[Edu-sig] OLPC: $175 and Windows capable

[Jeff Rush]

kirby urner wrote:
>> The question 'is Linux in trouble?' is of course entirely rhetorical
>> and it's not.  The students I'm working with already have a well
>> developed hacker ethic:  if the source is closed, it's "for dummies"
>> (meant pejoratively, like in the movie 'Idiocracy').

Kirby, I try to follow your posts but this one has me lost.  You seem to be
upset that Windows is in the OLPC picture, but then below you seem to be upset
with the GNU folks re something about geeks worthy of sharing?

> I've been feeling very friendly towards Bill of late, ever since his Foundation
> hired away a certain school superindent that's been nothing but trouble for
> us here in Portland.  Yay Bill and Melinda, way to go!
> 
> When it comes to proprietary/secret stuff, even Shuttleworth'll do that.  It's
> simply *not* either/or and never has been in Silicon Forest.

Hmmm, proprietary != secret, and the free/open software movement has never
said there must be no secrets in general, just in source and even then under
certain circumstances of distribution, so I'm struggling here.


> I've sparred with Stallman on precisely this issue:  what if geeks don't see
> other geeks worthy of sharing with, in that opponent culture?

And I've never thought of the free/open software movement as being an opponent
culture... what am I missing?


> Sometimes a counter-culture just reserves for its own, OK?

??? "reserves for its own"


> Like, I probably won't be writing up my Saturday Academy classes in such
> detail any more.  That's work I do for a paying client.  If curious,
> enroll in a gnu math course near you, and experience the difference our charming
> snake makes.

Sarcasm, re not writing them up anymore or are you really making such a major
shift in direction?  What did GNU do to tick you off and make  you close your
materials?

-Jeff