Until you have Linux software publishers willing to pay an OEM to load their trialware on the system and a Linux distro decides to help pay for Linux-based system advertising Windows-based systems will always be less.
For every enthusiastic Linux supporter there are several (I suspect) burned Linux netbook purchasers that vowed never again to buy a Linux system... The market share for Linux systems is very, very small & uncertain. Many Linux advocates like to talk about how Linux runs great on last generation hardware, which does not encourage OEMs to race out and offer high-end (expensive) systems, since many Linuxusers appear to prefer cheap last-gen hardware, not current-gen equipment.
Yes, it would go a long way towards making us meteor-proof.
As for the descent into crazy land:
In February, when Obama released his fiscal year 2013 budget, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget criticized the president’s plan for relying on savings from winding down the two wars. Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan group, called it a “gimmick.”
“There are a number of good policies in this budget, but the use of this war gimmick is quite troubling,” said MacGuineas. “Drawing down spending on wars that were already set to wind down and that were deficit financed in the first place should not be considered savings. When you finish college, you don’t suddenly have thousands of dollars a year to spend elsewhere — in fact, you have to find a way to pay back your loans.”
I've worked in companies where every project was required to pay internal IT dept bills for services rendered, so what?
This is an accounting mechanism that forces projects to account for all costs Bourne by the corporation in support of the project. I suspect internal projects are also billed at an equal amount, but the bills remain internal.
It helps facilities lose the stigma of being a cost to the organization and instead it is funded by the internal groups that consume their resources.
At $450/540 a month, that's a pretty good rate for a piece of real estate, a desk, unmetered power and Internet access... Can I feta desk in MS office space for the same price? I currently rent a small 240 sq ft office for my work and it runs $525 for the space, plus utilities & ISP costs - $540/month all-in in an MS facility sounds good to me.
This is a program designed to be cut, to show that this administration is being 'fiscally responsible'... I expect many such 'pie-in-the-sky' projects to be proposed, only to be cut at the altar of fiscal responsibility... And blame the minority party for the cut as well.
Hey, if they can count as savings the money they don't spend on wars that have ended, why not propose wild plans to pump up the savings?
Do you know how much (in inflation-adjusted dollars) we have saved since we stopped fighting the Second World War these last 65+ years?!?!?!
Undeniably, Windows is the de-facto desktop standard in the business world.
And non-business world as well.
What little prior exposure eiher teachers or students might have had, it was almost certainly with Windows. Windows skills were generally more useful than Linux skills in a non-technical job market; for those whose future employment prospects are limited the choice is clear.
Guatamala isn't a clear field, unpolluted by "Big Software" like MIcrosoft - teach the kids to excel in the Guatamalan job market as it is, not as you wish it were...
I was thinking about this- in the long term, you really want to encourage people to play around with things rather than run a static collection of applications.
Unless, of course, you are trying to convince a student that hopes to get a nice job in an office in the big city, where everybody runs Windows and never heard of "RaspberryPi" - the interview likely won't last long enough to give the applicant time to argue that they understand the basics, and that their skills are mappable to those needed for Windows...
But hey, you've taught him a "better" way to use computers, though less useful in Guatamala.
What would you call teaching them tools and operating systems that are not used by Guatamalan businesses and government?
What would you call insisiting that they be taught a near-novelty Operating System (Linux) in use by less than 1% of the world's users, and even fewer people in Guatamala?
RaspberryPis are great for the student that wants to learn more, but ignoring what the users in Guatamala use on their computers wastes the time of any villager that hopes to get a job working with computers in Guatamala - there are too many trade school graduates experienced in using Windows and other software tools that very few employers will be willing to hire a candidate with basic computer skills but no experience with Windows over a fully-trained and ready to go worker.
I think it is you that suffers from "First World Arrogance" my friend.
Where do the monitors for the RaspberryPis come from?
I suspect the poster's school will foot the bill for shipping (he is getting grant money), and teaching them to use the most popular software in Guatamala business/government probably is more useful to them than learning Linux which teaches many skills that cna be mapped to Windows, if the employer decided to hire the Linux user instead of the experienced WIndows user and pay for their time learning another operating system/software suite.
Those donated computers (likely) already include OEM CoAs for MS operating systems even figure into this issue? WIth the right media, there's no need to enter product keys.
Those donated computers already are capable of running Linux, and running it better than a RaspberryPi ever will.
Those donated computers already (likely) include functional monitors, monitors that more likely than not can't be used for a RaspberryPi.
