Should schools switch to Linux operating systems?

[scifiwestern]

hoffdano,

You do bring up some interesting points, and I guess differences are what makes menus.

In the end, the fact that our kids get educated is really what matters. I guess as a techie, I tend to see the merits of knowing as much about tech as possible even though my kid will likely choose any number of career paths.

[fastninja500]

I'm a techie myself and seeing how the industry has gone, I am glad that my son is not into being a computer geek. I would much rather he pursue things he likes to do and that make him happy. As a parent, I hope it's something like medicine, law, business & finance, architecture, etc... (I would rather he be the person hiring the geeks, rather than be the employee. ) ... but I would be okay if he pursued music or literature and writing as well.

I don't worry too much about the "educational advantage" of kids in Europe/Asia/...Mars over the American kids. They might have more of an "academic" advantage. (I came from that grueling Asian educational system). But I am constantly amazed at the imagination, creativeness and most importantly the entrepreneurial spirit of the American kids and how this translates into leading successful lives.

Years ago, I read a study in Asia that partially covered the different attitudes in German, Japanese and American kids. Basically, they gave the kids toys that had instructions and required assembly. The German and Japanese kids read through all the instructions before attempting to assemble the toys. Then they proceeded to help each other out and assembled the toys perfectly. And played with the toys according to how they were designed.

The American kids basically ripped into the packaging, most ignored the instructions and assembled the toys as they saw fit. Some assembled right. Others didn't. Some played with them as the toys were intended. The other kids came up with whole new ways to play with the toys.

Not saying one is better than the other. Just that I prefer my son to be more individualistic and creative, rather than to conform to what society expects them to be. That's probably the reason I love living in the USA. There's no pressure to conform. (But, with all the "political correctness" going around, our days of freedom are numbered. )

Just realized how we veered off topic.

Back to point: If it makes economic sense, then they should switch to Linux. Or at least dual-boot Linux. The rest of the world has embraced Linux and open source in general.

At my sons school, they have Windows in the labs and those wonderfully huge and beautiful IMacs in Music class. And my son is exposed to several distros of Linux at home. But he likes Windows 7 and the Mac.

[scifiwestern]

fastninja500,

I am in complete agreement with you. I would never want to choose what my daughter does in terms of her career field, but I feel that exposing her to as much tech as possible helps her understand the world around her better whether or not she chooses to be a techie. She likes OS X, Linux, and Windows and uses them all for various things.

I push Linux and Mac usage at home because I work in tech and I don't want to have to come home after work and troubleshoot. With Linux and Mac I don't worry about malware. They just work.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by fastninja500

I'm a techie myself and seeing how the industry has gone, I am glad that my son is not into being a computer geek. I would much rather he pursue things he likes to do and that make him happy. As a parent, I hope it's something like medicine, law, business & finance, architecture, etc... (I would rather he be the person hiring the geeks, rather than be the employee. ) ... but I would be okay if he pursued music or literature and writing as well.

I don't worry too much about the "educational advantage" of kids in Europe/Asia/...Mars over the American kids. They might have more of an "academic" advantage. (I came from that grueling Asian educational system). But I am constantly amazed at the imagination, creativeness and most importantly the entrepreneurial spirit of the American kids and how this translates into leading successful lives.

Years ago, I read a study in Asia that partially covered the different attitudes in German, Japanese and American kids. Basically, they gave the kids toys that had instructions and required assembly. The German and Japanese kids read through all the instructions before attempting to assemble the toys. Then they proceeded to help each other out and assembled the toys perfectly. And played with the toys according to how they were designed.

The American kids basically ripped into the packaging, most ignored the instructions and assembled the toys as they saw fit. Some assembled right. Others didn't. Some played with them as the toys were intended. The other kids came up with whole new ways to play with the toys.

Not saying one is better than the other. Just that I prefer my son to be more individualistic and creative, rather than to conform to what society expects them to be. That's probably the reason I love living in the USA. There's no pressure to conform. (But, with all the "political correctness" going around, our days of freedom are numbered. )

Just realized how we veered off topic.

Back to point: If it makes economic sense, then they should switch to Linux. Or at least dual-boot Linux. The rest of the world has embraced Linux and open source in general.

At my sons school, they have Windows in the labs and those wonderfully huge and beautiful IMacs in Music class. And my son is exposed to several distros of Linux at home. But he likes Windows 7 and the Mac.

Very interesting study, I'd like to see it. I am American of course and people always give me hell because I read the entire instruction book before making a move(even as a child). Especially with assembly.

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by Mach50

Very interesting study, I'd like to see it. I am American of course and people always give me hell because I read the entire instruction book before making a move(even as a child). Especially with assembly.

American men never read instruction manuals (at least according to the stereotypes). Give it a try and see what happens. You can always read the manual later to see what you did wrong.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by mensaguy

American men never read instruction manuals (at least according to the stereotypes). Give it a try and see what happens. You can always read the manual later to see what you did wrong.

I prefer to do things right the first time.