Science Education and Linux

One of my first articles on Linux was based on Linux in education.

Then, I was grumbling about not been able to find a Linux Guru either in Kandy or Colombo.

Result at that time was an appallingly negative outcome.

Of course I found a few Gurus from abroad which included Cristopher Naegus.

Unfortunately he has stopped writing or updating the Linux Bible.

I want blame him for his delay. (I bought his new edition few months ago which came after almost after 5 years).

The way Linux is progressing, nobody can keep pace with, including books on Linux.

Moment you write something on Linux and post it, it is outdated by many a miles.

My entry today is to talk about contribution of Linux to Education in general and Science in particular.

With the introduction of One Lap Top for Child (OLPS) project there was proliferation of educational products from France to Germany to Poland and Spain.

Material included from preschool to university level.

Unfortunately due to interference of Microsoft and they being able to port their product on OLPS with the sole object of destroying the initiative is hindering the progress of the OLPS.

For OLPS there is SOAP (Sugar On A stick or Plastics -means Flash Drive) packages but unfortunately nobody seems to streamline and organize these educational material in a systematic and stepwise manner (Built on an existing platform and add on serially to suit the different age groups and needs).

I found few packages very interesting and deal with them first before proposing a scientific way to establish this scenario of Open Source Science and Education.

I call it OSSE-U (Open for Students, budding Scientists and Explorers of this Universe).

There is is a serious of 7 to 10 Linux CDS for Science which I have not downloaded yet. (I have done it now-writing on science may be not in the immediate future)

Therefore, I am not going to talk about science at the moment but education in general.

To begin with there is gCompris from France with a definite French accent for Linux and Microsoft.

But my best in Knoppix for Kids (probably originated form Germany) but unfortunately there are no updates after 2005 or 2007.

There are packages from Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Greece, Spain, Poland and Italy and many other countries(including China-Taiwan-Linpus Linux-now become commercial).

But all these are catering for the domestic audience with their language bias without international clout.

Unfortunately UNICEF and UNO is Dumb and Numb about producing educational (Freeduc-that originated probably from France died in infancy at the hands of UNO) material at least for children and doctors of the Third World.

There is nothing from England and USA, who still with the colonial attitude and mind that they are the repository of Education, which is not so, now. If Open Source take a root in the Developing World their monopoly in education would slowly diminish in importance (European countries are embracing Linux, Spain in particular and Latin Americans including Brazil) but

Unfortunately India also has failed because Indian Maha Rajas also think education is money like their colonial Past Masters.

In this context Russia without a global outlook has failed to catch the market.

I am still to get a live CD version of ALT Linux (they have a DVD version in English-I have the Russian version, though) from Russia in spite of contacting them on several occasions. I have got a CD in Linux now.

I think my Linux 100 and critical comments on the web are bearing fruits in less than 6 months and stock market crisis is a blessing in disguise for the third world except U.N.O pundits who have succumbed to the pressure and insinuation by Microsoft.

Everybody think that once a CD ISO is posted at their web site for free download the job is done.

That is not so.

They do not realize that the Telelom Industry is still in infancy in the Third World and download speed is appallingly slow.

(This has become appalling after the introduction of PEO TV in Sri-Lanka).

It took 12 to 14 hours for me to download SuSe Sugar (please do not download SuSe Sugar, it is slow and has a serious bug in the Grub File).

Because of the proliferation of mobile industry Telecom Industry cannot think of a Giga bite download speed for another decade or so.

That is also if one pays a hefty fee.

UNICEF has failed.

UNO has failed to impart emphasis on education because education from preschool to university is big money spinner.

Unfortunately, even in this Banana Republic of Sri-Lanka it is true.

They are not thinking digitally (Brain Atrophied).

Currently trying to destroy the existing system and the students..
I think many more children will go abroad and will never come back with the budget for education going down while budget for defense is going up.

They think by giving outdated free education material to students free that they have solved our Education Problem. It is not so!

They do not pause to think why our brightest students and the children of rich families with foreign connections go abroad paying massive sums.

With this digital age that information can be had for 10% of the price.

All what the student should have is a laptop with Apple Approach (I would write about Apple computer in preference to Microsoft in due course).

This I have to defer since the price is not within the reach of average Sri-Lankan who has to pay almost 50 Rupees for a coconut now!

Mind you now Linux is porting free Linux distributions for Mac too.

We have to import English Teachers from Hyderabad to teach our teachers, having killed the English Education for the last 35 years.

If one wants to learn about Linux and Education, just go to Google and type Linux and Education you get a heap of material form nearby Australia to Germany and France.

This is only a glimpse. I would give a list below and wind with some hints for the Educational Developers with a Linux bent.

1.OLPS with my new OSSE-Universe Linux

2.SOAP

3.Knoppix for Kids

4.Look for defunct Freeduck

5.gCompris

6.Alt Linux form Russia

7.Pardus Linux from Greece and many more.

Even though SuSE Community assembled many of these resources from the repositories they have done a poor job.

Educational package should in my opinion should have they following as the base.

Mysql.

Mysql PHP

Mysql Admin graphic face

My Admin as the front end for student to play with and develop a database of packages.

Gbasic as a front end of Visual Basic application

gFlash as or Flash as a front end.

A Quick time simulator for playing Apple Education software.

Some way to hack itunes.

Kind of Play Station based on Wine and similar emulators.

Then divide the material as preschool, Junior, Intermediate, Higher and University Level to begin with.

Common software repository with series of Levels (for the Linux Distribution in mind) to download.

I would like the distribution to named as OSSE-U Linux (Open for Students, budding Scientists and Explorers of this Universe).

That is my contribution for the time being!

Asoka
Edited 0n the 15th of November. 2010

Original 14th of October, 2009

Open for Students, budding Scientists and Explorers of this Universe).
Copyright name of OSSE-U belongs to me anyway!

Google you can improve on this idea with cloud computing in mind.

Microsoft do not steal this idea.

I will be on your tail!