Re: Linux for Learning

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Michael Goehring wrote:
> 
> For the last few months I have been a casual observer of the 
> correspondence on this mail list and read numerous admirable ideas and 
> thoughts about ways to improve the educational environment. The idea
> of setting up a table to show alternatives to proprietary software 
> schools currently use makes me question the intent of the admirable 
> ideas I have read thus far. Do you intend to re-invent all of the 
> current educational solutions available?
> 
I don't understand this at all.  In what way is information about OSS
alternatives saying we intend to re-invent everything?  However, if
there _are_ such alternatives to various commercial programs, their
availability broadens the choices of any schools that might be
interested.  It should also be mentioned that we're not necessarily
looking for just free (price or philosophy) programs, but for programs
that will run on Linux.  If you port Misty City software to Linux, you
would be listed on this alternatives list too.

> If so, why? What is the motivation to do so? Yes, there are numerous 
> problems with the current educational system, but numerous initiatives 
> are already proliferating to address the issues. For example, the SIF 
> (Schools Interoperability Framework) Initiative 
> <http://www.schoolsinterop.org> is working on reducing the redundancy 
> in the North American educational system by creating an XML standard 
> for moving data back and forth between currently divergent 
> applications. This "best of breed" approach allows schools to maximize 
> the efficiency of their data collection, while eliminating redundancy. 
> Every vendor associated with the SIF Initiative is devoted to changing 
> the current way the educational system shares data, and willing to 
> work side by side with their competitors to do so.
> 
Well, Bruno and I looked at the SIF a while ago and agreed (didn't we,
Bruno?) that it sounded nice but it was primarily vendor-driven.  It
would be nice to get Bruno's EDUML work incorporated into the SIF stuff,
but they didn't appear to be interested.  So the vendors may be willing
to work with each other on the SIF Initiative, but they don't appear to
be willing to work with non-vendors.

> If you decide to create alternatives to the current proprietary 
> software, what are your hoping to accomplish? Have you heard from 
> schools that no current educational solutions meet their needs, 
> thereby necessitating an open-source environment to re-build the 
> infrastructure from the ground up?
> 
I've addressed this above.  One more thing; piracy is rampant in the
educational system (at least in the US) because schools can seldom
afford everything they'd like.  That's not a justification for breaking
the law, but if an OSS alternative can bring them in compliance within
their budget, don't they have a moral obligation to at least consider
it?  I notice that you mention numerous initiatives proliferating to
address the problems with the current educational system--well, just
consider us one of those initiatives.

-- 
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