On Mon, 2006-05-29 at 13:36 +1200, Volker Kuhlmann wrote:
> I had a look at ubuntu, and its featureless non-existant gnome stuff
> drove me bananas in 10 minutes.
I feel the same way when I use the confusing, poorly designed and overly
complicated KDE stuff, Volker :) Each to his own.
> It's also somewhat outdated.
Agreed, Ubuntu is about six-months or so behind the newest and greatest.
> If you're looking for something which looks a tad similar to
> mswindows, which is a good idea if you want to shift someone or take
> it easy at first, forget about ubuntu because it plain isn't.
You may find that being different is a good thing, not a bad thing:
nearly everyone on this list uses Linux because it *is* different. In
addition something that is "almost but not quite" what you are used to
can be more confusing than something that is obviously different.
However, the question of distribution is secondary to what is taught.
The students' current knowledge will be a big factor in this.
* Do they know how to install *any* operating system?
* Do they know what an operating system is? [1]
* Do they know how operating systems differ?
* Do they know *why* operating systems differ?
* Do they know why a person would want to install different
operating systems?
You also need *clear* reasons that you are doing this on Linux rather
than Windows, otherwise it will all be a bit pointless (like sets in
form 2 math). Another thing to remember, what you find fun (mucking
about with configuration settings [2]) others, especially students, will
find dull.
Finally, a student may appear very good with computers, but understand
very little (some CS tutors at Uni call this "delusions of 1337ness").
[1] I would love the answer to this question!
[2] Insert another dig at KDE.
