[aklug] Re: Basic Linux information

Hence the attempts of some to get kids interested in robotics.
Unfortunately, the transitional support from the basic Lego brick has
been lacking and/or unsuccessful in keeping kids involved in FLL
involved through high school, though I wish Wade et al at dimond
success.

While we talk about getting kids educated for a technology focused
world as a practical matter our schools have been rather dramatic
failures.

On Sep 16, 2009, at 4:17 PM, Arthur Corliss <acorliss@nevaeh-
linux.org> wrote:

> On Wed, 16 Sep 2009, Marc Grober wrote:
>
>> But Arthur, I agree with you almost entirely! And have sat kids down
>> with pieces-lol. The point I was trying to make vis-a-vis the
>> netbooks
>> is just as you noted, it is our learned prejudices that guide our
>> behavior, and the path to wider usage of Linux (as opposed to broader
>> technological know how) is to put the product in play as it were.
>
> Linux is increasingly being used everywhere without anyone actually
> knowing
> so do we need the desktop? I don't believe so, because the desktop
> market
> is generally worthless in providing the kind of people that are
> actually
> driving Linux adoption. The true hackers are working in embedded
> markets,
> in data center virtualization, and so on. Unlike the old DEC days,
> where
> marketing overcame technical superiority, we're finally at a point
> where
> Linux is too stinking useful and adaptable to not find wider
> adoption. And
> most of that was driven by hackers working on non-desktop-related
> functionality.
>
> Which is why I believe the key to continuing or expanding that
> momentum
> means we need to bring in a new generation of *hackers*, not *users*.
>
>> I write wiki based docs for an open software web app. When I speak of
>> documentation I am not limiting my refernce to a readme or file
>> headnotes, but the task is daunting as the target is ever moving and
>> so many find it easier to demand that I provide a private
>> recitation ;)
>
> I certainly don't envy you. I haven't written a doc myself that
> didn't
> quickly require a hundred modifications.
>
>> If the focus here is to engender RTRAkLinux, then maybe you want to
>> adopt an image, create static docs to support same, etc. If the
>> purpose is to simply increase Linux users, go for the kids. If the
>> purpose is to promote rational exploration and use of an open OS,
>> then
>> perhaps .......
>
> Which is where the group's name has become something of a misnomer.
> AKLUG
> started in a period where the only users were basically hackers, and
> was
> intended to spread more love of tinkering on this platform. If
> we're going
> to become dogmatic literalists, then truly the focus of this group has
> changed such that the original membership and impetus is all but
> forgotten.
>
> --Arthur Corliss
> Live Free or Die
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Received on Wed Sep 16 16:30:17 2009