Date : Sun, 02 Apr 2006 16:25:09 +0100
From : "David Hunt" <dm.hunt@...>
Subject: Re: Basic & BBC Basic
> >> the IT curriculum consists primarily of Microsoft Word, Access and
> Excel
> >> and very little else of technical merit. They've even phased out
Logo
> >> (and the chance to use my Valiant Turtle) in favour of photo
> >> manipulation (although to be fair we do teach with Dreamweaver).
Now I
> >> realise that you can't really teach 6502 any more, but I think kids
> >> should be shown more than Microsoft apps.
>
>
> Indeed. Its nothing short of a crime. Children are being subjected to
> the Dumbing Down experience of Windows apps, "taught" the load of
> psychological obfuscation that Microsoft Corp. pass off as though it
> were actually a computer.
>
> I ask, Nay, I DEMAND that schools be more honest, and stop calling it
an
> "IT lesson", and use more correct terminology, like "Microsoft
> Indoctrination Propaganda and Future Consumer Lock In Session".
>
> No really, our kids are a captive audience to this bullshit!
>
> Does that sound too extreme? Well, whats taught to most kids has
little
> to do with technology, more to do with the proprietary obfuscation
layer
> that *hides* the technology. That isn't teaching, its the dirtiest
form
> of advertising. (Along with school Assembly, but that's too off
topic.)
>
> I wonder how much Microsoft had to brown-bag successive
> people-in-positions to get away with this. Anyone know?
>
> No. I really and genuinely think the Model B, and BASIC is what should
> be in our primary schools, followed by BBC B with the lid off and
simple
> logic probes out, and assembler, then later Linux (sixth form onward),
> is what we should be teaching for I.T.
>
> A "de branded" but open-standards (Open Office?) Word Processing,
> Spreadsheet, Database etc. could be *used* in other parts of the
> curriculum more appropriate. This should be written in law.
>
> If Microsoft then wanted a part of the home education market, they
could
> bloody well make their products compatible!
>
> My suspicion is that "I.T.", and the old Computer Literacy Project" is
> something that was potentially liberating to the masses.
Multinationals
> and governments on the other hand would wish to use technology as a
> means of control and subjeaction of the same masses, and would not
wish
> those masses to actually know how the stuff works, but merely to buy
it,
> read their SPAM and porn, and be greatful to The Corporations that
rule
> here (and in most of the "Free World" for allowing them to be able to
> take out the finance to pay for a new machine every 18 months.
>
> So for the last 10-15 years or so, it seems to me that the whole
> computer literacy thing is being desperately back-pedalled on, and
> replaced with a sort of consumerist "education" that is more suitable
> for sheep destined for the corporate slaughterhouse.
>
> there.. and i never mentioned Research Machines once, or asked how
they
> hell they managed to say in business.
>
> Straw Poll? Flame War? Anyone?
>
Yeah, a Flame War, not had any **intelligent** ones for ages.
To most people a computer is just a tool to do a job, e.g. write a
letter,
do some accounts, send some e-mail.
How many people as a percentage of computer users program their computer
or
even wish to program their computer.
So how many people go shopping in their local shop than say Tesco or
Asda.
Microsoft is like Tesco, their marketing gurus know that you need to get
the
parents using the brand and also brainwash the kids with the brand too.
About 80% of the people I know use Windows, the majority of the rest use
Apple OSX (BSD-Unix) and about 5% use Linux/Solaris etc. Most of these
people use their computer to do a task and aren't concerned about the
Windows vs. everything else debate. They just want to know "can I do
this on
here" - agreed, they are much more likely to choose a product from
Microsoft
if they have used it before.
I think the new Linux distros have address many of the shortcomings of
using
Linux, notably the inclusion of a better UI, more Windows transition
features and better integration into Windows "networking". But don't
forget,
because the user's experience is only superficial, they can move from
one
system to another. Only a few simple metaphors need to be expressed by
the
new system, e.g. MacOSX users can use Windows XP and vice versa.
Microsoft have realised this and have looked for a new market. They've
now
launched an assault on your front room with the Windows XP Media Center
Edition and the XBox 360 (300W of heat flying out the back, wow does it
have
a noisy DVD drive, I thought the fans were noisy!).
We are programmers and tend to forget the majority of people have the
merest
of passing interest into what goes on "under the hood" - how many people
understand how electricity is generated and distributed, understand the
difference between a switch mode and linear PSU, the difference between
a
Wankel engine and a piston engine, the crystalline structure of metal in
a
spanner! Not many, but it doesn't stop them from using them and gaining
the
benefit of them.
So who's going to predict the downfall of Microsoft ?
Oh, I just remembered, my sister's boy wanted to know what "that thing
with
the funny red keys was" that was under my TV. I said it was a computer
and
connected it up. He sat there and said, "Where's the mouse, oh God, it's
crashed the login box hasn't come up" - I showed him a few games "these
graphics are crap" he said - so I showed him some code - "Uh, what's
this?
All that to do this, I'm bored, can I play on your XBox Uncle David" -
he is
11 and has never programmed in his life. I was already pretty good at
6502
assembler by that age! Am I worried, nope, if he choses to get into
programming he'll either take the slap happy "Programmers get paid
£50k,
I'll figure out how to code for that money!" or "I like programming,
wouldn't it be nice if someone paid me to do it". In my experience I
have
had a lot of the former pass through my hands, usually into management
(horror) the latter have been good friends over the years.
I'd imagine you would get few takers for genuine programming with
Information Technology and Electronics. It is a hard path to tread
compared
with Combined Science, Humanities, Literature etc. Other less well
trodden
paths, Physics, Electronics, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Computer
Science,
see a pattern here?
If you can get kids to do some programming, great, I don=92t think
you'll get
much funding for it because of the perceived lack of interest. Perhaps
running a "computer club" would give those kids who want to get involved
in
computers at an early age, an opportunity to learn more.
IIRC businesses tend to use Microsoft products, the Board of Governors
is
pretty well made up from people who use Microsoft products. The teachers
moved from Acorn to RM Nimbus PC386 Win 3.1, so it's a bit of an uphill
struggle to move teachers away from this. Mind you Microsoft is now well
entrenched in the NHS too, anyone heard how Tony Blair is going to spend
£38
billion on new IT for the Health Service? Anyone also know many are
based on
.NET 2003 and SQL Server 2000? Did you know that there is a NHS wide
licence
agreement for most Microsoft products.
I am near Putney bridge (Boat Race), sitting on a wall using someones
wireless connection to talk to an OSX server which connects to my
Windows PC
running Microsoft Office 2003 Outlook. The laptop is a Dell running
Fedora6
Linux and I'm using VNC. At least it's stopped raining...
Hooooray for choice.
Dave ;)