Re: [OS:N:] Re: Questionaire about the support of students rights and the freedom in the learning environment

--- tek <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> > > James Michael DuPont wrote:
> 
> > Alternatives exists for some things. Lets look at the case of a
> high
> > school teacher that says the english report has to be delivered in
> word
> > format. Examples like that are abounding. 
> 
> I write word documents, things ending in *.doc all the time.
> im not using windows or MS office. If there wasnt something in free
> software 
> that allowed that then i would agree with you but there are several,
> they are 
> free and you get the source code. next?

Sorry but not yet. My point is that the word document is a closed file
format. A public official, or a tax payed representative should not be
requireing those file format. RTF yes. .doc no.

The Doc files are one of the file formats that the department of
justice has demanded be opened up and documented. 

There are enought examples of open office crashing that I can tell you
about, at work we have some windows users that love producing files
that crash open office. 

Again, word is just an example. The point is that there are many
teacher who are requiring such file formats, that dont have to be word,
And word is still a problem. It will be a problem untill microsoft
publishes the file format, or it changes it EULA.

 > Would it be more correct in your world to have the teacher have to
> buy several 
> different software packages to read everyones reports? 

TXT. PDF. RTF. HTML.  all standards.
[SnIP]

> > You might say that they can choose not to
> > take part, but is it fair for a taxpayer funded course to have
> these
> > requirements? Who is benefitting from this? Are the contracts under
> any
> > type of government control? Can a teacher in a local high school
> decide
> > on his own to require the newest version of msword? 
> 
> 
> I will admit that i havent been in school since before computers but
> i dont see 
> that happening, maybe at the college level but not below. besides
> openoffice 
> will write in a format even officeXP can open. You have downloaded
> installed and 
> used it havent you?

Wait untill your kids go to the new microsoft highschool, 
then we can talk.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/tech/article/0,1406,KNS_8976_2240464,00.html


> > 
> > I think that we have to look at the real issues at hand,
> 
> one of the issues you might look at is their budget, or lack thereof.
> I am personally contacting the local school districts in my area to
> hand out 
> knoppix for kids cd's and openoffice cd's, i urge everyone to do the
> same. I 
> think that has more value both in the long term and the short term
> than arguing 
> over what file format a report should be allowed to be returned in.

I disagree. I have been writing to my congressmen, the president and
the new CIO of the states about this issue. I think we need to have the
government enforce the rights of the students to not be forced to use
non-standard and non-documented file formats.

Microsoft submitting its file format to ANSI would be a good step in
the right direction. All of this has been suggested by the department
of justice, but most people only care what microsoft says now a days
and not what the DOJ says.

> 
> > and on the
> > large scale, there is a wholesale removal of the rights of millions
> of
> > students. They are not informed of their rights properly, and are
> given
> > no real alternatives then to sign them away.
> 
> welcome to the bush world. 
Yes, it is very scary. Bush and his worldcom, enron and microsoft
buddies.

>we are losing rights all over the place
> faster than 
> the amazon is losing tree's some in the name of national security,
> others in the 
> name of corporate greed. There are larger issues that have the
> ability to 
> greatly curb your ability to use free software that need activists
> badly. your 
> fighting the effect, not the cause is what i mean to say.

I disagree. The fundamental problem here is the disrespect of
fundamental rights. I feel strongly about my suggestions and think that
they are the right place to put the pressure.

> 
> find out who is the head of your local school district, call and try
> to make an 
> appointment and bring in a laptop with a knoppix for kids cd. 

I live in germany, but am an american citizen. I will be trying to get
these issues raised on the right level. The local schools need to have
backing of the government and the EU. Germany is much more open to free
software and are using it in parliment.

>bring
> openoffice 
> for windows cd's. let them know about free software, you may get
> kicked to the 
> curb but you also might find a very receptive audience when you ask
> how much 
> they pay for computer apps and show them how to dump the costly
> software and use 
> free stuff and use the money saved back in the schools.
> Tnt

Yes. That is one aspect. I only have so much time.  RIght now, my
making an issue out of the students rights is the only thing i have
time for.

mie

=====
James Michael DuPont
http://introspector.sourceforge.net/

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