Re: tlug: Office suite for use under Linux

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "Karl-Max" == Karl-Max Wagner <karlmax@example.com> writes:

    >> And you can call the MS-trained technical support (at least
    >> here at Tsukuba-Dai, you can).  Linux doesn't have training
    >> classes yet.

    Karl-Max> How about setting them up ? Tsukuba-Dai is supposed to
    Karl-Max> be one of the foremost universities of Japan. A little
    Karl-Max> progressivity would stand them in good stead.

There are some classes in basic Unix user skills offered by the
computer center.  Some may use Linux, I don't know.  But they don't
get any advertising that I've noticed (except in the Computer Center's 
incredibly boring monthly newletter).

Why not change this?

(a) "Not my job, mon."

(b) You evidently are not well-versed in the subtleties of 建前 and 本音 
    yet.  Tsukuba-Dai has very little room for progressivity, as it is 
    the lapdog of one of the most reactionary forces in Japan:  the
    Ministry of Education.

    To give you a petty example of just how reactionary, in 1990 my
    Japanese host had a seal made for me, since I would need one for
    official papers.  After 8 years (nearly to the day) of daily use,
    Monbusho decided it would no longer permit me to use that seal
    because I am a foreigner, and the seal uses kanji:  淡古 -> 
    タン・フル -> ターンブル -> Turnbull.

No, I think there is little hope for progressive behavior from
Tsukuba-Dai.  The faculty is certainly not averse to the current
system; except for a few of us with special needs, the huge amount of
money that flows to Tsukuba-Dai in return for no discernable (extra)
production of research is more than sufficient compensation.  (And
it's counter-productive, as the faculty use Macintoshes and 200MHz P6
boxes without thought of cost, while the students have to suffer with
bloated software on lowend notebooks.  No wonder they think computers
cause more problems than they solve.)

I think the project proposed a few weeks ago (volunteering to set up
servers in schools) is much more likely to have an impact.  Linux will 
make inroads into the University; there are too many of us who are
unwilling to bear with incompetent technical staff and bureaucratic
restrictions.  But it will have to be  guerrilla movement without
official support.  Many of my colleagues assume that Linux is far
beyond them, and just don't want to hear about it.  But there are huge 
numbers of Windows and Macs around, and the vagaries of those OSes is
a daily staple.

On the other hand, people _will_ be interested in their child's
school's face to the world.  Assuming you can find schools willing to
accept them....  But if you do, some teachers and some parents will
show an interest, and learn from it.  High profile.

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