From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.3 (2006-06-01) on yquem.inria.fr X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.0 required=5.0 tests=none autolearn=disabled version=3.1.3 Received: from discorde.inria.fr (discorde.inria.fr [192.93.2.38]) by yquem.inria.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id ABB0DBC6B for ; Thu, 24 May 2007 16:21:09 +0200 (CEST) Received: from ipmail01.adl2.internode.on.net (ipmail01.adl2.internode.on.net [203.16.214.140]) by discorde.inria.fr (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id l4OEL7ft012902 for ; Thu, 24 May 2007 16:21:08 +0200 X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.14,573,1170595800"; d="scan'208";a="133632193" Received: from ppp59-172.lns2.syd6.internode.on.net (HELO [192.168.1.201]) ([121.44.59.172]) by ipmail01.adl2.internode.on.net with ESMTP; 24 May 2007 23:51:05 +0930 Subject: Re: [Caml-list] Teaching bottomline, part 3: what should improve. From: skaller To: David Teller Cc: Richard Jones , OCaml In-Reply-To: <1179925446.6966.102.camel@Blefuscu> References: <1179871823.6966.78.camel@Blefuscu> <1179875960.17533.35.camel@rosella.wigram> <20070523104132.GA31982@furbychan.cocan.org> <1179925446.6966.102.camel@Blefuscu> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Fri, 25 May 2007 00:21:01 +1000 Message-Id: <1180016461.6122.29.camel@rosella.wigram> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.10.1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Miltered: at discorde with ID 46559F53.000 by Joe's j-chkmail (http://j-chkmail . ensmp . fr)! X-Spam: no; 0.00; implements:01 democracy:98 legislature:98 inhouse:98 sourceforge:01 wrote:01 caml-list:01 functional:02 namely:02 namely:02 publically:03 programming:03 guess:04 fix:04 problem:05 On Wed, 2007-05-23 at 09:04 -0400, David Teller wrote: > That's a non-argument, I'm afraid. You can't demand the (unenthusiastic) > administrator and all students to install Linux just for one lecture. I > mean, I guess I could, but for a lecture titled "Algorithmics, > Functional Programming", that's a bit drastic. Heck no, I'd demand they eradicate Windows entirely, it has no place in institutions of any kind. One sensible government has already banned closed source software in all departments (Peru). There really is NO excuse for publically funded institutions to continue to waste taxpayer money on insecure operating environments which don't meet the most basic principles or western democracy, namely open government. Since it is software that implements most decisions of the legislature, the software should be open to public scrutiny, and the principle should descend to other institutions which are expected to be accountable. Universities should take the lead, because in the event of a problem they have inhouse resources -- namely students -- who can fix them. -- John Skaller Felix, successor to C++: http://felix.sf.net