Open Source for Jamaica

[owen]

Well what you have here is a case where the people who have "money" don't really care about the things you mention.

[odanerob]

i agree with the open source

[mega man]

As a Jamaican and a 17+ year full time Linux user I agree completely that countries like Jamaica need to go FOSS.
I would also like to see less branding in the classroom, don't make sure CXC has basics in Microsoft office, make sure they have basics in processing documents, spreadsheets and databases.
We Jamaicans need to start being innovators of Technology and not just consumers of it or we will never truly reach developed status.

I want to build a hackerspace Jamaica, who's with me?

now this is a move i'd back full time, i think we need to step forward in tech, we need to start creating instead of just using what we see.

[mistik1]

I have now started my CNC machine build and and will be done around March or April 2015, after that I will build a 3D Printer and try to make the hackerspace like environment around those machines.
I also finally managed to find a company that would send me Ferric Chloride for etching PCBs so we can also teach the your how to make thier own circuits.

Soon i'll start a thread to track my progress.

[Satanforce]

Default

I have now started my CNC machine build and and will be done around March or April 2015, after that I will build a 3D Printer and try to make the hackerspace like environment around those machines.
I also finally managed to find a company that would send me Ferric Chloride for etching PCBs so we can also teach the your how to make thier own circuits.

Soon i'll start a thread to track my progress.

While I, and most other sensible people agree that the whole FOSS fad was, and is, a bunch of nonsense I agree with you that we need more technical spaces in Jamaica like that regularly seen in First World countries. I will be eagerly following your progress.

[winchester]

I came across this post and wanted to know what you guys thought about it... I'm all in agreement.

Very good article. I've been suggesting to schools that they could save a lot of money if they would move from Windows and Office to Linux and LibreOffice... The problem is that the Government subsidizes Windows through the eLearning program. I believe that many are unwilling to move to Windows 10 and soon enough Windows 7 will reach end of support to force upgrade. This would be a good time to start promoting Linux as a viable and cost-effective alternative.

I'm thinking the use of this article as a start to enlighten. I'm going to get permission to publish this article on my company's website and then on our FB page. It would be great if the TJ community would help also.

[Satanforce]

Very good article. I've been suggesting to schools that they could save a lot of money if they would move from Windows and Office to Linux and LibreOffice... The problem is that the Government subsidizes Windows through the eLearning program. I believe that many are unwilling to move to Windows 10 and soon enough Windows 7 will reach end of support to force upgrade. This would be a good time to start promoting Linux as a viable and cost-effective alternative.

I'm thinking the use of this article as a start to enlighten. I'm going to get permission to publish this article on my company's website and then on our FB page. It would be great if the TJ community would help also.

Do you believe that Jamaican school children should be molested? No? Then why are you giving them Linux to use? Think about the children! Never mind the fact that Open Source does not look address a fundamental problem.

The fact is , Linux, as an operating system, desktop or server, is simply inappropriate for the majority of tasks that it is claimed to be able to accomplish. Putting aside the fact that Linux is security nightmare (buffer and stack overflow FTW !!), there are the matters of the various updates usually break it, the continued failures of it graphic subsystems (nVidia Optimus drivers anyone?), the sodomy that is NFS and SSHFS compared to Windows Network File Sharing , and the poor quality of drivers for peripherals like scanners and printers. Also some of the drivers for those peripherals are Windows only. Oh, and did I mention the security issues? Lookie here for 2014:

Overlooking a fundamental problem for now, the idea that major organizations can switch to Linux wholesale is ridiculous. Just look at the failure that was the Munich experiment. And that was Germany, home to a race of hyper-efficient robots. What hope would Jamaica have? LibreOffice is still a fundamental failure even though the OOXML standard hat has been used since Office 2007 is open for anyone to see. But what should one expect from a system developed by child molesters and wife murderers? When it comes to your children, Open Source is just an Open Invitation to an Opened Anus. Don't use it.

But even then , operating systems and software licenses are an irrelevance. Imagine that someone, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Education decides, to start hooking our children on the study drug - Adderall - the market leader. Sure , the side -effects are serious, and the drug does not solve another fundamental problem, but hey, no one's getting hurt , amirite? Then all of sudden , you guys jump in and say, "No! Drop that Adderall and take Ritalin instead'! Not only is the formula free to access , but it gives you better brain damage!"

The point of my above story is that whether or not we use free or proprietary software, we are just brain-damaging our children with an "Information Technology" syllabus that utterly fails to solve a fundamental problem of training computer engineers and developers to a level of skill and productivity of that of the first-world. We are taught a thin gruel of programming called "pseudocode algorithm" which contains neither code or algorithms. This is followed by what amounts to Office Procedures with a Computer. We stopped teaching Office Procedures because this generation (starting high school in 1992) was a part of the "Information Age", and the low paying jobs that Office Procedures was supposed to prepare us for would no longer be a part of the Jamaican economy. Then why the hell are spending 50%-75% of our time learning Microsoft Office, and doing it for S.B.A.s ?