Those donated computers are free, the RaspberryPi computers would need to be bought.
The businesses and government offices in Guatamala likely already use WIndows sloftware (like 95% of desktops do around the world), not Linux on RaspberryPis - if the goal is to teach them to enter the workforce with computer skill, why not use the platform the students will see in industry/government?
RaspberryPis are intended to be used where conventional computers aren't available - these suggestions to instead go with RaspberryPis turn that goal on it's head for no other reason than to satisfy personal/ideological desires of the volunteer setting up the lab in the first place.
Yes, heaven forbid they learn how the system works and learn how to modify it and build on it.
Better they should learn now embedded systems like the RPi work than any of the computers used in the "Developed" world?
Teaching them Linux scratches a philosophical itch - using software without license fees solves a practical financial problem. The desktops being donated most likely have WinXP or (gasp) Vista OEM licenses/CoAs on them, meaning they already have "proprietary" software licenses without cost, and large swaths of open source software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux/*nix.
The original poster (of the question, not the parent of this comment) supports the philosophy of open source, which comes across as foisting his own beliefs on the folks in the "developing country" of Guatamala. Rather than teach these high school students about using the software and tools the Guatamalans use in the cities of Guatamala, he'd rather run a little social experiment and see how they do with learning an OS used on about 1% of desktops and hardware most folks hook up to their TVs for a laugh instead of using very reasonable (likely Core 2 Duo) desktop systems and the bundled OS (WinXP, in use by many/most Guatamalan businesses I assume).
Is his goal to help them enter the workforce or see if he can foster a village full of little Linus Torvalrds & Richard Stallmans?
Does this include folks in third-world countries? Does this include all regions of India, Africa, and China (as a few examples)? There are may regions without access to, for example, safe, clean, potable water - is high-speed access to Amazon really a priority in those locations?
I was under the impression that Linus was inspired to "scratch his own itch" by creating Linux not because of "relaxed social safety" but because he had just gotten a new i386 computer and he wanted an OS that would take full advantage of all the features in the chip, and his then-current OS (MINIX) wouldn't do that, so he set about to implement a 80386 version of MINIX.
Wikipedia supports this idea, and it is curious to note that he made his famous announcement on comp.os.minix, not, comp.os.look.at.what.i.can.do.because.of.our.relaxed.social.safety newsgroup...
"i would rather see old dirty industries go overseas where it's cheaper to operate, which will make room for new cleaner industries."
Seriously - are you sure? So let's say, for example, I have a factory that makes widgets, and in producing those widgets I generate a large quantity of pollutants, making my plant a "dirty" plant. Now, you suggest it would be great if that "dirty" factory were to relocate and continue in it's "dirty" ways, polluting the planet just as much as it did before, with the only net result being that you've "freed-up" all the former factory workers to seek out employment elsewhere.
You can tolerate the pollution, you just don't want it to be generated near you?
Most environmentalists don't care where the pollution comes from, they want it reduced/stopped. Simply relocating the "dirty" plant accomplishes nothing as far as the environment is concerned.
The "billions" the oil companies "receive" are really the simple deductions every other business is entitled to make - just like Apple gets to "write-off" research & development cost, so to do the oil companies. Just as GE gets to "write-off" capital investments, so to do the oil companies. And, they don't "receive" money from the government, they get to keep more of the money they earned.
I see what you did there - you left out the "federally-mandated" and "employer-subsidized" parts to make your argument appear valid.
From your own link:
We support the ability of all organizations to provide, purchase, or enroll in healthcare coverage consistent with their religious, moral or ethical convictions without discrimination or penalty.
And it's Republicans that think women CAN control their bodies, it is the Democrats that demand birth control, morning-after medication, and (ideally) free abortions so that women aren't "punished with a baby" when their bodies somehow mysteriously become pregnant.
I wonder, could you call the various 1970's standards that stored data and programs on cassettes as a series of audio tones would qualify as 'prior art', invalidating his claim of novelty?
I think there are a good number of kids staying in college (ore returning to college) because of poor job prospects. It may be that they have no degree, or their degree is in a less commercial field.
They are racking up massive college debt hoping to ride out the bad economy and land on their feet on the other side - but mere posession of a CS degree may not be the "golden ticket" it once was to a high-paying career...
To quote (aproximately) Dennis MIller on Global Warming - "Look, I love my kids, I'll love my grand kids, and I guess I care about my great grandchildren, but after that, f__k it - I don't care."
