On Mon, Dec 01, 2003 at 10:16:20PM -0000, john@rygannon.com wrote:
----- Original Message ----- From: "Colin McQueen"
To: Sent: Monday, December 01, 2003 9:43 PM Subject: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: An Open Source National curriculum John Dean
wrote: On Monday 01 December 2003 21:10, Colin McQueen wrote:
"ICT Support Officer"
wrote: The bottom line is anyone coming over from the dark side WILL have to compromise or make a sacrifice to time in some areas. The world WOULD be a better place but then people should be allowed to choose. If they choose proprietary then so be it.
Just one little point here. At the end of the day, it is the tax
payers
money that schools are putting to good use (or more appropriately; wasting). I am a tax payer and it shames me to find that thousands of pounds are wasted on Propriety products in schools. That is why UK is such an expensive country to live in. Do school governors think that this money grows on trees. It's your money and my money they deduct from our salaries.
I see your point but I am not convinced that its a terrible waste of money. How does open source get created.?
With a computer, compiler, linker, set of function libraries and a lot of time and effort, that's how it gets created
Much the same way that any software is created. Though the most obvious difference is that it tends to be rather easier to find who actually wrote OSS than proprietary software.
Where do these people get the time?
We make time. Three years of my life have gone into my project, Rekall
When it comes to handling proprietary software "we" often appear to be expected to find time. I wouldn't get very far if I told people "Sorry I don't have time to find out enough about WinXP to sort out your LFT".
If you don't know the answer to that question then you should be on this list
I am on this list ;-) I still don't know the answer. i'd love to have the time to support open source by creating but work, other causes and family take up too much time (not in that order of priority) and do come first
You attitude suggests to me that you would never make it in the OS movement. We give up our spare time because we believe in what we are doing is for the common good. You would do well to read Richard M. Stallman's book, "The Cathedral and the Bazzar" then you will know a little bit about what
Or even Eric Raymond's paper of that name :)
motivates the Open Scourse Movement. Believe me it has nothing to do with saving the Government money, or your school for that matter.
-- Mark Evans St. Peter's CofE High School Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109 Fax: +44 1392 204763