www/philosophy schools.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /webcvs/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       09/12/15 15:39:18

Modified files:
        philosophy     : schools.html 

Log message:
        Substantial rewrite of text.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/schools.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.35&r2=1.36

Patches:
Index: schools.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/philosophy/schools.html,v
retrieving revision 1.35
retrieving revision 1.36
diff -u -b -r1.35 -r1.36
--- schools.html        17 Sep 2009 14:06:20 -0000      1.35
+++ schools.html        15 Dec 2009 15:39:14 -0000      1.36
@@ -1,52 +1,54 @@
 <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
-<title>Why schools should exclusively use free software - GNU Project - Free 
Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
+<title>Why Schools Should Exclusively Use Free Software - GNU Project - Free 
Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
 <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
-<h2>Why schools should exclusively use free software</h2>
+<h2>Why Schools Should Exclusively Use Free Software</h2>
 
 <p>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/";>Richard Stallman</a></p>
 
 <p>There are general reasons why all computer users should insist on
-free software. It gives users the freedom to control their own
+free software: it gives users the freedom to control their own
 computers&mdash;with proprietary software, the computer does what the
-software owner wants it to do, not what the software user wants it to
+software owner wants it to do, not what the user wants it to
 do.  Free software also gives users the freedom to cooperate with each
 other, to lead an upright life.  These reasons apply to schools as
 they do to everyone.</p>
 
-<p>But there are special reasons that apply to schools. They are the
-subject of this article. </p>
+<p>The purpose of this article is to state additional reasons that apply
+specifically to education.<p>
 
-<p>First, free software can save the schools money. Even in the
-richest countries, schools are short of money. Free software gives
+<p>First, free software can save schools money. Free software gives
 schools, like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the
 software, so the school system can make copies for all the computers
 they have. In poor countries, this can help close the digital
 divide.</p>
 
-<p>This obvious reason, while important, is rather shallow. And
-proprietary software developers can eliminate this disadvantage by
-donating copies to the schools.  (Watch out!&mdash;a school that
-accepts this offer may have to pay for future upgrades.)  So let's
-look at the deeper reasons.</p>
-
-<p>School should teach students ways of life that will benefit society
-as a whole.  They should promote the use of free software just as they
-promote recycling.  If schools teach students free software, then the
-students will use free software after they graduate.  This will help
+<p>This obvious reason, while important in practical terms, is rather
+shallow. And proprietary software developers can eliminate this reason
+by donating copies to the schools.  (Warning: a school that accepts
+such an offer may have to pay for upgrades later.)  So let's look at
+the deeper reasons.</p>
+
+<p>Schools have a social mission: to teach students to be citizens of
+a strong, capable, independent, cooperating and free society.  They
+should promote the use of free software just as they promote
+recycling.  If schools teach students free software, then the students
+will tend to use free software after they graduate.  This will help
 society as a whole escape from being dominated (and gouged) by
-megacorporations.  Those corporations offer free samples to schools
-for the same reason tobacco companies distribute free cigarettes: to
-get children addicted <a href="#1">(1)</a>.  They will not give
-discounts to these students once they grow up and graduate.</p>
-
-<p>Free software permits students to learn how software works.  When
-students reach their teens, some of them want to learn everything
-there is to know about their computer system and its software.  That
-is the age when people who will be good programmers should learn it.
-To learn to write software well, students need to read a lot of
-code and write a lot of code.  They need to read and understand
-real programs that people really use.  They will be intensely curious
-to read the source code of the programs that they use every day.</p>
+megacorporations.</p>
+
+<p>What schools should refuse to do is teach dependence.  Those
+corporations offer free samples to schools for the same reason tobacco
+companies distribute free cigarettes to minors: to get children
+addicted <a href="#1">(1)</a>.  They will not give discounts to these
+students once they've grown up and graduated.</p>
+
+<p>Free software permits students to learn how software works.  Some
+students, on reaching their teens, want to learn everything there is
+to know about their computer and its software.  They are intensely
+curious to read the source code of the programs that they use every
+day.  To learn to write good code, students need to read lots of code
+and write lots of code.  They need to read and understand real
+programs that people really use.  Only free software permits this.</p>
 
 <p>Proprietary software rejects their thirst for knowledge: it says,
 &ldquo;The knowledge you want is a secret&mdash;learning is
@@ -57,17 +59,19 @@
 and learn as much as they want to know. Schools that use free software
 will enable gifted programming students to advance.</p>
 
-<p>The next reason for using free software in schools is on an even
-deeper level. We expect schools to teach students basic facts, and
-useful skills, but that is not their whole job. The most fundamental
-mission of schools is to teach people to be good citizens and good
-neighbors&mdash;to cooperate with others who need their help. In the
-area of computers, this means teaching them to share software.
-Elementary schools, above all, should tell their pupils, &ldquo;If you
-bring software to school, you must share it with the other
-children.&rdquo; Of course, the school must practice what it preaches:
-all the software installed by the school should be available for
-students to copy, take home, and redistribute further.</p>
+<p>The deepest reason for using free software in schools is for moral
+education. We expect schools to teach students basic facts and useful
+skills, but that is not their whole job. The most fundamental job of
+schools is to teach good citizenship, which includes the habit of
+helping others. In the area of computing, this means teaching people
+to share software.  Schools, starting from nursery school, should tell
+their pupils, &ldquo;If you bring software to school, you must share
+it with the other students.  And you must show the source code to the
+class, in case someone wants to learn.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Of course, the school must practice what it preaches: all the
+software installed by the school should be available for students to
+copy, take home, and redistribute further.</p>
 
 <p>Teaching the students to use free software, and to participate in
 the free software community, is a hands-on civics lesson. It also
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@
 </p>
 
 <p>
-Copyright &copy; 2003 Richard Stallman
+Copyright &copy; 2003, 2009 Richard Stallman
 <br />
 Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted
 without royalty in any medium provided this notice is preserved.
@@ -114,7 +118,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/09/17 14:06:20 $
+$Date: 2009/12/15 15:39:14 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>