Are there any projects that are aiming to do something about this issue?
If advocacy of Linux is left to the community alone, you get the “Linux cultists” who do not have the most positive effect on geneal public’s perception of Linux.
I do not know of any undertaking like such. However, teaching GNU/Linux in nontechnical schools would require a team of salesmen and business developers. For example, to use a distro in 1st grade or install in lab classes etc. There is Red Hat but I think they are geared towards the enterprise and server side.
There is the Linux foundation but they do nothing about this topic.
What utter nonsense, really.
What makes you think it is utter nonsense?
Well… ignoring for a moment the tens of thousands of RaspberryPi that millions of kids will have had exposure to RaspberryPi OS on through code clubs, or as replacement computers (which is becoming more common), and all the Google devices used in one way or another…
- All the secondary schools I’ve worked at have had Technicians in the IT department. And
- as for primary schools, the tech competency of a teacher is the same whatever OS they happen to be using… If something goes wrong with the tech that they don’t know how to fix : they call for help.
It’s becoming obvious to me that one of the most significant obstacles to the adoption of Linux, is the attitude of techies, who want to keep it for themselves, because they get a kick out of wearing the “I’m techie enough to use Linux” tee shirt. :/
If there is no dedicated team, then who are you going to call for help? The community? The community will give you an answer but there is no guarantee the answer will be on time.
Additionally, all the school I have seen use windows and Microsoft office not RaspberryPis. The closest thing I have too to Linux is a think client that allowed absolutely nothing other than connecting to a Windows RDP.
People using Linux on phones or smart boards understand that they are using Android. Which to their minds is not Linux.
Having technicians does not equate to deciding to use an OS. This is a decision higher in the organization. I worked as an IT for four years and the IT manager thinks that using windows products is the way to go. Windows Pro and Windows Server, Active Directory, Exchange, Outlook, Skype then Teams, SharePoint, MS Office, SCCM, IIS.
What are you talking about?
Please, investigate a bit about the government distros in Spain used in schools like mEDUxa in the Canary Islands which is just a rebranded Ubuntu and with support from the educational team and some company hired by the local government for such purpose.
Well Spain is not in the majority. There are other mouvemebts like French gendarmerie, German state, etc. But what about Egypt, Morocco, USA, Mexico, Indonesia, New Zealand, Botswana, or South Africa?
When you see a movie, excluding tech niche movies, what OS do you see? os x, windows or KDE? It would be a mac most of the time because they have the bigger game on marketing and salesmen. Linux has nearly zero so we only see it in geek movies where the author made research and wanted an authentic feel to his show.
In Catalonia, Europe, with a population of 7,5 millions, most secondary public schools use Linkat, a Linux distro based on Debian/Ubuntu:
http://linkat.xtec.cat/portal/index.php
That means there are thousands of children using Linux ;-)
And there are some other countries in Spain with their own scholar Linux distro.
If there is no dedicated team, then who are you going to call for help? Well I guess that depends on the nature of the problem and the person with the problem… a family member, a more techie colleague or friend, or an IT shop.
all the school I have seen use windows and Microsoft office Me too - something I really don’t understand at all. And something which really needs to change.
This is a decision higher in the organization. Again, you’re right. It’s persuading the people who make these decisions that not only is open source at least as good, but that it’s the smart move too.
I worked as an IT for four years My condolences.
when new people came to pc world they only know about windows
ohhhh
I saw Ubuntu in Spanish TV programs from Netflix. Now many schools and universities use Google products, which may be worse than before. So many teachers switched to Google Sheet, etc. They can switch to any OS if it runs Chrome.
I’ve known Linux for a long time, but I’m afraid I’ll just create an utter mess out of my PC by trying to install it, I also lack know how to divide the space to possibly run two OS.
Furthermore, I’m unsure what’s the real benefit of it, other than being free and not Microsoft, I guess it’s mostly curiosity from (my) the user viewpoint of how exactly does the OS handles and feels.
windows is malware
Linux is actually extremely easy if you choose the right distro. I use Manjaro Linux because I like having access to the Arch Repository without all the fuss of an Arch install. It’s super quick to set up and sooo smooth for my PC. I use the Gnome desktop option because of the great extension support it offers, as well.
If you install an easy one like Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or Manjaro, you don’t have to worry about space division. In their installers you can choose “Install alongside Windows” and you’ll be presented with a very user friendly sliding bar with Linux on one side, and Windows on the other and just drag it to wherever you feel comfortable. Just make sure you don’t move past how much free space you have available.
Distributions like Ubuntu (versions 20.04 and above) automatically install your drivers if you use an Nvidia graphics card. Just make sure to check the “Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware and additional media formats” box.
As for the benefits, you’ll get to know them more as you use Linux more. One reason is that drivers for hardware are included in the Linux Kernel, so a lot of devices are just plug and play that require an installer on Windows. There is more community support than Windows, as the system is not a black box, people who use it and offer support to other users on forums know more about how the system works and can provide much more direct help instead of guessing at the issue.
It’s generally more stable than Windows, even on the “unstable” releases of certain distros, as you get your applications from a repository from the developers of the distro and everything is tested to some degree to work together properly and not break the system.
Nyo, this nyanya needs Debnyan Stabwe twaining fwom the begnyannyang.
I find Linux runs much faster and looks much nicer than Windows, which are big positive attributes for me. If you want to see how it handles and feels I recommend spinning up a virtual machine and trying out a couple distros! If you ever need help with installing Linux just send me a message. :)
