[PLUG] Article in Linux Today about M$ kill UNIX at Universities..

[Jonathan Sergent]

/// Jeff DeFouw <defouwj@purdue.edu>:
 ] Many of the students have a
 ] tough time just doing their labs and projects without worrying about
 ] command lines... makes me wonder what they did before.  

How exactly does one intend to be a successful CS major (and/or successful
CS graduate) without being able to learn Unix?  There are much more
complex systems (using the word "system" in general -- not just operating
systems) out there, and in the real world you generally have to adapt
to new ones quite frequently.  Operating systems, languages, libraries,
tools, networks, protocols, etc.

I suspect that the people who can't handle Unix are the ones who end up
not being able to handle CS in general.

At least they're not teaching C++ as an introductory programming language.
But I personally have no trouble writing Java using Sun's tools (i.e.
the plain old JDK, or Java WorkShop in a pinch).

I think they are teaching on Windows not because it's easier, but
because Intel gave them machines and Microsoft gave them software.
Has the quality of instruction dropped as a result of the switch?  Do the
people running the courses want to be teaching on NT instead of Unix, or
have they been asked to do so by the administration?


--jss.