> Is information best taught in the linear format used in textbooks?
Perhaps the best method is individual instruction from a teacher with the ability to make complex topics understandable and the patience of Job. But due to the number of teachers and time required, this solution is not very scalable.:-)=
If your argument is against the linear format rather than the textbook itself, what about publishing information in HTML? How about PDF, it includes hyperlinks but can be printed? Is that non-linear enough for you?
I tried this when I was trying to get a Java job. I wrote a Java applet and made the source available for anyone to download. This didn't work because...
1. You're assuming that the people hiring you will be able to recognize properly written code. I found most hiring managers aren't programmers.
2. Since hiring managers can't evaluate you on the quality of your code, they use another criteria... years of experience. If you don't get paid for it, they won't consider it as "real-world" experience.
3. Unless your Open Source program is exactly the type of code they want to hire you to program, they will dismiss it.
Example: you wrote a 3D first-person shooter game, they are hiring people to write a medical claims application. Even though the code for your videogame is more complex than the medical claims application, they will say you're underqualified for the position.
Yes, check out the Free Music movement. There is also the Open Content license. IIRC, Richard Stallman is working on a similiar license.
But music differs from source code in one aspect. It can be performed. If I play your GPLed song in a place where people pay to get in, is that commercial use? (Or is it considered a service?) Do I have to acknowledge everyone who contributed to the song from the stage? Do I have to put all the rest of my songs in the same set under the same license? Do I have to tape the show and make it available for modification?
Let's apply the lessons of Open Source to education...
1. Open the content. Get leaders in their field to create educational materials that are massively-peer-reviewed for errors. Think of it as a bigger version of Linux Documentation project. Students can post questions on-line and receive answers. (However, the answers they receive might not be correct.)
2. Sell support and services. One may learn all they want from the on-line materials. But to get a certificate proving that they learned it, they can take tests that are monitored at a regular bricks-and-mortar location (like taking any other certification exam). Does this best address the cheating problem?
Also, experts in certain fields could charge money to provide individualized follow-up information and accurately answer questions.
You have posted reasons on your site why it has almost no graphics. One of the reasons why is that you are not a graphic designer. If you had a graphic designer helping you, what kind of graphics (or layout) would you include? Do you think some graphics could help usability or is split-second download time the most important consideration?
If there is information that would best be presented in a graphical format (maps, diagrams, wedding photos, etc.), would it be appropriate to include it and indicate to the user that it would take longer to download? Are thumbnails the best way to do this?
To answer some frustrations that several posters had...
** Soundcard Support ** In order to find out what support exists for high-end audio cards, look at what OSS and ALSA support. For example, OSS has commercial support for several high-end cards...
It's the same situation that the Linux community encountered with high-end graphics cards over the last few years. Manufacturers refused to release information for developers to write drivers. Some released their own proprietary drivers.
Please don't blame the developers. Also make sure to email your demands to the soundcard manufacturers!
** Lack of professional sequencer software ** Jazzware releasing their source code as Open Source should be viewed as Good Thing (TM). Let's hope this builds momentum towards an Open Source, professional-level MIDI sequencer. (Note: MOD trackers are different animals.)
I'm excited about the ALSA sequencer API. AFAIK, the OSS MIDI API only supports only one connection at a time to the MIDI port and doesn't use a timer. Having a better API should help. Does anyone know if the ALSA sequencer API code is ready for prime time yet?
On the other hand, you could always email requests to your favorite sequencer application company like Steinberg or Cakewalk...
Those are some great points, I hadn't thought about the city regulations. What do you think about the new Divine Inventures start-up incubator that's planned for Goose Island? Do you think that this will help attract more investors? I heard of another incubator in Evanston but I think it's mostly bio-tech.
Other reasons why Chicago might not become the next SV: It's cold (but NYC might not be any better...) The cost of living is high. I heard it's hard to get venture capital here. The corporate climate is very conservative about technology (esp. the financial companies in the Loop). So you have to pay your dues with boring mainframe or Microsoft-centric jobs.
The culture and the nightlife are pretty diverse though. Don't forget the art schools like the School of the Art Institute. We have lots of creative and technical college grads, where do they go?
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> Is information best taught in the linear format used in textbooks?
