[Linux-bruxelles] Campagne logiciel libre dans l'education

[Jean-Charles de Longueville]

Le Tue, 18 Jun 2002 18:26:20 +0200
"Pettiaux Nicolas" <nicolas.pettiaux at ael.be> ecrivit:

> Le Mardi 18 Juin 2002 14:08, Herman Bruyninckx a écrit :
> 
> > > How to break this loop ... ?
> >
> > There is only one way: try to convince on of the important players
> > in the market to release something for Linux. The rest of them will
> > follow, no problem. That's the way that the databases, the
> > supercomputers, the servers, the special effects industries, etc.
> > have behaved in the last four or five years. Most IT people are
> > followers anyway :-)
> >
> > So, the problem is convincing one of them. Or, in the context of
> > education, convincing the Ministery is equally well. In this
> > respect,
> 
> This is the way I am exploring now, approaching a Ministery and have
> them help distribute info and maybe CD with free software. 
> 
> I realize a first step would be to help the teacher to use free
> software on windows. THis is a way to ease with the transition. 

I agree with this point. My personnal path enforce this. I was young
researcher at brussels free university and I had knowledge of Delphi on
windows as development platform. I discovered open source trough
postware (when you have to send a postcard to the initial code writer).
the about a year later, i heard about open-source OS... this was linux.
the rest is history ;-)

> > it would help a lot if the Belgian Free Software companies could
> > work out a credible support scheme; without such a ``guaranteed
> > success'' Education will not be keen on switching to support Free
> > Software any time soon...
> 
> This is VERY important indeed, and this is the reason I have gathered 
> information about companies offering support around Debian in Belgium
> at the beginning of the year (information that I have not yet put
> together nor published !) 
> 
> I plan to put that online when I can

This was the reason Carl Devos answered that survey on behalf on Hellea,
the result of the previous story ;-)

I'm committed to the use of open-source OS and software in education.
Teachers are indeed the keys. but politician lobbying is needed...

I was'nt totally convinced about that till recently when I attended to
some meeting about "internet et developpement" at the european
parlement... I was astonished by the industrial lobbyist and their FUD
launched at the face of the politician being there... Free Software badly
needs opposing lobbyist in those same cenacles...

just my 5 eurocents

jch