Should schools be using linux?

[darkstarbyte]

I know MS products and I do NOT like what I know.

From cp/m and GEM to SV4 I have preferred non MS products. I am now retired after 38 years in computing (mostly mainframe but including Solaris etc.) and now have Ubuntu in Wubi, Virtualbox (inside XP, Vista, W7 and Ubuntu), and on partitions main drive and external USB drives (I love testing in all situations).

Yes - Linux should be taught in schools alongside all Operating Systems available free or at low cost to schools - eventually the best will float to the top.

In my opion they should be taught side by side till one wins or just give the students the option on some to the computers. Which can also save money. So teachers can keep there pay check stable I was looking at one high school who bought 60 brand new computers at $1000 dollars a peace no grants or scholorships provided so it was out of the pocket. also that school has been facing alot of cut back ever since then. They could have put linux on about 10 and saved 600 dallars in ms software.

[cprofitt]

Im not sure that familiarity with an OS makes a big difference.

Just my opinion.

The issue with familiarity does not apply to the student, but it does to the instructor. If the instructor is not familiar with the system they will not be able to teach it well. Also, when teaching a subject other than computer science where the computer is just a tool in the learning process familiarity allows for greater productivity.

In general the issue is not price for the educational institution; Microsoft gives a very nice discount. In the states the other issue is that 'aid' money is put in buckets such as hardware, software, etc. Removing the cost with FOSS software could result in money that could not be spent because it is now in the 'wrong' bucket. Though to be honest if an educational institution was going to depend on Linux they might want to have a support contract and that should come from the 'software' bucket.

As an advocate who has presented at educational technology shows I have a strong opinion formed from discussing the issue with hordes of educators. The problem is not just the OS, but the applications that run on top of it. My current belief is that we should first advocate for a switch to FOSS applications that are cross platform (OS X, Windows, Linux); once the application stack can move to a new OS the resistance is no longer there.

Regardless of what OS is used in the non-comp sci curriculum I do agree that Linux should be taught along side other OSes.

[sataris]

I think schools should be using linux its cheaper especialy during massive budget cuts and more secure. I talked to alot of sysadmins and they tell me the same thing over and over if linux gets as big as windows it will start getting viruses but i keep saying is that you have file permissions to prevent this and its open source so if one does appear you can patch the thing because they have alot of programmers working for them so put them to work then they bring up the argument that the amount of linux viruses has doubled in recent years so i do the math linux controls about 3% or so of all computers and they say it has about 100 viruses and windows has about 90% of all the computers and has about 1,122,311 written in 2007 alone right according to

http://www.cknow.com/cms/vtutor/number-of-viruses.html

for linux

http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT3307459975.html

some anti-viruses have reported 30,000 new ones every day.
90 / 3 = 30 and 1,122,311 / 100 = 11223.11 see how much higher the ratio is opposed to the amount of people use it is there are more than 11223.11 times more virus for windows than linux so linux does not have more viruses than windows.


Give me your opion please.

Having went through Elementary, Middle, and Highschool computer courses, I can say no. Not ever.

The "tech" guys that work for these schools have some garbage Associates Degree in Computer Networking or some crap and are 99% useless.

The "teachers" that actually teach computers are more prone to read word for word out of their lesson plan, as they can only do email using Outlook themselves.

Installing linux in western schools that are NOT Technology based, would only
a.) Cause the already horrendous grades fall lower as both the teachers and students would likely be lost
b.) Cause curiosity in a very small amount of students, but turn 90% or so of them away from every touching anything thats not Microsoft
c.) Create even more script kiddie omg1337 haxxors.

[Grenage]

Surely the OP question is about changing the perceptions of society to educate them by introducing the unfamiliar and telling them they have a choice

Indeed, and I imagine that most people would choose not to learn an OS that they will probably never need to use again.

they are not obliged to accept mediocrity.

Alas, a personal opinion. I think that the main MS products (Office/Windows) are very good, and by far the best solution for most business environments.

[Shompol]

This is a recurring discussion, but...


Not really, or at least primarily. Windows is what most of the world uses, so it makes sense that they learn something they can actually use. Some Linux schooling would probably be beneficial, and Macs not so much.

That's not going to be the case by the time those kids become adults. The world is changing, I would say to the better. I think US is going to be the last to switch, but it's the world you are talking about.

Look at IE vs Firefox. Windows will eventually follow the suite. Linux only became sufficiently user friendly in the last few years. I expect things to change either withing a decade, or when the current generation of "we only know windows" sysadmins becomes extinct

[darkstarbyte]

Only if its marketed right like firefox.

[sataris]

I have rethought (slightly) my previous post.

Linux should only be tought outside of college/tech schools/or advanced highschools (college prep tech schools) when Linux manages to secure ~20%+ of the market share for desktop operating systems.

Maybe then, all of the problems, issues, and fractured communities will be looked at with serious eyes.

Or you never know, if google made Goobuntu available for widespread usage, then maybe it would be viable.

[SuperPetRalf]

Dont schools and educational facilities get massive and I mean massive discounts, As a charity I paid about £30 for Windows Server 2008 and the CALs are about a £1 each, and thats not in bulk. So the cost isn't such a big issue.

I think it is more important to give Children what they are likely to use in real life, as remember many of them 90%, I recon are not and dont want to be particularly tech savvy. How many of you have worked on support and got a call along the lines of:

"help me, I'VE LOST THE INTERNET!"
"Sorry, you've lost the internet?"
"YES!"
"...umm"
"That little blue 'E', I can't find it anywhere"

Secondly if it become as popular as Windows then I think the amount of attack will go up, not necessarily infections, remember there are other ways to attack PCs.

Still thats just my opinion, please comment

SuperP

[mikewhatever]

There is a major movement towards schools using Linux in Russia. Apparently, the Education Ministry is not going to provide MS software to schools after Dec 31 2010. After that date, schools can either use Linux or negotiate deals with MS on their own.
The advantages are numerous, but the one often overlooked is - it's free to use and redistribute, so that, not only schools, but also students can get the software.

[puddytat1975]

I'm new to Linux/Ubuntu and don't yet have any strong opinions on this topic, but I believe that being exposed to a variety of computers/OS's is a great opportunity for students to learn.

Looking back at my school years I realize I grew up during an amazing time technologically. In elementary school back in the mid-80s we used Apples in school. Our first home computer was an old Tandy running DOS and I wasn't exposed to Windows until high school.

Kids these days don't seem to get the kind of variety we older people got growing up and I don't believe that's a good thing. I say the more exposure they get to as many different platforms as possible the better. It all leads to a better understanding of computers in general.