Thanks in Advance for all your help. > Best Regards, (From a Portuguese Student, adept of Gnu/Linux and Free > Software) >
Tambem sou portugues - mais moi je suis encore en France pour mes etudes. My english is poor and ugly, sorry. Je vais preferer le francais juste pour la, je ferai un court resume en anglais, car je souhaite partager mon avis dessus, et d'etre sur de bien me faire comprendre. De tout ce que tu racontes, je crois bien que tu as pris une bien mauvaise ecole. Toutes ces matieres qui impliquent des programmes privateurs, c'est devenu de plus en plus une reference malheureusement. Moi j'ai vecu ca, et c'est le logiciel libre qui m'a decide. J'etais en IUT pendant 2 ans, tu dois sans doute voir ce que c'est - ou pas, et pendant ces 2 ans, j'ai ete oblige de faire du flash, VB, VBA, access, windows server, ... ce n'est pas pire que toi, etant d'un niveau bien inferieur de tes etudes actuels. Bref, beaucoup choses ne m'ont pas plut la seconde annee de IUT, et j'ai decide de partir a l'universite, en premiere annee - cette annee, car de toute facon je n'allais pas avoir mon DUT. Je n'ai fais que deux ans, donc c'etait pas trop grave, je reprends du debut, et j'espere - car pour l'instant c'est pas sur - n'etre pas contraint par ces choses ideuses qui ne devraient pas etre dans l'apprentisage - ou au moins pas omnipresent. Je ne sais pas si je vais devoir sacrifier certaines notes, mais ce qui est sur c'est que meme pour une matiere ou un diplome, je ne suis plus capable de faire un effort pour une technologie qui imposerait une privacite. Ce qui me fais dire, que s'il faut je changerai d'ecole. Je ne vois rien et je n'ai rien vu d'autre pour ma part. Je ne sais pas s'il y aura mieux dans ton coin, je ne crois pas qu'il y ait autre chose a Lisbonne, mais avec autant de matieres qui imposent des technologies privatrice, t'arrivera pas a passer sans doute si tu ne les pratique pas. Pratiques les s'il faut pour ton diplome, on t'en voudra pas. Je sais plus quand il l'avait dit RMS - il a pas dut le dire qu'une fois, que jusqu'a mesure du possible, s'il n'y a pas d'autres alternatives, ou si c'est pour ameliorer ou passer sur du logiciel libre plus tard, de s'y remedier. ---- I was student during 2 years on a french school what learned softwares or technologies with privacity. I'm gone now, and i'm student of university on first year - no equivalence. Same story, but for me it's just 2 years out, i think you have to change school, or study them at all costs.
