[Technical] Interesting computers-in-education piece. Education & the ACCC

[Con Zymaris]

On Wed, Aug 03, 2005 at 11:05:07AM +1000, Jim Maunder wrote:
> At 10:40 AM 3/08/2005, you wrote:
> >On Tue, Aug 02, 2005 at 12:52:30PM +1000, Russell Curr wrote:
> >> Hi Con,
> >>
> >> We tested linux desktops last year in one room but eventually went back
> >> to WinXP due to some vocal complaints from staff - students did not seem
> >
> >Why not keep staff computers on XP and all the labs on Linux?
> 
> 
> And while you're at it, make all the staff drive Holdens (so they are 
> all the same).

Indeed my point. 

At present, the Department of Education puts out a tender for, let's say
'fleet vehicles' and specifies that they must all be 'Holden Broncos'.

Now, the Holden Bronco may be a good car, but imagine how you would feel
as a competitor (say you're a Ford or a Toyata), if you couldn't bid for
that business because the Department doesn't allow you to? Would you be 
happy? I think not. Now, imagine the Department of Education doing this 
for 15 years, never letting a competitor bid for business. What would you 
do? How would that impact the market for competition? How would that 
impact innovation, because only competition drives innovation. 

Now, also imagine that Holden Broncos are actually all made overseas, and 
your locally made Fords and Toyatas weren't getting a look in? Imagine 
also that your 'automotive current account defecit' was being overdrawn by 
$19 _billion_ per year, like our ICT one is?

(source: 
http://www.acs.org.au/index.cfm?attributes.fuseaction=viewNotice&notice_id=376)

Once you've imagined that, you'll understand that that's the predicament
we're in with computurs today.


-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
Con Zymaris <conz at cyber.com.au> Level 4, 10 Queen St, Melbourne, Australia 
Cybersource: Australia's Leading Linux and Open Source Solutions Company 
Web: http://www.cyber.com.au/  Phone: 03 9621 2377   Fax: 03 9621 2477