On Mon, 2005-08-22 at 09:37 -0700, Sarath Lakshman wrote:
I am here to inform you about an issue in 11th Class. Now I am studying in 11th class - Computer Science. Our text book is following the proprietary C++ compiler (Turbo C++ Compiler) and there is nothing about Software freedom and importance of free software.
Actually, the textbook only says C++. What compiler is to be used is decided by the school, as far as I know. The syllabus was revised to take into account the fact that students like you who joined the 11th standard this year have already been trained in using computer applications. The change is more visible in the syllabus for students of Commerce and other subjects. However, Free Software as such has not made an entry. This is because the revision was only superficial since it was done at the last minute and there was no time to rewrite the textbooks. Let us hope the government will change this at least next year. Meanwhile, if the new IT@School GNU/Linux distribution becomes popular in schools, there is every chance that many schools will naturally switch over to gcc in the Plus 2 level.
The same problem will arise in the case of database also. Although the textbook discusses only SQL, many schools may use proprietary versions and not MySQL or PostgreSQL.
A more serious problem exists in the case of Commerce students, who have to learn Visual Basic!
If your teachers are receptive, you can try to show them that gcc is the best compiler available, and that it is Free. But they may want a graphical interface.
Best