Re: Why should we teach students Linux??

[Bill Campbell <linux-sxs@celestial.com>]

On Mon, Mar 05, 2007, Roel Bindels wrote:
>Hello listers,
>
>I'm tutor on the Faculty ICT, department NID. This is a bachelor degree
>and we are preparing our students to become something more then just
>System Administrators (such as manager, consulting, etc....). Since this
>department is part of the Microsoft camp, the students are educated
>mostly in this direction, which I think is not a bad thing. A better
>thing would be if we could give our students the opportunity to meat
>both the systems on the same level, at least, that is my opinion.
>
>To change a curriculum of a study, I need a solid case. So if somebody
>knows a link/document about why we should educate our students in the
>Linux OS, please send it. Or article about the usage of Linux in company's.
>

Don't so-called educational institutions always push diversity?

Linux is based on Unix, the same source that Microsoft went to to get most
of its ideas (although they have never figured out security)  since
purchasing a CP/M port to Intel chips from Seattle Computer, the first
manifestations being the hierarchical file system in DOS 2.0.

Adding Linux to the curriculum could provide students with background in
secure, multi-user systems, and a development model based on integrating
small components into useful systems in contrast to Windows which never has
implemented effective security, and tends towards huge monolithic programs
which are difficult to maintain and debug.

Linux also provides the source code so interested students have the ability
to really understand what's going on under the hood.  When I started using
Xenix in 1982 (a Microsoft port of Unix to the Radio Shack Model 16), I
learned a lot by examining system scripts to see how things were done.

One of the major differences between folks competent in Linux and Unix and
Windows ``experts'' is that the *nix people usually start by trying to
analyse and fix problems while MCSEs only know the Three R's of Windows,
Reboot, Reboot, Reinstall.

Bill
--
INTERNET:   bill@Celestial.COM  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/  PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
FAX:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820; (206) 236-1676

DOS: n., A small annoying boot virus that causes random spontaneous system
     crashes, usually just before saving a massive project.  Easily cured by
     UNIX.  See also MS-DOS, IBM-DOS, DR-DOS.