[PLUG] Micro$oft at it again.

[david may]

Hi,

I'm new to this list so I hope I am not out of order with
such a long post.. But i feel wordy this morning:)

I do not think that the military analogy is appropiate here.
An abusive husband is probably more descriptive.
As tempting as it is to surcumb to the desire to battle the evil 
redmond, I don't think run will be very productive in the long run.

Microsoft can not do anything that the people will not allow.
And people put up with this controlling behaviour because they do not 
really think they have alternatives.  It is the confidence of the 
community that needs to be won. Linux is not a MS killer but a Knight 
in shining armour.

It can be  a scarry thing to make the switch to Linux. 
What do you do when Johnny demands a desktop like the one daddy 
has at home. Or some parent objects. Or something breaks and disrupts 
the classroom. It can seem easier to just maintain the status quo
and MS counts on this behaviour. 

The battle is psychological not technical. 

Too often in the heat of that battle we forget that computers are not
ends in themselves. They are tools do to other stuff with. Most people
do not want to get tangled up in the process of manageing the computer
and software. Thay just want to "do stuff".

The community needs a commons for this issue. OpenACS (www.openacs.org) 
can provide this, and can be set up in a couple of days. Once that is done 
send out email and perhaps even a public service announcement, inviting
parents and teachers to participate. Having a focal point can  reassure 
the public.  It can also provide a place for people to sign up for
install duty, moderation etc. 

By next Wednesday maybe ??