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Ostrich Lessons In Oregon?
dalslad writes "Oregon Schools Prove Linux Saves Money, says the headline but this article says "One has to wonder if Northwest school districts took ostrich lessons; they must represent the biggest secret in the Linux community. If their successes occurred in New York, Microsoft would be fighting for 5% of the PC desktop share". Maybe so? I've seen a lot of sites with Linux success stories, but the K12 Linux projects show progress I never knew existed." Yeah, I don't think that the schools are going to prove to be the sole factor in Linux on the desktop, but it's a good step. More importantly, I think the success of the system depends on projects like the K12 Linux project and its like, especially for broader individual usage.
Of course, this argument is why we still use the Imperial measurements system and why we will never rid ourselves of MS programs as the industry standard. If people are taught these tools, they will use them and will never change. However, if people are brought up with alternatives, some definitely better (metric), some arguably better (free as in everything), maybe we will see a change occur. I don't think "because they will be at a disadvantage when looking for a job" is the best of arguments here. If the mindset of the country is going to change, it will only change if we do it early.
I say teach the kids the right tools. Sometimes the only way to make progress is to jump..