Home Messages Index
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Author IndexDate IndexThread Index

Re: Apple Store / Linux Store

  • Subject: Re: Apple Store / Linux Store
  • From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2005 10:00:23 +0000
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • Organization: schestowitz.com / MCC / Manchester University
  • References: <pan.2005.11.18.11.34.09.156086@1.invalid> <dll14l$oip$1@tux.glaci.com> <pan.2005.11.19.05.32.55.130305@1.invalid> <0qzff.88$_f6.12692@news.uswest.net> <dlpcp9$6eg$1@tux.glaci.com> <ld7i63-kkr.ln1@ellandroad.demon.co.uk>
  • Reply-to: newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • User-agent: KNode/0.7.2
__/ [Mark Kent] on Wednesday 07 December 2005 05:09 \__

> begin  oe_protect.scr
> thad01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <thad01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> espoused:
>> Oxford - <cola@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>>> 
>>> the linux community needs to do something that's for sure, linux is
>>> totally out of the public's mindset, at least in the states, and fading
>>> in europe. not sure what the costs would be to have a kiosk for a
>>> weekend, probably $500-$1000 or so, surely the local linux community
>>> could pony up those funds, the exposure is needed now more than ever.
>> 
>> I see interest in Linux growing here, in Europe, and just about
>> everywhere else on the planet.  It is certainly on the increase in
>> the business world, and that is inevitably leading to expansion of
>> the home user market.  Nevertheless, it would be interesting to try
>> the kiosk idea and see what kind of reaction it received.
>> 
>> My girlfriend has thought about opening a coffee house (the only
>> one in our neighborhood closed recently).  If we did it, I would
>> certainly run Linux on the obligatory Internet access computers
>> and provide CD burners for people to bring in blanks and burn
>> disks of open source software.
>> 
> 
> Linux is spreading like a blaze at the moment.  It's been mandated for
> all schools in the UK.  There are approximately 23,000 schools here, I'd
> guesstimate at a 5 in 1 proportion of primary to secondary, so we'd have
> approximately 19,000 primary schools and 4,000 secondary schools.  The
> primaries probable have around 30 PCs each, the secondaries probably
> more like 120 each.  That's a /lot/ of infrastructure, but also note
> that once the schools get it, many parents will want it at home.
> Fortunately, it'll be free!


Are you sure it has been mandated for all schools?! I am aware of some
progress here in Manchester:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4642461.stm

I am also aware of at least one large school that is using Open Source for
teaching, Namely Moodle at Parrs Wood. Of course there are plenty more such
schools, but the desktop, the 'student-facing front', is the key challenge,
milestone or barrier (depending on how you look at it).


> The NHS have just done a deal with Novell/SuSe for servers and desktops.
> The NHS is the governments single largest department, consuming the
> biggest single share of government spending.
> 
> There's no need for kiosks or whatever - this is way beyond that now.
> The tipping point has been passed, it's now just a matter of time.


It'll be most interesting to see the effect of such moves when the child
yells to dad "But I want Linux. We use it at school and it's so much
better". The learning curve needs a 180.

Roy

-- 
Roy S. Schestowitz      |    Y |-(1^2)|^(1/2)+1 K
http://Schestowitz.com  |    SuSE Linux     |     PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
  9:50am  up   7:01,  4 users,  load average: 0.11, 0.35, 0.91
      http://iuron.com - next generation of search paradigms

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Author IndexDate IndexThread Index