Explaining OSS to Normal People?

[Cyberclops]

Linux was developed by a geek, subsequently was adopted and extended by
other geeks, and presently is being developed by many more geeks.  Linux
is freely distributed, and as a result, it is achieving wide spread
popularity among geeks world wide.  Non-geeks are beginning to recognize
the value of open source, not because it is geek, but because it's open
and can be freely distributed with the encumbrance of excessive
licensing costs.  The educational value of Linux is in preparing
non-geeks to live in a geek dominated world. Thus non-geeks will
eventually become geek; and hopefully,  finally becoming full blown
geeks.  Lessons will not simply teach the command line interface, but
will train non geeks to learn to independently address and understand
man pages and apply this cryptography to real world situations such as
getting the television schedule or a time signal to pass through a
"stateful" firewall.  The benefit to the state will be that Linux will
cost less in actual dollars to setup and maintain.  A single copy of the
OS can be freely distributed daisy chain style from classroom to
classroom throughout the state.  The first person will just pass it on
to the next until it finally gets to the end.  Thus the state will be
able to equip every classoom in the state for a one time aquisition cost
of $29.00 or less if it is determined that the acompannying instruction
book might get lost. The pitfalls are that many non-geeks have been
brain washed by the likes of M$ and Apple into thinking that Linux
couldn't be any good, and if it is, it must be un-American.  But perhaps
the biggest drawback is that it requires actually knowledge to use it,
and it will not lend itself well to existing insevice training
practices.

Warren Togami wrote:
> 
> The grant writer at my workplace has less than 2 weeks to write a big grant
> that would work towards putting Linux thin clients into schools across the
> state.  Prior to our discussion this week she had never heard of Linux, and
> knows very little about computers.  She needs some basic grounding in the
> history, ethos and motivations of the Open Source movement in order to be
> able to explain the efficacy and power of Linux and Open Source Software to
> the readers of the grant.
> 
> Do you folks know of web pages, articles, and/or books that explain these
> things in terms that normal people would understand?
> 
> Warren Togami
> warren at togami.com
> 
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