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

[Kevin Shackleton]

skribe wrote:
> 
> BTW has PLUG, or any of its members, given thought to putting forward a
> proposal to the State govt to encourage them to adopt linux/*BSD in
> preference to *doze/mac solutions? I speak in total ignorance on the matter,
> but it seems a worthwhile cause, particularly given it lessens the number of
> tax dollars going to MS on licences etc.  Probably a useless cause and likely
> to be a lot of work in any case but I can't remember seeing it discussed here
> before/recently.
> 
Speaking from the experience of having solved most of the problems that
NT caused, and having to turn off my Linux solution, you have to bear in
mind that middle management, who make these decisions, are not exposed
to current trends and will cruise in their comfort zone, going along
with "no-one ever lost their job by specifying Microsoft" (originally
"IBM")

Push Linux into less regulated departments.  Surprisingly, schools are
an excellent venue - they're everywhere, you can save them loads of
money and the story ebbs upstream to the Office of Information and
Communications.

One area that an enterprising person could get into and possibly make
squillions (if not shafted by Telstra) is in providing WAN services.  A
typical remote country town with 10 state government departments pays 10
* $18000 a year for 64 kbit ISDN WAN connection.  It'd be fairly easy to
set up a local concentrator - everyone talks to somewhere in Perth.  I
reckon you would be able to halve the cost of WAN connections and still
pay off your gear in a year.  And, you would be able to offer all these
value-added things like internet access without needing to go through
the head office gateway!

K.