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Re: [school-discuss] [fwd] Mike Cassidy: Linux can help schools [San Jose Mercury News]



Jordan,

You should really come to San Francisco and see what we are doing here w FOSS in schools.  You will really like it.

On Jun 29, 2010 4:31 PM, "Jordan Erickson" <jerickson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 06/10/2010 04:53 PM, Bill Kendrick wrote:
> Mike Cassidy of the Mercury News wrote a column to...

From the article:

"But I sympathize with administrators who are not racing to embrace
Linux. Some schools and districts might feel hemmed in by existing
contracts with commercial software companies (think Microsoft and the
legion of companies providing applications). Or they may rely on
applications that are incompatible with Linux. And there is an
institutional bias against change. Adopting Linux could require more
training for tech administrators and teachers. And once you install a
Linux system, how do you find outside help to support it?"


I feel like I'm in a soundproof glass box and everyone outside of it is
blind. I'm screaming and hollering, "Here I am! Your Linux support for
schools! Save money, California budget is getting worse every day! I am
a small, local business that is passionate about open source and
educating our youth! Linux and LTSP can save you thousands and thousands
of dollars! Hello!!" But nobody hears me.

I don't get it. Is the stranglehold on school districts THAT much that
people are scared to try something new, even though their current
mess^H^H^H^Hsystem is barely usable? How do I go about communicating
these benefits to schools? They are my primary clients and I'm trying to
show them how easy and beneficial this stuff can be with the right
support people behind them. They simply don't want to listen, though.
It's almost like they *want* to drown in their sea of budget-less I.T.
and let their students reap the consequences.


</personal rant> Sorry guys had to vent a bit ;)


--
Jordan Erickson
(707) 636-5678 - http://www.logicalnetworking.net
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