Slashdot Mirror
Until you have Linux software publishers willing to pay an OEM to load their trialware on the system and a Linux distro decides to help pay for Linux-based system advertising Windows-based systems will always be less.
For every enthusiastic Linux supporter there are several (I suspect) burned Linux netbook purchasers that vowed never again to buy a Linux system... The market share for Linux systems is very, very small & uncertain. Many Linux advocates like to talk about how Linux runs great on last generation hardware, which does not encourage OEMs to race out and offer high-end (expensive) systems, since many Linuxusers appear to prefer cheap last-gen hardware, not current-gen equipment.
Yes, it would go a long way towards making us meteor-proof.
As for the descent into crazy land:
I've worked in companies where every project was required to pay internal IT dept bills for services rendered, so what?
This is an accounting mechanism that forces projects to account for all costs Bourne by the corporation in support of the project. I suspect internal projects are also billed at an equal amount, but the bills remain internal.
It helps facilities lose the stigma of being a cost to the organization and instead it is funded by the internal groups that consume their resources.
At $450/540 a month, that's a pretty good rate for a piece of real estate, a desk, unmetered power and Internet access... Can I feta desk in MS office space for the same price? I currently rent a small 240 sq ft office for my work and it runs $525 for the space, plus utilities & ISP costs - $540/month all-in in an MS facility sounds good to me.
This is a program designed to be cut, to show that this administration is being 'fiscally responsible'... I expect many such 'pie-in-the-sky' projects to be proposed, only to be cut at the altar of fiscal responsibility... And blame the minority party for the cut as well.
Hey, if they can count as savings the money they don't spend on wars that have ended, why not propose wild plans to pump up the savings?
Do you know how much (in inflation-adjusted dollars) we have saved since we stopped fighting the Second World War these last 65+ years?!?!?!
And shipping from Germany to Guatamala will be "affordable"?
I believe he may be able to find a few similar servers a little closer to Guatamala...
And non-business world as well.
Guatamala isn't a clear field, unpolluted by "Big Software" like MIcrosoft - teach the kids to excel in the Guatamalan job market as it is, not as you wish it were...
Four years old is a Core 2 Duo OR a first-generation i3/5/7 computer.
Four years ago is 2008, and I bet his university didn't buy bottom of the barrel configurations - few schools do.
Unless, of course, you are trying to convince a student that hopes to get a nice job in an office in the big city, where everybody runs Windows and never heard of "RaspberryPi" - the interview likely won't last long enough to give the applicant time to argue that they understand the basics, and that their skills are mappable to those needed for Windows...
But hey, you've taught him a "better" way to use computers, though less useful in Guatamala.
Who said "set up an active directory network"? Why not run Linux on one desktop serving up Samba shares and using open-source AD replacements?
You also looked in the wrong place - you should have looked at techsoup.org not MS educational discounts:
Windows Server Standard 2012 is $53, Windows Server Datacenter 2012 (with unlimited rights to run any number of VMs on one server) is $288.
CALs are $2/each.
So I put the expense for a ten-user site at around $73.
Of course, you could choose to run Windows Server 2012 Essentials - that includes 25 CALs and costs charities a grand total of $29.
But hey, your quick search turned up numbers that confirmed your pre-disposed opinion, why look further?
What would you call teaching them tools and operating systems that are not used by Guatamalan businesses and government?
What would you call insisiting that they be taught a near-novelty Operating System (Linux) in use by less than 1% of the world's users, and even fewer people in Guatamala?
RaspberryPis are great for the student that wants to learn more, but ignoring what the users in Guatamala use on their computers wastes the time of any villager that hopes to get a job working with computers in Guatamala - there are too many trade school graduates experienced in using Windows and other software tools that very few employers will be willing to hire a candidate with basic computer skills but no experience with Windows over a fully-trained and ready to go worker.
I think it is you that suffers from "First World Arrogance" my friend.
Where do the monitors for the RaspberryPis come from?
I suspect the poster's school will foot the bill for shipping (he is getting grant money), and teaching them to use the most popular software in Guatamala business/government probably is more useful to them than learning Linux which teaches many skills that cna be mapped to Windows, if the employer decided to hire the Linux user instead of the experienced WIndows user and pay for their time learning another operating system/software suite.
Those donated computers (likely) already include OEM CoAs for MS operating systems even figure into this issue? WIth the right media, there's no need to enter product keys.
Those donated computers already are capable of running Linux, and running it better than a RaspberryPi ever will.
