I think the Loons channel Alanis Morissette on this one. Supposedly Linux (almost unique amongst Operating Systems) is a perfect teaching platform for Computer Science. It’s a crucial plank of FreeAsInSpeech™.
And it’s tosh.
Here are a few things you don’t learn:
- You don’t learn how to administer a commercial network (that would be Cisco, etc) or database (that would be Oracle, etc). Never mind, they’re commercial. Banish the impurity from your mind.
- You don’t learn any of the very large number of Microsoft tools, any one of which can get you a job. Never mind, it’s Voldemort™. Banish the impurity from your mind.
- You don’t learn modern programming techniques. How can you? The toolchain is shoddy and the IDEs are worthless garbage.
But supposedly you do learn Computer Science. Like, say:
- Compiler theory
- Microkernels
- Security concepts
- Big-O notation
- Algorithms
- Machine learning
- Information retrieval
- Database theory
- Robotics
- Graphics
- Hardware design
(Amongst other fields within the field.) Hm, you don’t really learn any of those by the magical act of using Linux, do you?
Well, maybe you learn Software Engineering Best Practice. This would include:
- A needless splintering of deliverables into 57 almost identical cans of fart.
- Total disconnect between the people who write the code and the people who integrate it.
- No testing beyond Alpha.
- Software Delivery Through Obscurity.
- Software Resilience as a Chicago Weather Forecast. If it ain’t broke yet, just wait around a little while.
- Irresponsibility as a Corporate Goal. If anything goes wrong, somebody else (typically the user) is responsible.
I submit that these are useful lessons that Linux can teach us. Possibly not the lessons intended, but useful nonetheless.
They all boil down to this: if somebody makes grandiose claims that don’t sound remotely believable, there’s probably a reason the claims sound that way. It works with salesmen, it works with politicians, and it works with religious leaders.
Also, it works with freetards.
Comments
“Well, maybe you learn Software Engineering Best Practice. This would include:”
Scraping ideas off from everywhere without understanding what the implications are?
Look it doesn’t matter if you (or they, or anyone) don’t understand them, the ManyEyes™ do, and that is all that matters.
Keep your eye-jars stocked – it’s the only way to really know what’s going on.
Also, what’s with the obsession with “implications”, next you’re gonna be coming here warning us of the consequences.
What’s the worst thing that could happen, you know…
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>:)))
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