:-)=
Perhaps the best method is individual instruction from a teacher with the ability to make complex topics understandable and the patience of Job. But due to the number of teachers and time required, this solution is not very scalable.
If your argument is against the linear format rather than the textbook itself, what about publishing information in HTML? How about PDF, it includes hyperlinks but can be printed? Is that non-linear enough for you?
I thought the LDP, KDE, Gnome and FreeBSD projects all used some derivative of the DocBook DTD with SGML. What's the issue with file formats?
I tried this when I was trying to get a Java job. I wrote a Java applet and made the source available for anyone to download. This didn't work because...
1. You're assuming that the people hiring you will be able to recognize properly written code. I found most hiring managers aren't programmers.
2. Since hiring managers can't evaluate you on the quality of your code, they use another criteria... years of experience. If you don't get paid for it, they won't consider it as "real-world" experience.
3. Unless your Open Source program is exactly the type of code they want to hire you to program, they will dismiss it.
Example: you wrote a 3D first-person shooter game, they are hiring people to write a medical claims application. Even though the code for your videogame is more complex than the medical claims application, they will say you're underqualified for the position.
Yes, check out the Free Music movement. There is also the Open Content license. IIRC, Richard Stallman is working on a similiar license.
But music differs from source code in one aspect. It can be performed. If I play your GPLed song in a place where people pay to get in, is that commercial use? (Or is it considered a service?) Do I have to acknowledge everyone who contributed to the song from the stage? Do I have to put all the rest of my songs in the same set under the same license? Do I have to tape the show and make it available for modification?
Let's apply the lessons of Open Source to education...
1. Open the content.
Get leaders in their field to create educational materials that are massively-peer-reviewed for errors. Think of it as a bigger version of Linux Documentation project. Students can post questions on-line and receive answers. (However, the answers they receive might not be correct.)
2. Sell support and services.
One may learn all they want from the on-line materials. But to get a certificate proving that they learned it, they can take tests that are monitored at a regular bricks-and-mortar location (like taking any other certification exam). Does this best address the cheating problem?
Also, experts in certain fields could charge money to provide individualized follow-up information and accurately answer questions.
You have posted reasons on your site why it has almost no graphics. One of the reasons why is that you are not a graphic designer. If you had a graphic designer helping you, what kind of graphics (or layout) would you include? Do you think some graphics could help usability or is split-second download time the most important consideration?
If there is information that would best be presented in a graphical format (maps, diagrams, wedding photos, etc.), would it be appropriate to include it and indicate to the user that it would take longer to download? Are thumbnails the best way to do this?
To answer some frustrations that several posters had...
** Soundcard Support **
In order to find out what support exists for high-end audio cards, look at what OSS and ALSA support. For example, OSS has commercial support for several high-end cards...
It's the same situation that the Linux community encountered with high-end graphics cards over the last few years. Manufacturers refused to release information for developers to write drivers. Some released their own proprietary drivers.
Please don't blame the developers. Also make sure to email your demands to the soundcard manufacturers!
** Lack of professional sequencer software **
Jazzware releasing their source code as Open Source should be viewed as Good Thing (TM). Let's hope this builds momentum towards an Open Source, professional-level MIDI sequencer. (Note: MOD trackers are different animals.)
I'm excited about the ALSA sequencer API. AFAIK, the OSS MIDI API only supports only one connection at a time to the MIDI port and doesn't use a timer. Having a better API should help. Does anyone know if the ALSA sequencer API code is ready for prime time yet?
On the other hand, you could always email requests to your favorite sequencer application company like Steinberg or Cakewalk...
Those are some great points, I hadn't thought about the city regulations. What do you think about the new Divine Inventures start-up incubator that's planned for Goose Island? Do you think that this will help attract more investors? I heard of another incubator in Evanston but I think it's mostly bio-tech.
Other reasons why Chicago might not become the next SV: It's cold (but NYC might not be any better...) The cost of living is high. I heard it's hard to get venture capital here. The corporate climate is very conservative about technology (esp. the financial companies in the Loop). So you have to pay your dues with boring mainframe or Microsoft-centric jobs.
The culture and the nightlife are pretty diverse though. Don't forget the art schools like the School of the Art Institute. We have lots of creative and technical college grads, where do they go?