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Re: Education strategy
From: |
Hilaire Fernandes |
Subject: |
Re: Education strategy |
Date: |
Sun, 12 May 2002 15:24:35 +0200 |
On Sun, 12 May 2002 13:16:09 +0100
Alistair Davidson <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hilaire Fernandes wrote:
> >
> > > > The main problem is inability to run Windows
> > > > based education software - WINE is a possibility but we have to get
> > > > hold of
> > > > the software to test and testing takes time. For the time being we are
> > > > concentrating on low cost thin clients
> > >
> > > There is a lot of free educational software that could be substituted.
> > > There is
> > > also the important task of getting teachers to contribute GPL'ed content
> > > for
> > > new free educational e-books etc.. Keep it free and maximise cooperation
> > > =>
> > > productivity & efficiency. If you are being ordered to buy a particular
> > > proprietary product then blow the whistle here and in the TES etc..
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > Getting education titles to run under WINE
> > > > is a high priority but difficult for a small company.
> > >
> > > WINE is said to be very good now but most free software was written to
> > > run on
> > > GNU and BSD. (BSD licening is to be avioded due to propritization, vis
> > > Mac OS
> > > X.)
> >
> > I agree. In term of freedom it may not be a good idea to promote the use of
> > Windows software
> > under a GNU system. Althougth such Windows may be free it may not be easy
> > to modify such
> > software under a GNU system. What if the free education software was
> > developped with VB,
> > Delphi or any other non free development tool? Instead we could look at
> > porting such
> > software or write new one from the ground.
> > This is what we are doing at OFSET. GCompris was written in the idea to
> > replace software as
> > ASIBOU (quite famous software in France) and DrGenius to replace Geometer's
> > Sketchpad or Cabri.
> > Of course more need to be done and we are always looking for new volunteers.
>
> Wine is important because it lets people continue using their old
> (albeit non-free) software after switching to a free OS. It increases
> the chances of them using free software in situations where there's one
> or two apps they use that don't have a diect equivalent under *nix.
I understand the issue you are pointing at. What are these software teacher may
still want/need to
use under a GNU system?
We can promote a port or the writting of free equivalent for GNU but we need an
accurate list.
Do you have some idea ?
Hilaire