[Linux-bruxelles] Re: [Activists-ael] Re: Campagne logiciel libre dans l'education

[Pettiaux Nicolas]

Le Mardi 18 Juin 2002 12:55, Peter Vandenabeele a écrit :

> A few months ago I offered to the school of my children to give them a
> few PC's with Linux and Free Software installed for free (0 $). They did
> not want them because the standard edcuational programs (from 2 Dutch
> suppliers), did not run on them, so they deemed the PC's with Linux to be
> valueless :-(

What did the computer you proposed offer the other did NOT have ?

At La Futaie, we delt with the case stating that we would bring some help too 
with free software and none with proprietary ones. We also showed that most 
of the "usual activities" (aka office works, internet, games) would be 
doable. 

I suppose this made most of the difference.

>
> In Holland there is a grand meeting on this subject (Linux and Free SW in
> education) around this time and I told them to make sure that they get
> in contact with the major suppliers of educational SW to bring out versions
> for Linux.
>
> As always, it are the applications (educational packaes, games, ...) that
> drive the market. And there, you have a closed circle: application vendors
> don't bring out for other platforms, the platform is not sold because of no
> applications, etc. Also for the application builders, it is actually easier
> if there are less platforms (less different versions to build, test,
> maintain), so they really have no heavy drive to start supporting yet
> another platform.

> How to break this loop ... ?

One way could be to go to another ground:

Have you tried the following:

tell the teacher and the parents (it worked with many of them):

Do you realize that with the current situation, you either tell the student 
NOT to share and teach them that sharing information is BAD when 
there is NO physical limitation that prevent sharing, or you teach them not 
to respect the law and illegally copy software and other information ?

Nicolas

-- 
Nicolas Pettiaux
OpenBe