[Its.an.education.project] Freedom is a good deal (Was: Ivan's latest blog entry on OLPC)

[Steve Holton]

On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM, Tomeu Vizoso <tomeu at tomeuvizoso.net>
wrote:

> In my own words, FOSS in this education project has two main benefits:
>
 <snip>

> - Long term benefit: the recipients of the machines can understand how
> software and content can be created and distributed _by themselves_.
> People can use knowledge to their own benefit without having to depend
> on channels controlled by others.
>

No one has ever suggested giving Windows to kids; to be fair the most anyone
has proposed is *leasing* it to them, and we should endeavor to use the
correct words when we describe the offer.

If we propose offering anything dependent on that lease (for example, Sugar
to run on top of it, or hardware customized for the purpose of supporting
it) any expense we incur beyond our own requirements is done so for the
benefit of the lease holder.

Microsoft has a fiducial responsibility to terminate the lease prudently in
the interest of its shareholders.

Do we have a fiducial responsibility to the children we hope to educate?

-- 
Steve Holton
sph0lt0n at gmail.com
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