There is a reason its called Microsoft Office, not Microsoft Software that is used by highly paid and skilled developers. You guys are just as much a part of the problem , because you're all wrapped up in the tool (Open Source), instead of the training (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Development.). Now when you guys are ready to be a part of the solution, Team Satanforce will be here to help you.

[glenfordwilliams]

Do you believe that Jamaican school children should be molested? No? Then why are you giving them Linux to use? Think about the children! Never mind the fact that Open Source does not look address a fundamental problem.

The fact is , Linux, as an operating system, desktop or server, is simply inappropriate for the majority of tasks that it is claimed to be able to accomplish. Putting aside the fact that Linux is security nightmare (buffer and stack overflow FTW !!), there are the matters of the various updates usually break it, the continued failures of it graphic subsystems (nVidia Optimus drivers anyone?), the sodomy that is NFS and SSHFS compared to Windows Network File Sharing , and the poor quality of drivers for peripherals like scanners and printers. Also some of the drivers for those peripherals are Windows only. Oh, and did I mention the security issues? Lookie here for 2014:

Overlooking a fundamental problem for now, the idea that major organizations can switch to Linux wholesale is ridiculous. Just look at the failure that was the Munich experiment. And that was Germany, home to a race of hyper-efficient robots. What hope would Jamaica have? LibreOffice is still a fundamental failure even though the OOXML standard hat has been used since Office 2007 is open for anyone to see. But what should one expect from a system developed by child molesters and wife murderers? When it comes to your children, Open Source is just an Open Invitation to an Opened Anus. Don't use it.

But even then , operating systems and software licenses are an irrelevance. Imagine that someone, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Education decides, to start hooking our children on the study drug - Adderall - the market leader. Sure , the side -effects are serious, and the drug does not solve another fundamental problem, but hey, no one's getting hurt , amirite? Then all of sudden , you guys jump in and say, "No! Drop that Adderall and take Ritalin instead'! Not only is the formula free to access , but it gives you better brain damage!"

The point of my above story is that whether or not we use free or proprietary software, we are just brain-damaging our children with an "Information Technology" syllabus that utterly fails to solve a fundamental problem of training computer engineers and developers to a level of skill and productivity of that of the first-world. We are taught a thin gruel of programming called "pseudocode algorithm" which contains neither code or algorithms. This is followed by what amounts to Office Procedures with a Computer. We stopped teaching Office Procedures because this generation (starting high school in 1992) was a part of the "Information Age", and the low paying jobs that Office Procedures was supposed to prepare us for would no longer be a part of the Jamaican economy. Then why the hell are spending 50%-75% of our time learning Microsoft Office, and doing it for S.B.A.s ?

There is a reason its called Microsoft Office, not Microsoft Software that is used by highly paid and skilled developers. You guys are just as much a part of the problem , because you're all wrapped up in the tool (Open Source), instead of the training (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Development.). Now when you guys are ready to be a part of the solution, Team Satanforce will be here to help you.

ranting and hating on linux as usual i see.

[jamrock]

ranting and hating on linux as usual i see.

LOL!!!

He is always good for a laugh or two.

[matronyx]

I do not know if this even deserves a reply... but that list posted is misleading.

"Top operating systems by vulnerabilities reported in 2014"

It is very hard to just compile a rank list for operating systems based on the available "independent researches" (mostly paid ones [/sigh]).

It will have to be more detailed, not leaving out figures that could skew the results.
Where is Windows XP? Yes, I know it is just 9% of the pie when it comes to clients browsing the internet (linux is 1.5%) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_...rating_systems
Also, if you include iOS you must include Android and Windows phone variants ....

Now of course this article will start the old Opensource vs Windows debate so...
Opensource software will ALWAYS be more transparent when it comes to reporting "vulnerabilities".
The source code is there for anyone to look at. Some might argue that this is a negative, but thus far it has proven to be good for the community.
Try to pick apart the source code for windows 10 in a bid to enhance it, learn from it. Let us know how far you get. In fact many operating systems can thank opensource for the "new" tricks that they have learned over the years.

Now I could go into more detail as to the flaws of the chart Mr. Cristian Florian created but I think his point was:
Over the years there have been more and more vulnerabilities affecting ALL operating systems.

Getting more local...

The fact is , Linux, as an operating system, desktop or server, is simply inappropriate for the majority of tasks that it is claimed to be able to accomplish.

Eh????

67%-93% of public web servers (depending on if you ask W3techs, W3Cook) run some variant of UNIX, vast majority Linux.
96% of mainframes run Linux (think healtcare, finance, government).

Why is this? Certainly because Linux IS appropriate for the task its assigned. To even argue if Linux as a server is robust, fast, downright dependable is lunacy.

Linux as a desktop can be more debatable. This comes down to individual user experience and "what I'm used to".
Give a 5 year old a linux desktop to use as his first computer and I guarantee you he will be light-years ahead when it comes to being a computer engineer/ developer vs the kid that is using a windows machine.

It is like driving a stick-shift vehicle vs a automatic.
The stick-shift person can jump in the automatic and it takes him minutes to seconds to get going. The automatic person jumps in the stick-shift and mash up the clutch then proceeds to complain about "Is not what I used to".

Yes, Linux is the stick-shift.