[plug] MS Curriculum at schools and TAFEs ...

[hooli]

On Sunday 22 April 2001 13:01, Adam Ashley wrote:
> Well speaking as someone who is currently doing one of those courses at ECU
> I would have to agree with you. The closest term I can find what this
> course covers would have to be propaganda.

Me too, at Murdoch

> I find it very hard to sit through one of the classes without correcting
> the lecturer or cracking up laughing. But hey, its really easy credit
> towards my degree :)

I don't have the opportunity to be at a lecture live and serve it up, but I 
have been frustrated no end at times with notes and other such material being 
soley produced in word for example.  Other instances include having to 
purchase Matlab when Octave is bloody marvellous, Frontpage I am told is THE 
only way to produce a web site.  The graphics programs to use are Photoshop 
or Paintshop Pro, and Powerpoint is just the beez neez....

Having said that,  I do know of some folk at Murdoch that prefer any brand of 
OS other than M$.  Sheesh BSD even!  Unfortunately they don't seem to be 
involved in the curricula.

On a different branch, an anonymous sysadmin in the State Education 
Department mentioned that under some funky licensing arrangement, he and 
other chalkies need only pay for the media that M$ products are stored on.  
Is this the situation with tertiary instituions?  That being the case, it 
seems like we're pushing the proverbial up a hill.  

In light of Mr Richard Sharpe's comments

> Perhaps the biggest effects are:
>
> 1. It creates a perception among future technologists that there is only
>    one solution, one way of doing things: The Microsoft way.
>
> 2. It creates a nation of technology users, not technology producers.
>    It seems to me that these people are then totaly dependent on
>    someone else's technology, and are far less likely to create their
>    own technology for our future benefit.

I fear the same outcome.  I have discussed these kinds of issues with a 
family member who is a chalkie. I argue that it is all good and well to use 
pre-fab tools, but what about the time that you need to roll your own?  What 
fantastic educational value is any program that comes with source code.  
Logic, abstraction, mathematics, kludging....  but for me to say that to this 
list is like selling ice to eskimoes.  Fortunately, he is willing to give it 
a go, despite the FUD of going against M$ instilled in him whilst at uni.


Cheers
Jason