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This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux) on refurbished hardware (a random mix of old laptops in a large-scale deployment lol) and a laund

This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux) on refurbished hardware (a random mix of old laptops in a large-scale deployment lol) and a laundry list of other "technology solutions" which would be, obviously, impossible for a school system to smoothly maintain or even deploy. I'm not sure privacydad has ever deployed or maintained an IT department. A school system is very complex. For what they offer - Chromebooks are actually very good. My kids' school computers are probably better than most of the corporate-issue windows laptops I've ever had. Google docs/classroom are also very good compared to grab-bag of apps my kids have to use. --- (general computers-in-school rant) --- The clear answer is to get computers out of schools as much as possible! I know they won't so if you happen to work on this kind of software - PLEASE advocate for shipping better software! My kids aren't even taught how to type but are expected to put together slide shows and things every other week. The testing and assignments done on the computer are full of UX issues like missing scroll bars and confusing + inconsistent <form>s - Some tests allow you to go back and read the material, some don't, some lose your answers in-between, etc. Every year there is massive churn of "apps" the school district was corrupted into buying to replace last year's crop of junk.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
>This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux) Because Chromebook is Linux kernel + Google proprietary ecosystem & spyware. When advocates say Linux they just mean the FOSS distros of Linux + FOSS software.
- xethos 3y ago
  When advocates say Linux they unironically (and sometimes unknowingly) mean GNU+Linux. This typically means a standard image the school can manage that has reasonable device management, with a company they can pay, and that their in-house IT can contact for support when the unexpected, unforseeable issues happen. I have yet to hear one suggest ChromeOS or any Android tablet; those run the Linux kernel, but don't (AFAIK) use nearly any of the GNU software. And I kind of get it. We've all seen the copy-pasta, and this division took on a life as a joke about a crazy person that takes things too far. But most of the people that make that joke seem to have forgotten that RMS frequently starts off looking crazy, but is nearly always vindicated. Sometimes it's five years, sometimes it's twenty. But it happens more often that not.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    So we all know what we're talking about, but the terminology is actually messy because ChromeOS is a GNU/Linux system; AFAIK it's using GNU coreutils, glibc, and a fair bit of other software pulled straight from the packages provided by gentoo (from which ChromeOS derives). This is a notable contrast to Android, which indeed replaced coreutils with busybox and then toybox, and uses its own bionic libc and custom userland. I tentatively lean towards calling it "desktop Linux", or perhaps "user-controlled Linux" since that's rather the important part.
    - theprivacydad 3y ago
      > user-controlled linux Thanks, I will change that in the article. I appreciate your feedback
      - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
        Glad it was useful:)
    - xethos 3y ago
      There really is no good term; GNU+Linux includes ChromeOS (TIL) and excludes Alpine (and derivatives like PostmarketOS), "Desktop" doesn't jive with Mobian (for Linux mobile devices), and "Linux" includes Android. User-controlled might be the best I've seen so far, which is really saying something - all it's missing is what happens when it's issued (and administered) by a school or other org. Now I'm gonna be rolling around phrases like "libre-encouraging Linux" in my head the next few days.
jongjong 3y ago
>> A school system is very complex. But does it need to be? School private networks seem unnecessary, especially nowadays when most apps are cloud-based and don't require installation. Many modern routers support domain blacklists to prevent access to inappropriate content. What else is needed?
- loloquwowndueo 3y ago
  lol if you think a domain blacklist is an effective way to block inappropriate content.
- liveoneggs 3y ago
  The entire discussion is about how cloud apps are illegal for children because of GDPR
  - jongjong 3y ago
    GDPR is dumb. All government regulations are dumb. The only regulation that works is self-regulation. The way to ensure that companies self-regulate is by punishing them (directors and shareholders) harshly whenever they cause harm or damage.
    - xigoi 3y ago
      Who is going to punish them if there are no regulations?
      - jongjong 3y ago
        If a company causes harm, legal action can be taken against them.
theprivacydad 3y ago
> refurbished hardware (a random mix of old laptops in a large-scale deployment lol) On the refurbished laptop market, I see large amounts of the same series of laptops, often Thinkpads, for example. I assume this is because companies will replace entire collections of hardware dated for their purposes. I don't think it is too far-fetched to connect this market to schools in individual districts. > a laundry list of other "technology solutions" which would be, obviously, impossible for a school system to smoothly maintain or even deploy. See: https://nextcloud.com/blog/keep-your-data-in-your-school-use-nextcloud-locally-in-educational-settings/ https://nextcloud.com/blog/keep-your-data-in-your-school-use...

