Explaining OSS to Normal People?

[Cyberclops]

Revision 0.01

"with" should read "without"

Cyberclops wrote:
> 
> 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
> >
> > ---
> > You are currently subscribed to luau as: Cyberclops at hawaii.rr.com
> > To unsubscribe send a blank email to $subst('Email.Unsub')
> 
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to luau as: Cyberclops at hawaii.rr.com
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to $subst('Email.Unsub')