Those donated computers already (likely) include functional monitors, monitors that more likely than not can't be used for a RaspberryPi.
Those donated computers are free, the RaspberryPi computers would need to be bought.
The businesses and government offices in Guatamala likely already use WIndows sloftware (like 95% of desktops do around the world), not Linux on RaspberryPis - if the goal is to teach them to enter the workforce with computer skill, why not use the platform the students will see in industry/government?
RaspberryPis are intended to be used where conventional computers aren't available - these suggestions to instead go with RaspberryPis turn that goal on it's head for no other reason than to satisfy personal/ideological desires of the volunteer setting up the lab in the first place.
Better they should learn now embedded systems like the RPi work than any of the computers used in the "Developed" world?
Teaching them Linux scratches a philosophical itch - using software without license fees solves a practical financial problem. The desktops being donated most likely have WinXP or (gasp) Vista OEM licenses/CoAs on them, meaning they already have "proprietary" software licenses without cost, and large swaths of open source software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux/*nix.
The original poster (of the question, not the parent of this comment) supports the philosophy of open source, which comes across as foisting his own beliefs on the folks in the "developing country" of Guatamala. Rather than teach these high school students about using the software and tools the Guatamalans use in the cities of Guatamala, he'd rather run a little social experiment and see how they do with learning an OS used on about 1% of desktops and hardware most folks hook up to their TVs for a laugh instead of using very reasonable (likely Core 2 Duo) desktop systems and the bundled OS (WinXP, in use by many/most Guatamalan businesses I assume).
Is his goal to help them enter the workforce or see if he can foster a village full of little Linus Torvalrds & Richard Stallmans?
Isn't there a size limit on Slashdot submissions?
Please define everybody.
Does this include folks in third-world countries? Does this include all regions of India, Africa, and China (as a few examples)? There are may regions without access to, for example, safe, clean, potable water - is high-speed access to Amazon really a priority in those locations?
I was under the impression that Linus was inspired to "scratch his own itch" by creating Linux not because of "relaxed social safety" but because he had just gotten a new i386 computer and he wanted an OS that would take full advantage of all the features in the chip, and his then-current OS (MINIX) wouldn't do that, so he set about to implement a 80386 version of MINIX.
Wikipedia supports this idea, and it is curious to note that he made his famous announcement on comp.os.minix, not, comp.os.look.at.what.i.can.do.because.of.our.relaxed.social.safety newsgroup...
Seriously - are you sure? So let's say, for example, I have a factory that makes widgets, and in producing those widgets I generate a large quantity of pollutants, making my plant a "dirty" plant. Now, you suggest it would be great if that "dirty" factory were to relocate and continue in it's "dirty" ways, polluting the planet just as much as it did before, with the only net result being that you've "freed-up" all the former factory workers to seek out employment elsewhere.
You can tolerate the pollution, you just don't want it to be generated near you?
Most environmentalists don't care where the pollution comes from, they want it reduced/stopped. Simply relocating the "dirty" plant accomplishes nothing as far as the environment is concerned.
The "billions" the oil companies "receive" are really the simple deductions every other business is entitled to make - just like Apple gets to "write-off" research & development cost, so to do the oil companies. Just as GE gets to "write-off" capital investments, so to do the oil companies. And, they don't "receive" money from the government, they get to keep more of the money they earned.
I see what you did there - you left out the "federally-mandated" and "employer-subsidized" parts to make your argument appear valid.
From your own link:
And it's Republicans that think women CAN control their bodies, it is the Democrats that demand birth control, morning-after medication, and (ideally) free abortions so that women aren't "punished with a baby" when their bodies somehow mysteriously become pregnant.
Why not simply display a QR code on the sending device, have the receiving device simply decode it & download the data?
I wonder, could you call the various 1970's standards that stored data and programs on cassettes as a series of audio tones would qualify as 'prior art', invalidating his claim of novelty?
I think there are a good number of kids staying in college (ore returning to college) because of poor job prospects. It may be that they have no degree, or their degree is in a less commercial field.
They are racking up massive college debt hoping to ride out the bad economy and land on their feet on the other side - but mere posession of a CS degree may not be the "golden ticket" it once was to a high-paying career...
Cooler than it has been 25% of the time the past 11,000 years.
Shhh! You're harshing my paranoia!
To quote (aproximately) Dennis MIller on Global Warming - "Look, I love my kids, I'll love my grand kids, and I guess I care about my great grandchildren, but after that, f__k it - I don't care."