Quote:
Originally Posted by alex_d
Regarding learning curve of Linux: I was not speaking precisely. I should have stated that in Linux it's very easy to do something basic like surf the web. Of course Linux also has tremendous depth. However, it's widely recognized that doing intermediate tasks is very difficult. Thus the learning curve is shallow at first but then gets very steep, very quickly. It is not a steady ramp like Windows.
|
I disagree that Windows offers a steady ramp of learning-- or if it does, that it is relevant. The vast majority of people I help to work with Windows (and I've been in tech support for the past 20 years) never move beyond the basics. A key advantage of Linux, on the other hand, is that the source of every program is open. For those who do decide to move beyond the basics, it is a much more accessable tool for learning about how computers work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alex_d
Perhaps "getting information to kids" IS the goal of OLPC. However, I think this goal misses the point. Information can be gotten via books, and although google, wikipedia, and the internet are very helpful, they're not that big an advancement in themselves. The main benefit of computers is to directly boost intelligence as well as to acquire internationally sought-after skills. That is what would build economies.
|
Have you been to these countries? They
have no books, and repeated appeals over the years to correct this have not worked. That's part of the point. By providing a tool capable of accessing the internet, a huge quantity of books are also being provided. The OLPC program has also encouraged the development of a wide variety of learning games, which I believe are much more effective in boosting intelligence then simply handing someone a computer to figure out, regardless of which OS it is running (but perhaps I'm biased, as this is the area I'm doing my graduate work in).
I accept that you have strong opinions in this area, and you are certainly entitled to any opinions you choose to hold, and to state them as you please. But if you want to convince me, at least, to change my opinions, more precise references and details would help. As a professional in educational technology who has used and supported a wide variety of operating systems over the years (Mac OS, OSX, DOS, Windows, Linux, Solaris, VMS, TOPS-10, etc.), I don't find your statements about the learning advantages of Windows to be convincing.