FirmwareBurner 3y ago

>This article advocates for Linux (Chromebook is already Linux) Because Chromebook is Linux kernel + Google proprietary ecosystem & spyware. When advocates say Linux they just mean the FOSS distros of Linux + FOSS software.

xethos 3y ago
When advocates say Linux they unironically (and sometimes unknowingly) mean GNU+Linux. This typically means a standard image the school can manage that has reasonable device management, with a company they can pay, and that their in-house IT can contact for support when the unexpected, unforseeable issues happen. I have yet to hear one suggest ChromeOS or any Android tablet; those run the Linux kernel, but don't (AFAIK) use nearly any of the GNU software. And I kind of get it. We've all seen the copy-pasta, and this division took on a life as a joke about a crazy person that takes things too far. But most of the people that make that joke seem to have forgotten that RMS frequently starts off looking crazy, but is nearly always vindicated. Sometimes it's five years, sometimes it's twenty. But it happens more often that not.
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
  So we all know what we're talking about, but the terminology is actually messy because ChromeOS is a GNU/Linux system; AFAIK it's using GNU coreutils, glibc, and a fair bit of other software pulled straight from the packages provided by gentoo (from which ChromeOS derives). This is a notable contrast to Android, which indeed replaced coreutils with busybox and then toybox, and uses its own bionic libc and custom userland. I tentatively lean towards calling it "desktop Linux", or perhaps "user-controlled Linux" since that's rather the important part.
  - theprivacydad 3y ago
    > user-controlled linux Thanks, I will change that in the article. I appreciate your feedback
    - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
      Glad it was useful:)
  - xethos 3y ago
    There really is no good term; GNU+Linux includes ChromeOS (TIL) and excludes Alpine (and derivatives like PostmarketOS), "Desktop" doesn't jive with Mobian (for Linux mobile devices), and "Linux" includes Android. User-controlled might be the best I've seen so far, which is really saying something - all it's missing is what happens when it's issued (and administered) by a school or other org. Now I'm gonna be rolling around phrases like "libre-encouraging Linux" in my head the next few days.

jongjong 3y ago

>> A school system is very complex. But does it need to be? School private networks seem unnecessary, especially nowadays when most apps are cloud-based and don't require installation. Many modern routers support domain blacklists to prevent access to inappropriate content. What else is needed?

loloquwowndueo 3y ago
lol if you think a domain blacklist is an effective way to block inappropriate content.
liveoneggs 3y ago
The entire discussion is about how cloud apps are illegal for children because of GDPR
- jongjong 3y ago
  GDPR is dumb. All government regulations are dumb. The only regulation that works is self-regulation. The way to ensure that companies self-regulate is by punishing them (directors and shareholders) harshly whenever they cause harm or damage.
  - xigoi 3y ago
    Who is going to punish them if there are no regulations?
    - jongjong 3y ago
      If a company causes harm, legal action can be taken against them.

theprivacydad 3y ago

> refurbished hardware (a random mix of old laptops in a large-scale deployment lol) On the refurbished laptop market, I see large amounts of the same series of laptops, often Thinkpads, for example. I assume this is because companies will replace entire collections of hardware dated for their purposes. I don't think it is too far-fetched to connect this market to schools in individual districts. > a laundry list of other "technology solutions" which would be, obviously, impossible for a school system to smoothly maintain or even deploy. See: https://nextcloud.com/blog/keep-your-data-in-your-school-use-nextcloud-locally-in-educational-settings/ https://nextcloud.com/blog/keep-your-data-in-your-school-use...