2010 July 26 archive at Robert Pogson

Archive for July 26th, 2010

GNU/Linux is so Easy Even a Child Can Do IT

Published by Robert Pogson July 26th, 2010 in Linux in Education, Teaching and technology. 0 Comments

I have had Grade 1s in a computer lab with a bodyguard. It is a frightening experience because you never know what the little ones will do next but you can be sure they will be doing something…

My respect goes out to Helios and friends who gave a 4 day summer workshop for 22 kids. The kids not only got to know the ins and outs of ATX PCs but also installed GNU/Linux and played games on it. I would bet everyone involved learned a lot.

This shows that GNU/Linux is not only for geeks. If you have some grown-ups in your organization who are reluctant to change, perhaps this example would inspire sufficient effort. The benefits outweigh the costs:

relative freedom from malware
relative freedom from anti-malware
freedom from monopoly, and
superior performance at lower cost.

- Robert Pogson

My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.