Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utastro.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!nather
From: nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: School Software Libraries
Message-ID: <474@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Aug-85 11:12:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.474
Posted: Fri Aug  2 11:12:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Aug-85 10:51:46 EDT
References: <618@gitpyr.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 37

> I teach computer science at a small technical college.  We have an IBM-PC
> lab with about 50 PC's.  Recently, school lawyers have become PARANOID about
> (...)
> Does anyone have a solution to this idiocy?

It's not a complete solution, but "Freeware" and public-domain software
programs are available which cover of *lot* of territory.  An excellent text 
editor called PC-Write is widely available; the author requests $75 to 
"register" the editor, then goes on to suggest a school might want to register 
just one copy and distribute the editor to students, and buy a printed copy of 
the manual for each student.  The manual cost is quite nominal, and it is very
well written, and includes an extensive tutorial as well as reference material.

A extensive amount of useful software has been distributed over Usenet, in
source code form, including MS-DOS Kermit, which is both a file transfer
utility and a first-rate terminal emulator; it has server mode so students
can get into computer networking via serial ports and wires with little or
no extra effort.  PC-Talk III is the original "Freeware" product, uses the
Xmodem protocol, and can be used to call up local bulletin boards which stock
software in the public domain.  I'd guess a single "class project" to explore,
download and test such software would net more than you could use, and teach
a lot as well.

The idea of "site licensing" -- particularly to schools -- is becoming popular,
and any software house who sees no advantage in having a lot of students
turned out who know *their* compiler won't last too long against those who do.
I haven't explored this avenue much, since the other approaches have been so
successful for us, but I expect to will fill in the gaps.

Disclaimer:  These opinions are my own, and would doubtless be disowned by
             any spokesman for the University of Texas.

-- 
Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nather%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA