[ubuntu-uk] Could Linux (and Ubuntu) do more to encourage students?

[Tony Arnold]

Andy,

Andy wrote:

> I am not entirely sure why my University is forwarding me junk mail
> from Microsoft, I don't remember asking for it.

Interesting. I went to a presentation recently about the pain we will be
going through to move to Vista at our University. At the end I commented
that it was the best advert for open source software I had ever seen!

But a comment was made about how the University had no choice but to
move to Vista and it was competitive edge, essentially. The belief is
that new students expect to see the 'latest and greatest' when they come
to a University and so we would be left behind if we stick with XP for
too long.

The other argument I hear is that we should be using the system and
tools that students expect to see in the big wide world once they have
graduated, and that, of course is Microsoft stuff. My argument is that
if we taught our students Linux, and associated tools, then businesses
would eventually move as new graduates with Linux expertise are recruited.

So these are some of the reasons why some University's are so pro
Microsoft. Money is also tight in many institutions so to get
significant amounts of money in from anywhere is usually welcomed.

Just my thoughts.

Regards,
Tony.
-- 
Tony Arnold, IT Security Coordinator, University of Manchester,
IT Services Division, Kilburn Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL.
T: +44 (0)161 275 6093, F: +44 (0)870 136 1004, M: +44 (0)773 330 0039
E: tony.arnold at manchester.ac.uk, H: http://www.man.ac.uk/Tony.Arnold