On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 02:07:05PM -0700, Tracy R Reed wrote: > Doug LaRue wrote: > >But a "we can help you save money on a nice training system and have some > >voluteers who'll help with the training too" adding that there is also a > >"We > >will > >also give you all the software used in the training, plus more, for free". > > > >Would that still be pushing a piece of string? > > Lots of people have tried to help the schools and libraries save money > in this way. They aren't interested. If they were they would have > switched everything to Linux years ago.
It's hard for bureaucracies to justify increased budgets when they're spending less. They don't want to save money. At least, the schools don't. Education is the biggest boondoggle in the state of California. Libraries, that might be another thing. They seem to be the first to get cuts, especially in the age of the Internet. Putting together a demo library catalog system and a cost analysis showing it beating the heck out of their current system *might* result in a change, but A) the library systems are run by the City and County IT bureaucracies, and B) they wouldn't want to be shown how they could start kludging something up. They might be interested in a quote for a turnkey system and a progressive rollout of terminals to the libraries, but I can guarantee you that any such solution would have to "fit into" IT requirements that are forced upon the library system. Personally, I lost interest in trying to convince people to use Linux a long time ago. I'm happy to help someone who wants to learn, and I'm happy to implement a solution for a paying customer. But most people just want to click, click, click for porn, spam, silly movies, stupid games, etc. Windows "just works" for them, and they're probably pirating it anyway, and their 15 year old nephew is a "computer genius" who has never heard of Linux. Advocate when it's going to result in a paycheck. Linux isn't going to change, or save, the world. Except for the parts of the world that already want to be changed or saved. Most don't. -- *********************************************************************** * John Oliver http://www.john-oliver.net/ * * * *********************************************************************** -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
