Submitted by Sid Boyce as a comment to the Barbados Cyber Security: Recommendations from a Bajan Cyber Warrior blog. BU has highlighted the submission because it gives a lucid insight into the world in which we have to compete for the foreseeable future. This is how literacy is defined in the new world in which we live. It is regrettable that the Barbados Growth and Development Strategy document 2013 – 2020 makes failing mention of earthmoving ICT initiatives to help drive economic growth.
If you use a Smart TV, a Dreambox, an Android Phone or tablet, a fridge, own a new car or simply using the entertainment system on a flight they are using Linux. The Raspberry Pi and almost all embedded systems run Linux. The majority of the internet backbone runs on Linux, so it’s not just a niche operating system. It’s also where the highest paying computer jobs are on offer.
One of the real benefits is the educational value. Besides being free as in both freedom and free beer, it’s of benefit to anyone wanting to learn the internals of the system unlike Windows where get only what Microsoft damn well gives you with no say in how it’s put together. Besides the big companies like IBM, HP, Intel, Dell etc. anyone is free to contribute to Linux development by way of enhancements, submitting improvements etc. There are programmers all over the world who are contributing to the operating system core – the Linux kernel – and all the applications that run on it.
That a 7 year old kid was able to submit a critical patch shows there is no age barrier and certainly no ideas barrier. I don’t want to give the impression that it’s an unruly mess, there are king pins who vet everything that goes into Linux so submissions are scrutinised carefully and may be rejected if they don’t conform. Even IBM has had submissions rejected with a go away and clean it up before it’ll be accepted.
One of the complaints from some new users is confusion over the number of Linux distributions out there (hundreds), but that is choice – anyone is free to develop a new Linux distribution or modify an existing one and put it out there for anyone else to use, modify, redistribute or whatever their fancy or needs desire.
The following URL lists one such distribution for ages 2 to 12. All you need is a PC which you certainly have. There are “Live CD’s” and USB keys that allow you to try any Linux distribution without having to touch your hard drive with Windows on it. The Ubuntu distribution from Canonical (by Mark Shuttleworth – the South African who made the space trip) is very popular. Another company RedHat started out in a guy’s bedroom when he realised that from playing with Linux he could start a company selling it and services surrounding it to Enterprises and also offering it free for anyone to download. RedHat is racking up billion dollar sales annually.
Going back some years there was a company in Trinidad that was selling Linux service, I don’t know if they still exist. CERN has a Linux distribution called Scientific Linux that’s doing the work on the Large Hadron Collider – anyone can download and run Scientific Linux. As with all Linux distributions , it’s free. This is the new world of “open source software” and now some guys are doing the same with hardware. Collaboration and sharing is what it is all about. Every distribution also comes with oodles of applications to do any task.
Even handling Microsoft Office word documents – word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. there is StarOffice, LibreOffice and others which can run on any operating system including Windows so you don’t have to pay Microsoft for an Office suite to handle your documents or those sent to you.
Towards a free world where ideas flourish.
I forgot to mention a few of the non-technical Linux users. Stanley – a Kittitian retired welder now 84+ has been using Linux for around 8 years. He wanted a PC so we went and bought one and I installed Linux on it. Stan had never used a keyboard in his life so when I mentioned Backspace he had to ask me where it was and what it did. He then pointed to the spacebar and asked the same questions. He does work with his camera, burns CD’s/DVD’s with sound, video and also family pictures, also word processing, Skype, browsing the internet and other stuff – most he discovered himself.
Vic a 74 year old retired sheet metal worker does all sorts using Linux. Just 2 of the few I know besides the articles I read from guys and gals having their old folk using Linux. Very remiss of me not to have mentioned the ladies who are making significant contributions to Linux development – they are there up front, though they sometimes only come to be known when they blog about being patted on the backside or worse at conferences by dirty young men doing it surreptitiously in the crowd.
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