Why Schools Should Use Open Source Software

Some might argue that it's reasonable for schools to use Windows, because it is the most common OS out there. It is more likely that students will be familiar with it, and the documents they e-mail will be accessible without incident. Of course, this argument doesn't even apply to the schools I was in which predominantly used Apple computers. Regardless, I believe it would be in everyone's best interest for schools to go open source.

The easy argument of course is that it is cheaper. Open source software is freely available and companies such as Dell are already providing the option of choosing Ubuntu over Windows. Ubuntu is a good example of the sort of project schools should be getting behind, as Edubuntu is a version developed specifically for educational purposes.

The software compatibility argument is the strongest one against open source, yet ultimately it is precisely why open source is so advantageous. Unlike Windows or any Mac OS, educators can actually afford to provide students with whatever version of the open source software they are using. This doesn't even have to mean installing a different operating system; versions of OpenOffice for Windows and Mac exist. Simple software packages such as these could be used to make sure that any differences in operating system have no impact on the compatibility of the documents being sent and received.

For educators of future programmers, there is no rival for open source. By its very nature its code is freely available for students to take and customize in any manner they are instructed to. Moreover, making use of freely available code in the classroom exposes students to a sandbox within which they might pursue their own curiosities and creative endeavors.

The whole matter seems rather straightforward to me. The costs of using open source are minimal, and the benefits far exceed what Windows has to offer. As for the schools using the Mac OS; I don't even know where to begin. It has all of the costs of Windows, with none of the claims to greater compatibility. When it comes right down to it, open source is just more practical.