>-----Original Message----- >From: Russell McOrmond [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 11:26 AM >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: Aboriginal Canadian IT Effforts off base? > > > > >On Wed, 20 Nov 2002, Matt Cahill wrote: > >> I don't think you're off the mark, but the reality is that - at >> least for now - it's the Microsoft/Adobe/Macromedia skillz that >> employers are currently capable of recognizing on a CV. It's a >> question of a balanced education, leveraged against what will help >> them get IT jobs, and this is where an "open source initiative" >> would be interesting to add to the mix...whatever that would be. > > > First, I hope that feedback will get sent to Studio2 and the >relevant >companies.
Good point. I'm typing up feedback now. > > > Secondly, I think we need to work to turn the above >perception around. >People say that proprietary brands are needed to get a job as >employers only want proprietary skillsets. On the other side, >employers need to purchase proprietary software because there >is nobody skilled in alternatives. One of these must be >wrong, as they can't both be true at the same time. > > > I think the public is being duped by the vendors who want >people to actually believe that their brands are required. >They are opposed to real competition (likely recognizing that >they would loose against FLOSS if put on equal footing). They >are even willing to use trivially bogus statistics in order to >'proove' that alternatives don't exist, and that they are being harmed. > IE: See: >http://www.flora.ca/russell/drafts/consumer->license-study.html > > Consumer license study: software >"piracy", free software, and economic > impacts > > > > I also think educators need to realize that it is better to >teach general skills than a brand, especially given the >version of the brand will change by the time people get out in >the workforce. It is better to learn how to "word process" >and "access an SQL database", than to learn Microsoft Office >or Oracle. In fact, is is probably better to learn the FLOSS >equivalents as these allow the students to bring everything >with them (legally) to their home and future employment. > > Their future employment may be within their own community, >where the self-reliance and independance of the employer is as >important as with the employee. > >--- > Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> > See http://weblog.flora.ca/ for announcements, activities, >and opinions ALERT! ISP Licensing! >http://weblog.flora.org/article.php3?story_id=>273 > MS >Win/Office assault >http://weblog.flora.org/article.php3?story_id=294 > >
