Promoting Open Source in Schools

[billt-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org]

On Sat, Dec 17, 2005 at 04:38:17PM +0200, Peter wrote:
> 
> 
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2005, William Park wrote:
> 
> > But, in all honesty, thin-client alone will eliminate 90% of IT cost,
> > because it eliminates desktops altogether and all associated cost like
> > payroll of sysadmin, maintenance, upgrade, configuration, etc.  I have
> > better chance of making my living as porn stud, than as Linux salesman.
> >
> > I'm just awed by Microsoft's prowse in all this.  When they say Linux is
> > job killer, they are right on.  While we Linux amateurs talk about
> > technical merits of Linux, Microsoft talks directly to the decision
> > makers and IT staffs.
> 
> Why would Linux be a job killer ?! It's a job killer in the sense that, 
> if adopted, the IT department will no longer have the grueling 
> janitorial job of carting and marshalling megabytes of spam, pron and 
> malware to the bit bucket, and they will advance beyond the all-time 
> intellectual low point of 'reinstalling' more often than anything else, 
> to doing real, useful work, shaping and configuring their systems, and 
> seeing them do what they tell them to.
> 
You over-estimate the number of people a linux system would need to run. I have worked in a world where there was hundreds of Solaris X-terminals run by a dozen backend systems. There was only one part time admin for all this. 

You also over-estimate the motivation of many window admins. Although there are a few that are truly interested in computers the vast majority are content to 'reinstall' windows as their only skill because its an easy job. Those are the ones shouting the loudest against any change. Their only skill will become obselete, they don't want to learn anything new, and they have the ear of upper management as 'insiders' looking out for the company.

Bill

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