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OSS Use Increasing in UK Education Institutions
zrq writes "OSS Watch has recently concluded its
2006 survey of UK Higher Education and Further Education institutions. From the report conclusion: A positive picture of the use of OSS (Open Source Software) emerges in both HEs (Higher Education institutions) and FEs (Further Education institutions). Although there are considerable differences between the two types of institutions, in general OSS is used more often than in 2003 and institutions have higher levels of skills and experience of OSS compared to 2003. This survey shows that it is likely that, in the future, use of OSS will continue and expand alongside the use of PS (Proprietary Software)."
The article does it because it's common to define acronyms in such a way when you plan on using them extensively. The summary does it for no particular reason.
as the economy tanks and first world countries slip into the second world, mass education'll have to cut costs somehow.
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But I could be wrong...though I firmly believe all the above points are correct.
IMHO any state school that isn't using Linux and OpenOffice at least for general purpose computing (ie. web browsing, paper writing, etc) is wasting the taxpayer's money. Properly locked down Linux machines should be virtually bulletproof.
Likewise, Java dev and Oracle, MySQL and PHP can all be done on Linux, as well as some school infrastructure (forums, webpages, etc)
The only place that Windows should be needed is for windows-based multimedia and graphics applications like Dreamweaver, Flash, AutoCAD, Automedia, Digidesign, etc
And many of those are also available on the Mac.
Other than that it seem like only Powerpoint, VBA, VisualStudio and SQL Server as well as Windows Admin classes (Active Directory, etc) would really require Windows machines or Applications.
-What's the speed of dark?
I've seen what you describe. The people behind such policies tend to see alternative configurations as timesinks and distractions, rather than as amazingly useful education for their staff about how things really work and what tools are available. Also, I've noticed that competent Linux and open source admins at small sites tend to get hired away as their skills grow. We also tend to embarass the heck out of the Windows IT staff by bringing better knowledge of the underlying problems and protocols to the staff meetings, and pointing out fixes that they may not have been aware of.
This is particularly true of middle managers who are worried about their jobs: the open source people tend to scare the tar out of them by blowing their pet projects sky high. It's incredibly frustrating to try and get them to loosen their grip: it takes presenting them, and especially their managers, with hard numbers on the benefits of open source software to their productivity and especially to their costs.
I agree with you, however as we know, employers look at buzz words and titles rather than ability.
For example from a random job specification I just looked up:
Applicants are expected to have evidence of secretarial/PA experience at a high level and hold relevant typing, word processing and I.T. qualifications. Experience of using Microsoft Office is essential. You will be highly organised and have the ability to prioritise workload and work with minimum supervision. The post also requires excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
The bulk of Education is driven by employers and their needs. It's that simple. Microsoft knows this which is why they give education huge discounts as if education didn't use Office, then eventually we would have a workforce that had *shock horror* different skills and that understood that the computers != Microsoft Windows.