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

[Peter Wright]

On Mon, Apr 23, 2001 at 03:25:42PM +0800, Simon Scott wrote:
> 	Nice post :) All true ofcourse.  Good luck with the Education
> Minister, but alas he will probably be too busy wasting tax dollars to read
> your proposal.

<humour>
I believe wasting tax dollars is actually written into the job description.
</humour>

> As for Nick, I think most people here recognize a brick-wall when they
> see one.

I don't think he's a brick wall.

> The guy obviously puts zero research into his articles,

Oooooh.... gross generalisation.... and "obviously"?

> otherwise he would never have had to ask on this list. He could have
> grabbed a distro and checked it for himself. 

He's in the process of doing just that. However, remember that limitations
of time mean that the more value he extracts from this sort of hands-on
research, the more time it takes... Just "checking it" is not a simple
process (or if it is, do you feel like writing a Checking-It-HOWTO for
journalists? :-).

He asked "us" for some information for the same reason that any journalists
consult experts (or a reasonable approximation thereof) - they try to
extract reasonably realiable information quickly, and do some limited form
of verification on said information (at least in this case getting
information from different sources). 

>	 However it is probably a good idea to let Nick think we know where he is
> coming from, otherwise we might be further segregated as 'Linux Geeks' in
> his 'column' (I use this word loosely).

Hopefully not, no. If we're going to raise the profile of Linux in general
(in Perth at least), any attention from the media should be encouraged.
_Especially_ if said media is willing to listen and be corrected.

> 	On second thoughts, I disagree with you (ever so slightly) on 1
> point. To the average consumer, the OS *is* the apps. Looking at a nice
> Gnome Desktop wont get you anywhere without apps. However, I believe if you
> look at the small set of applications windows provides by default
> (calculator, paint, imaging etc), and the plethora of linux apps on the
> install disks, there is no contest whatsoever. 

Agreed. Sort of interesting when you take it from that perspective. :)

> 	Its not like windows installs/apps installs are fault free. Linux
> has its little problems sure, but I think people have become so accustomed
> to reseting windows after another BSOD that they have learned to forgive its
> idiosyncracies. One day they will do the same for Linux.

Talking about forgiving idiosyncracies (ooh, nice segue there...)

I realise there's probably not much you can do about it. But DAMN, I wish
you could change to another email client that doesn't bugger up threads,
Simon. I mean, look at my poor mutt window with a lovely big tree of
threads:

http://cygnus.uwa.edu.au/~pete/snapshot1.png

Look where the tree gets cut down again and again. Look which name
is at the head of each of these new trunks. Woe. Woe. :-(

:)

Pete the Part-Time Whinger.
-- 
http://cygnus.uwa.edu.au/~pete/

--
Why is it called "Windows"?  "Gates" would be more appropriate...