[PLUG] The house bill, a roadmap...

[Michael C. Robinson]

The Linux way seems to be teach yourself and do the work 
because it pays off for what your doing in the long haul.
The Microsoft approach to software is quick and dirty. 
Because Microsoft is a monopoly that has to produce a 
more complex operating environment now, this approach 
has led to a lot of problems.  

The research approach is fine for academic environments 
if a student's broader goals for the research are time 
limited or the student is paid to do research.  For the 
manager who says get me three proprosals and I'll pick 
one, how can a Linux specialist become properly prepared?  

I would guess you need to be able to provide a canned 
solution in a culture that calls for individual 
research.  

One problem is that a lot of solutions already exist under 
Linux for a lot of problems, but these solutions lay 
undiscovered because there's no roadmap to them.

Another major point that has come up in the discussions
is that it is not cost effective to open source all Windows
software because the software comes from so many sources 
under so many different licenses.  Will Linux have an 
advantage over Windows because all operating level 
libraries and functions are open source?  The only 
part of Linux to my knowledge that has to be open 
is the kernel, though, if I understand correctly, 
you can take the same kernel and create a multitude 
of different systems each requiring different training
to support them.

There is Linux standards base, but is there the 
scientific research saying that this effort and  
other similar efforts are enough?  Even with the
source code in hand, understanding the tradition 
behind it speeds up accurately interpreting what's 
there.  If the current standardization and
teaching efforts aren't enough, what has 
to be done?  What can be done?

What is to be done about computer science deans 
who take bribes for millions of dollars to build 
Windows labs?  I got it so bad when I was 
starting my college career for revealing 
interest in Linux that the dean apologized 
to me afterwards.  Partially he was well meaning,
he feels his son who pursued psychology and is
making so little fell on idealism.
As a dean, he seeks to advise people to pursue
well paid careers.  He's hard, but it's his way 
of caring.

With a roadmap, the risk to become a Linux 
professional becomes more measureable.  Many
need this roadmap to better make judgements 
about where Linux can go, will go, and if 
they can go with it.

     --  Michael