2021-10-25 00:07:31 EEST | back | home | git
+Today I met a student who is forced to use lockdown browser, +which made me kinda angry how schools are so dependant on closed source spyware. When y'all +sign up for university or school y'all are not giving your basic right to security and privacy to them, but +they're still basically giving your data to every proprietary garbage companies that are money hungry.
+I know this blog won't change schools from using proprietary software and all, but I hope that this +at least makes little change and students could finally stop their data being mined unconsciously +through the software and operating systems school use.
+This post might seem a bit ranty... because it kinda is a rant, so enjoy :).
+Schools don't have an unlimited budget so using fully open source, libre software would +save them thousands on stupid office and microsoft windows licenses. +Even though FOSS software might take a bit to get used to for current students, +if FOSS gets accepted in schools the next generation will be long used to FOSS tools, software and operating +systems.
+Linux (and other FOSS operating systems) are usually lighter than microsoft windows or apple's macOS, +so it can bring old school's systems back to life by giving them another chance to work better. +Linux being the more popular FOSS operating system will probably work better on school computers +because of the better hardware, driver and software support than something like OpenBSD or serenity OS.
+Administration at school managing your data are probably using microsoft windows and excel or word +to manage your grades, phone numbers, addresses, names, etc. - for short personal data, but +you probably did not consent to your schools basically giving away your personal data to microsoft for free, +actually in any way, but in general - you did not consent for your data being exposed to a company. +Schools should use FOSS software because of that alone, but also anything else that is happening at your +school is being basically being given away to companies and if you for example have some mental issues, +health problems, etc. you probably don't want companies having that data and then targeting you and +as time passes knowing more about you than you know about yourself.
+Windows and macOS limits you to one option, but on linux for example you can let users pick their own desktop +session, them to have their files isolated, better permissions, safer logins, etc. nobody could tinker or +laugh at students because of their work or could mess it up or anything similar. +They can also pick a distro depending of what they want, though they should remember that +not all linux distros are FOSS, maintained and/or libre.
+The school cannot allow students to do anything they want, like removing the root system or in general +getting root access, but for that linux has good permissions and in general good system management, +you could even disable root access and only be able to access root with an SSH key or something. +You can restrict people a lot from messing up anything, which is a good thing, sometimes. Also +with linux you get a package manager, which means school computers will not get as infected with nasty malware.
+You know how IT lessons now are close to useless and all students do in them is make microsoft word +documents, paint images and excel spreadsheets? With linux students could learn system administration and +management, server hosting, scripting and automation and programming, +even though some IT lessons in schools are them learning programming, linux still is better supported +in the programming world and with linux you get much more access to programming tools and programming languages.
+If schools need a certain feature in the software they use, FOSS software is fully and easily modifiable, +so schools can add the feature themselves or hire someone to do it for them and a good thing about FOSS +software is that they cannot implant any spyware or spooky features without being noticed as FOSS software is +usually released under the GPLv3 or at least under the GPLv2.1 license which says that people who modufy +the software have to release it under the same FOSS license.
+Schools are usually restricted to what they teach just because they're using software that limits what to +show and teach students. +Schools could introduce what they're missing themselves and customise everything just how they like it and +fully FOSS and libre +from the desktop environment, the window manager to the kernel (see: linux-libre which keep in mind can also be hardened.)
+Linux, BSD, etc; their distributions distributions, DEs and WMs don't change as much as windows or macOS so schools can +be assured that they will get a constant and reliable experience, by that I mean the visuals don't change +that much, but linux and stuff themselves get security updates and optimisation changes semi-often.
+Even though updating is good, sometimes teachers after booting their computer will have a windows update +for like 20 minutes and then they're not as able to teach students, with for example linux you pick when to update. +The administration could teach teachers how to update their systems or just set up a cronjob and linux +updates usually don't require an instant reboot, it can be easily upgraded in the background and you could +easily just boot into the new kernel on the next boot.
+Linux including other FOSS OSes are documented to great extents so if you face an issue you can easily figure out what's wrong and fix it, +unlike on windows with its meaningless blue screens, so the administration could easily just fix +the computers school has.
+As linux (FreeBSD, NetBSD, etc.) support a lot of devices and architectures schools could use phones, tablets and computers +without needing to really change the software they use and so staying consistent and not ruining nor the +teacher's nor the student's workflow, +and they can run on other enterprise devices so sysadmins will also have a stable and consistent experience.
+Anyway, I know this was quite ranty, but sometimes I would love to make schools use FOSS and libre software, +but I can't do anything beyond this heh, but anyway, have a nice day :).
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