Sir,
Last day I made a long conversation with my friends who are studying Com Sc. I was talking about free software. While I was talking about GNU/Linux, one of them asked me "'Bill Gates is a great person', We get M$ Windows freely and how he gets money?". I was astonished to learn that not only him, most of the students don't know how he makes money. Most Com Sc students is thinking like this. They don't even know what is the difference between proprietary and free software. They don't know the Need of free software, the problem of Licensing etc..
I explained the facts about Free Software, Beginning of GNU Project, The power of GNU/Linux and some technical details. They were actually surprised!! and told me that it was interesting. They were interested in free software. I explained them the problems regarding 'Patents, Copyrights'.
While going through our 11th class Com Sc syllabus, its nothing, its only about some technicals...also the syllabus is following details about old technolgies. It contains - only about:
What is Information? Need of Information? What is Computer? What is data processing? The steps of data processing?, Number Systems........C++ basics..etc.
while our teacher was teaching about Primary and Secondary memory, She told that only there are three types of RAM. - Static, Dynamic, Synchronous Dynamic. I think these facts are old. Now a days, its very rare
to get a SD RAM. All new motherboards support only DDR SD RAM. Then how can we accept that?
Even after completing +2, the Com Sc students won't know the real things like The Need of Free Software in India, Its possibilities, Difference between 'GNU/Linux and M$ Windows'. They may only remember some syntax in C++ and some defenisions of Computers and Information.
I am explaining the point that 'Free Software can only make the Com SC an experience'. So the need of Free Software in 11th Class is inevitable. From this year itself there should be Free Software.. Atleast it should be able to conduct some free software awareness programs and workshops for 11th class students.
How can we implement these things?
Thanking you, Sarath Lakshman www.slynux.org
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