So just think for a second. Why do schools use Windows, when all they need are internet, office utilities and maybe a time keeper program. They pay for windows, when they can use Linux, which has all this free, and never gets viruses. It's a no-brainer. Plus, if they'res something they must have for windows that they don't have for linux, theres Wine.
Because no one knows how to use it. I totally agree with you by the way.
Because many people don't know how to use Linux.
Because school computers are supposed to ready you for the real world, and unless you work as an open source dev, you're probably gonna be working with Windows.
Yeah lets take a few months to train the faculty how to use Linux, then take a few more to teach the students how to. By the last week of the school year they can now begin their work.
Because it is much easier to buy Windows in massive volumes and have apps work correctly instead of running them in a compatibility layer on an unfamiliar OS to the users. Plus I'd imagine they'd get paid MS support too. And failing that, not all School networks are connected to the internet, so the risk of viruses is lower on those machines. I know in my school, there was a whitelist operated so getting a virus without USB drives (which were blocked) was pretty hard.
[editline]10:06PM[/editline]
Also .doc is a defacto standard.
So the dumb fucks can't complain about where "the internet" is. Or why the porn player refuses to play the shitty movie they made whit there cellphone.
Because they buy the PCs from companies who don't put Linux on their machines, the schools would have to wipe the Windows they've paid for off the machines and put on Linux, wasting money. A lot of the programs they use for kids aren't available for Linux unless you use an emulator, which could use up too much of the system's resources. The kids aren't likely to be exposed to Linux at home or when buying a computer so the school board doesn't see a need to teach them how to use it. Because there are too may different Linux OSes, they don't know which to choose, and there are more differences in the different Linux OSes than the different Windows OSes. Because they don't want to spend the time and money to change over their servers and student login info to a Linux server. Because students who know how to use Linux could more easily hack the systems or program viruses on to the machines, because they use no antivirus programs.
As well, my school has a lab running an XP-Ubuntu dual-boot, and we get to learn how to use Ubuntu next year in at least one of my courses. Not only that, but on old machines who's Windows fucked up, I installed DSL, just to have a usable machine (even though nobody used them after I installed DSL).
It's not that hard. Make some shortcuts on the desktop to Internet or whatever, wham.
See what I did there? :smug:
[QUOTE=_Underlined_;16821362]It's not that hard. Make some shortcuts on the desktop to Internet or whatever, wham.
See what I did there? :smug:[/QUOTE]
:smugspike:
Because it's not standard.
The schools in Putnam County Tennessee use Macs, and distribute Macbooks to the students for the year.
[QUOTE=mgear;16821469]The schools in Putnam County Tennessee use Macs, and distribute Macbooks to the students for the year.[/QUOTE]That's worse, they have less compatability, and they cost more.
I use Ubuntu at my school, well it's on my Portable HD that I bring and I'm the only one who uses it. The good thing about it though is I get through all of the blocks on the PC and they can't trace anything back to me since I don't use their login program Novell.
Usually schools get windows free or cheap from places like dell and such. Plus, businesses use office programs and open office is different enough that they couldn't use it to train for business careers. Then, there's teaching programs that are windows only and probably don't have an open source alternative.
To those saying it would take forever to "teach" people how to use linux: Linux isn't hard to use, people that use it make it sound hard to use to lengthen their e-peen. Something like linux mint, ubuntu, or fedora would just seem like windows with a skin to most people. It's not like they are totally different interfaces and shit. You still have a "start" menu, you still have windows with 3 buttons in the corner to min, max and close. Until you get to the command prompt, most linux distros are pretty self explanitory to a windows user.
Our school used macs :saddowns:
They crashed every five minutes (I'm not shitting you)
I asked my teacher "so Im gonna be using Linux on my pc is tehre anything I need to do to make sure my work is all compatible" and she sent me to the techy's who had no idea so I was like :Dawkins102:
Linux is pretty hard to moderate use, whereas there are programs made for Windows that can automatically filter web searches/block illicit content that are not as reliable or even available on Linux.
[QUOTE=_Underlined_;16821479]That's worse, they have less compatability, and they cost more.[/QUOTE]
They were perfect, all we did was use office, and educational websites. The School board has like some deal where Apple products are cheaper than Windows based PCs. They literally bring the Macs in a truckload.
[QUOTE=Protocol7;16821223]Because school computers are supposed to ready you for the real world, and unless you work as an open source dev, you're probably gonna be working with Windows.[/QUOTE]
So they're getting me ready for shitty ass computers that are almost on par with my P3 laptop? I don't think i want to get a job anymore...
[QUOTE=Dr Egg;16821254]Because it is much easier to buy Windows in massive volumes and have apps work correctly instead of running them in a compatibility layer on an unfamiliar OS to the users.[/QUOTE]
This. If you wanted anything besides Firefox on your Linux machines, you'd have to either have to run the common Windows program in Wine (iffy at best) or use a Linux alternative which would be unfamiliar to most users and/or not completely compatible with its Windows equivalent (I'm looking at you Open Office).
Familiarity.
From my experience in MN, most schools use Macs actually. That's maybe just the Minneapolis area though.
Because the majority of IT Techs are trained to use Windows server (i was :o)
They get a bundled license (cant remember the term) which is comparatively cheaper than uying an OEM for every computer.
Also, practically every office uses Windows, so should students move on into office work, its familliar ground, and saves the offices having to pay for extra traning
[editline]11:00PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Nyaos;16822101]From my experience in MN, most schools use Macs actually. That's maybe just the Minneapolis area though.[/QUOTE]
where i live macs are used for art courses, since photoshop is apparantly better on a mac. mine runs perfectly on windows though :)
Like others said, no one would know how to use them well enough to make it worth getting them. My school has a Linux lab for no reason and they are completely worthless. Although that might be because they use a shitty version of red hat.
I should also add that even my Uni (University of Strathclyde for those that care) only has 1 linux lab (unless I am forgetting one of them) and the rest of then are Win XP with a custom Uni Linux distro for some raisin. Even us educated folks use Windows :x. Though we do use Eclipse for Java development.
Because if they used linux some asshole would fuck it up.
Linux is very easy to fuck up if you don't know how to use it
I think schools order computers with windows pre-installed.
Schools like to waste money so they can claim they're in debt and get more
:smug:
Windows runs applications that linux doesn't (Think AutoCAD, all the learning programs, etc.). Running an emulator just to use those ruins the point of using Linux in the first place.
The reason a lot of schools don't use macs is because macs are useless for business, AutoCAD, etc. My Elementary school had iMacs but as soon as i went to Middle/High school they started using PCs.
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