Re: My local Linux advocacy efforts

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Bill Ries-Knight wrote:
> 
> The only response to this is the one most admin. types with limited computer
> capabilities will use.
> 
> "WinNT looks like regular windows.  Microsoft is the biggest, Why try anything
> else."
> Bill
> 
> Bill Tihen wrote:
> 
> > In the server area I am not too worried about NT taking over schools.
> >[...]

Bill Tihen is right about the strengths of Linux vs. NT in the server
realm; Bill Ries-Knight is unfortunately right too about the mindset of
most non-technical administrators.  Luckily for me, those administrators
in my school district have outsourced technology evaluation.  One of the
groups they went to is from my university (although not from my
department), and I'm fairly sure that group will recommend NT to them
(who said college makes you smart?).

Another is a independent consultant from the area who works with various
school districts.  I've known him (although not well) for years, and
contacted him with an offer of volunteer help.  I mentioned up front
that I'm not fond of Microsoft for technical reasons; he tended to
agree.  I also stressed that my main objective is to help the school
district get some sort of technology plan that works _well_, regardless
of the specific components of that plan, and that I thought that
adherence to open standards was an important part of working well.  He
agreed to that without reservation.  He said that he would mention to
the district superintendent my offer of help along with my technical
credentials, and that we'd see where things go from there.

At that point I made sure that he realized that I was in a somewhat
delicate position and didn't want to be seen as going over the head of
the district technology coordinator I had originally talked to.  I also
pointed out that although I was volunteering as an individual parent
from the school district, I was also employed by the university that
would probably be giving recommendations different from mine, and that
I'd appreciate some "cover" in case discussions become less than
amicable.  I also offered to have him over to see my Linux installation,
or to lend him my Linux CD-ROMs so he could install it and play with it
himself.  He demurred to that, saying that as an independent consultant
he worked 8-10 hours a day and then read 4-5 more hours just to keep
current on the industry.  I couldn't disagree with that, and if he
wanted to accept me as a Linux resource I was willing.

So although I've had a setback in local Linux advocacy I think things
are far from gloomy.

-- 
Doug Loss                 A life spent making mistakes is not only
Data Network Coordinator  more honorable, but more useful than a
Bloomsburg University     life spent doing nothing.
dloss@bloomu.edu                G. B. Shaw