[Glastonbury] meeting tomorrow (fwd) RANT

[Martin WHEELER]

On Tue, 1 Jul 2003, s~TV wrote:

> hey what is this nit pick business?

Whoa there!  Both Andy and I are conscientious proof-readers (goes with
the jobs we do), and spend a lot of our time preparing texts for
publication.  It's an automatic thing with us to mentally correct any
text as we read through it -- for both factual accuracy and orthography
/ punctuation.
Feel honoured.  (Not singled out for adverse criticism.)


> get in the real world
> kidz have had ms products rammed down their throats since at least since
> 1993.

Tell me about it.  You're talking to the guy who got thrown out of
Strode College (not only thrown out, but banned from communicating with
students -- yes, really!) for introducing Linux into the syllabus.
(First year of a brand-new sysadminning course.)  I am in possession of
written texts detailing my crime of introducing 'hacking software'
[Debian] onto the college campus.
All because the gross incompetent in charge of IT services there was
shit scared of losing control of his little empire before he got to
retire in comfort; and terrified of being shown up as the dickhead who
committed the College to completely unnecessary annual license fees for
proprietary software.  (As well as being shown up as being totally
clueless about exactly where IT is at the moment, and the direction in
which it's heading -- i.e., unfit to do his job.)

Yes, Steve.  Tell me about it.  Technical knowledge counts as nothing
beside institutional politics in these cases and with these people.

(I have also been told by the ICT Centre -- a supposed public facility
for open use by the population of this town -- that Linux can't be
allowed there: "because we've got to be careful our equipment isn't used
for terrorist purposes".  In other words, the Director doesn't know what
the hell it is, feels threatened by people who do; and is therefore set
resolutely agin it.)

This is why I am now very careful about exactly what I say; and *how* I
say it.


> if i spent time on semantics and pedagogy i would be told it was all a
> load of...
> i am just a teacher who has little time but to do my job.

Not by members of the old guard who respect semantics and pedagogy you
wouldn't.  Of course, by the standards of the modern crowd ...

OK.  Think sixties.  Regard your job as that of being a revolutionary.
(Because whether you care to admit it or not, that's what you are.
You're kicking The System right in the balls with every statement you
make about the suitablility of using non-conventional products, methods
and techniques, and implanting ideas of such behaviour in the minds of
the upcoming generation.)
And the first duty of a revolutionary is not to get caught.
So be *very* particular about how you phrase anything you say.
Think of it that way.  (Otherwise they might try to get you for it...)


> i believe in open source and have fought hard for getting linux into
> schools for 3 years.

Welcome!  Join those of us who have been doing it for three times as
long.  (I wasn't too popular at Millfield Prep. in 1997 either -- for
exactly the same reasons.  Hmmm.  I wonder if my sweet and charming
personality isn't a tad abrasive at times when dealing with [obviously
totally insecure] authority figures.
Maybe I should stop telling them to their faces that I think they're
incompetent dickheads.)


> this is against the GREAT MACHINE within which i work.
> please acccept that i speak many languages and understand that things
> move very slowly when it comes to the status quo.

Totally understood.  With my background in the UK educational sector, it
couldn't be otherwise.  Nevertheless, remember the two most memorable
quotes of Abbie Hoffman:
                 "Fuck the System!";  and:  "Do it!"
My guiding principles.  (Note that I don't speak for Andy here.  He was
trained as a lawyer.  But otherwise he's a very nice chap indeed.)


> i am bound to not please all the people all the time.

Goes with the territory.  (Revolutionaries are terribly romantic; but
no-one really *likes* them.  And they're dangerous to ally yourself
with.)


> i am an advocate of Open Source a la E. Raymond and do not apologise for
> any <nit> <pick> mistakes? i have made.

Who asked you to apologise?  We just suggested certain ways of
betterment of expression.  You're a bit touchy about it, is all.


> i am writing for a non-ict literate microsoft saturated audience.
> most of the refernces to linux ( including "lee-nooks" comes from
> offiicial sources )

American -- or European ?    (Oooh -- you bitch, Martin)
OK -- I'll try and find my audio file of Linus pronouncing 'Linux' --
used to be distributed with every copy of Linux, back in 1994.


> hey i guess you guys just think i don't know what i'm talking about!
> then come along tomorrow and teach me :-)

See you there, Steve!

:)
-- 
Martin Wheeler   -   StarTEXT / AVALONIX - Glastonbury - BA6 9PH - England
mwheeler@startext.co.uk                http://www.startext.co.uk/mwheeler/
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