On 24 February 2012 12:03, Brian May <brian@microcomaustralia.com.au> wrote:
Do any courses/subjects require the use of Linux?
If you can get a lecturer complaining to IT that the computers aren't suitable for their subject, it would help. I think.
If Linux is not considered a requirement, then that is why they don't maintain it.
Hmm, I *think* I remember GNU/Linux being mentioned for the operating systems unit. I'll look into that. I'm not sure if they have specific lab/s for that unit, but even if they do it'd be good for the students of that unit to have it available in the 24 hour labs, and the lab that never has classes, so it's always accessible. They may just use VMs though, they used to have VM software on the lab computers. They recently did a fresh install of them all, apparently VM software isn't on there now. They did put the linux install back on them after initially not having it there, which implies there is a reason they have to install it. Matt Guica: "I think it's far more realistic to have a uni support free software on a proprietary OS than proprietary software on a free OS." I meant what students can run themselves on their own computers and still have the ability to complete their coursework and meet submission requirements without using any other computer, sorry for not being clear. I've also had trouble with one lecturer who didn't upload slides in anything other than pptx. That made reading diagrams in libre office....very 'interesting'. On the good side, for a project unit last semester I received help from my supervisor to put our project under the GPLv3 :). There was even one supervisor that set it as a condition of doing a project with him.