Microsoft 'indoctrinates' Best Buy workers with anti-Linux 'lies ...

Microsoft 'indoctrinates' Best Buy workers with anti-<b>Linux</b> 'lies <b>...</b>: "Microsoft (MFST) is "indoctrinating" Best Buy (BBY) workers to sell its highly anticipated Windows 7 operating system using outright lies about the performance of open-source competitor Linux, according to Linux experts and at least one ...

Another cause against Microsoft and lockin!

Another cause against Microsoft and lockin!: "

Just a quick post to highlight a new cause being started on Facebook and Twitter. BrokenWindows aims to educate users in the benefits of using alternatives to Microsoft products.

I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t champion it since my stance on this blog has been the same since its creation over a year ago.

Maybe if you have recently moved from Microsoft products you could follow BrokenWindows and spend the time educating and helping another in the benefits of breaking free?

To follow on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/BrokenWindows_

and the Facebook campaign can be found here:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/344450/

Our "New" Linux Lab

Our "New" Linux Lab: "

Image by ....Tim via Flickr

I'm proud to work in a school tech department that is so focused on environmentally responsible computer practices and policies (I might also add that our department is one of the 'greenest' in the school, with 3 of the 4 department members commuting by bike each day to work). This is in large part due to the vision and leadership of our school's Tech Director, Steve Taffee. We're certainly not perfect in all areas as a department and there is room for improvement, but in many respects I think our school is at the forefront of the 'Green Computing' movement. This is especially evident with our 'New' Linux lab that Steve and Adam Contois (Help Desk/Sys Engineer) deployed this past summer. I write 'New' in quotations because the lab itself is new, but the computers in the lab are actually circa 2002 IBM desktop computers with old LCD displays and reused keyboards and mice. These old IBM computers were replaced last year in our language learning lab by new HP desktops. When we made the decision last spring to relocate our 17' iMac computers from our iMac lab to a newly created 'Digital Arts Studio' in our fine arts center, instead of purchasing brand new replacement computers we decided to re-use the old IBMs to fill the void (I might also add that this move saved our school a significant sum of $$). The computers feature a pretty standard installation of Ubuntu Linux, which includes Open Office and a folder of games. I'm amazed at boot times, application loading speed, and the all around solid performance of computers that TCO models are telling us to put out to pasture.

Initial student reaction to the computers in this space is typically, 'These are ugly.' But when they consider the environmental impact and when they actually use the computers, the students really seem to appreciate and enjoy this resource. Quite honestly, after 10 minutes of web browsing and working in our new web-based email system (Google Apps), the students seem to completely forget that they are using a different operating system. We had a full class of 17 students in the lab for the first time this past week and the performance was quite solid, especially considering each student was authoring in Google Docs, a web based word processing environment.

On Tuesday of this past week we had our first 'Linux Lab Open House.' We invited students, teachers, staff and administrators to come take a look at the Linux desktop operating system in action. We only had a few people attend, but it proved to be a very nice introduction to Linux as an operating system. See the video clip below from Tuesday's open house. We're hoping to have a second open house at some point in October and we're going to try to invite parents as well. We're even considering doing a 'Make-it-take-it' type of day where students/families can bring in their old computers and we'll help them load Ubuntu Linux.

Microsoft Teaches the Public That Free is Illegal

Microsoft Teaches the Public That Free is Illegal: "

Shameless tactics from Microsoft describe Free software as 'piracy' and now an 'endemic problem'

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Rob Tiller Explains Why Software Patents Are a Tax on Innovation (Video)

Rob Tiller Explains Why Software Patents Are a Tax on Innovation (Video): "

Direct link

Related recent post:

• Mozilla’s Chris Beard Versus Software Patents (Video)

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Microsoft Teaches Pupils About Lock-in

Microsoft Teaches Pupils About Lock-in: "I'm amazed Microsoft hasn't done this before:

Microsoft's Education Labs launched a new project this afternoon and it's better on trees and the environment. The group just announced a new Math Worksheet Generator where teachers can generate math problems and email them in paperless Word format to their students. In addition to Math Worksheet Generator, the group also announced plans for two additional projects to be released in the Fall.

Hard-pressed teachers will love this - and won't even notice that they are being turned into a vector for lock-in to Word (not that they aren't already). I predict we'll be seeing much more of this content-driven approach, whereby Microsoft makes people offers they can't refuse...provide they take King Billy's shilling.

Teacher's Guide to Web 2.0 at School

Teacher's Guide to Web 2.0 at School: "Sacha Chua has once again created an awesome slide presentation. In this presentation, A Teacher's Guide to Web 2.0 at School, Sacha does a great job of addressing the 'yeah buts' and 'what if' opposition statements that some administrators and teachers make in regards to using Web 2.o in schools.

The slideshow is embedded below. If you're reading this in RSS you may need to click through to view the slideshow.

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

View more documents from Sacha Chua.

Here are some other great slide presentations created by Sacha Chua that I've highlighted in the past:
The Shy Connector - Networking Tips for Shy Folks
Web 2.0 in the Workplace

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