[Linux Education]: Linux Installs and Children...

[Matt Price]

On Fri, 2009-12-11 at 12:32 -0500, Colin McGregor wrote:
> On 12/11/09, Maureen E.Thornton <maureen-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> > The last thing we would want to do is to intimidate people!  That even
> > intimidates me!!!!
> > Maureen
> 
> Okay, so tread softly on the stuff with 5 and 6 year old children, but
> I will be happy to let folks know that this stuff is "Easy baceasy!"
> :-) .
> 
> Colin.

I'd sort of disagree with Maureen about this.  The point of this story
is, that when you give people the tools to do stuff, they can often work
it out -- though of course sometimes they have to break stuff before
they can fix it. (in German there's a special word for that --
verschlimmbessern -- which means, to break something by trying to fix
it.  I, uh, have occasion to use that word a lot).  

The lesson isn't so much that it's "easy" for some prodigies to build
linux boxes, as that there is something liberating about taking control
of your own technologies.  Hacking as a form of freedom.  

Anyway that's what I think.

m

> 
> > On Fri, 2009-12-11 at 08:53 -0500, Colin McGregor wrote:
> >> Ran across the following story about a 5 year old girl attempting to
> >> do an Ubuntu Linux install.
> >>
> >> http://www.gnomejournal.org/article/88/the-un-scary-screwdriver
> >>
> >> As it turned out she couldn't do it on her own, at points she needed
> >> the help of her older brother, brother being 6 years old...
> >>
> >> From time to time I do introductory talks on Linux, and the above is a
> >> great story, question is do I tell adults that I am attempting to get
> >> them to the level of what two sub-7 year old children can do  :-)  ?
> >>
> >>
> >> Colin McGregor
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