[Commons-Law] RMS on Software in schools.

[Mahesh T. Pai]

An interesting quote from Richard M. Stallman.

>From http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.html

Why schools should use exclusively free software

by Richard Stallman

There are general reasons why all computer users should insist on free
software. It gives users the freedom to control their own
computers--with proprietary software, the computer does what the
software owner wants it to do, not what you want it to do. And it
gives users the freedom to cooperate with each other, to lead an
upright life. These apply to schools as they do to everyone. 

But there are special reasons that apply to schools.

First, free software can save the schools money. Even in the richest
countries, schools are short of money. Free software gives schools,
like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the software,
so the school system can make copies for all the computers in all the
schools. In poor countries, this can help close the digital divide. 

This obvious reason, while important, is rather shallow. And
proprietary software developers can eliminate this disadvantage by
donating copies to the schools. (Watch out!--a school that accepts
this offer may have to pay for future upgrades.) So let's look at the
deeper reasons. 

School should teach students ways of life that will benefit society as
a whole. They should promote the use of free software just as they
promote recycling. If schools teach students free software, then the
students will use free software after they graduate. This will help
society as a whole escape from being dominated (and gouged) by
megacorporations. Those corporations offer free samples to schools for
the same reason tobacco companies distribute free cigarettes: to get
children addicted (1). They will not give discounts to these students
once they grow up and graduate. 

Free software permits students to learn how software works. When
students reach their teens, some of them want to learn everything
there is to know about their computer system and its software. That is
the age when people who will be good programmers should learn it. To
learn to write software well, students need to read lots of software
and write lots of software. They need to read and understand real
programs that people really use. They will be intensely curious to
read the source code of the programs that they use. 

Proprietary software rejects their thirst for knowledge; it says, "The
knowledge you want is a secret--learning is forbidden!" Free software
encourages everyone to learn. The free software community rejects the
"priesthood of technology", which keeps the general public in
ignorance of how technology works; we encourage students of any age
and situation to read the source code and learn as much as they want
to know. Schools that use free software will encourage those who are
gifted in software to advance. 

The next reason is even deeper than that. We expect schools to teach
students basic facts, and useful skills, but that is not their whole
job. The most fundamental mission of schools is to teach people to be
good citizens and good neighbors--to cooperate with others who need
their help. In the area of computers, this means teaching them to
share software. Elementary schools, above all, should tell their
pupils, "If you bring software to school, you must share it with the
other children." Of course, the school must practice what it preaches:
all the software installed by the school should be available for
students to copy, take home, and redistribute further. 

Teaching the students to use free software, and to participate in the
free software community, is a hands-on civics lesson. It also teaches
students the role model of public service rather than that of
tycoons. All levels of school should use free software. 

(1). RJ Reynolds tobacco company was fined $15m in 2002 for handing
   out free samples of cigarettes at events aimed at children. See
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/tobaccotrial/usa.htm. 

Copyright 2003 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted
without royalty in any medium provided this notice is preserved. 





-- 
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+
                                          
  Mahesh T. Pai, LL.M.,                   
  'NANDINI', S. R. M. Road,               
  Ernakulam, Cochin-682018,               
  Kerala, India.                          
                                          
  http://in.geocities.com/paivakil         
                                          
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+