exam boards say only use microsoft!
 

hi,

i am currently at college and in one of my IT lessons we have to produce a poster and on the actual paper from the exam board it says

"produce an information leaflet or poster using MS Publisher only."

i cant believe this i am going to have to reload windows onto one of my machines just to do my home work.

so now even the exam boards are saying use microsoft, is this stupid or is it just me?:mad: :mad:

Well, you cannot argue and win against the authorities. Sometimes it is better to cave in without a fight rather than bang your head against a wall.

Believe me. Nobody will ever be convinced if you go and fight them. They'll just shake their heads and go on their way. You'll achieve nothing. The world is full of people like that.

Why not do your homework on a friend's computer which has Windows installed? That way you can avoid polluting your Windows-free machine :p

cross-over office
 

cant u run MS Publisher in cross over office? It was the same for me when i was at university. Just stick it out:)

just use a open source app on linux, and in big bold letter write " this college kisses bill gate's ass , while sucking steve ballmer's by not allowing students to have the freedom to do there homework on any computer they choose with any program and operating system they choose"

anyways, they cant really expect you to use windows, having to pay $1000 for a OS just to get home work done is outrageous (OK, so the OS itself isn't that much, but you have to buy the "basic" programs that any OS worthy of buying should come with, like there office apps, a firewall, anti virus, etc, etc, etc ... all together its about $1000 just for a (almost) usable and (almost) secure system )

almost secure you say!! sorry to say but your mad!! microsoft secure even with a 3rd party firewall is still far from secure.

and it wasnt the college that says use MS publisher it is the external exam board, i dont know why because all my other work about hardware, software, GUI's, CLI's is all done on linux, oh well they will probably fail me when they see i have used the linux terminal instead of DOS like every one els used and the same with the GUI's oh well it will be a good laf if they do as i will take it further! lol

i completely abandoned windows over a few months ago when i got the few games i do use working in linux after that ther was no point in me keeping windows on any of my machines. it just seems a shame to have loads of windows software that i have paid for and not using it. i think if i did re load windows back on it would only be for adobe photoshop, i know most distros have the gimp but i prefer photoshop.

You could always say that you do not have windows and publisher and that if the uni would provide you with a copy of each or the use of a computer with it then you would be more than willing to use it. I think they are unlikely to do either so use Linux as you have been for the rest of your work.

EDIT: Don't forget to mention that you dont know how to use windows and publisher and that could they supply training as well.

It angers me to see again and again how academia is stuck in the Microsoft rut. The institutions that are supposed to be instilling good judgment and high standards instead adhere to the use of software peddled by a corrupt and imperialist corporation--and even insist upon students' using it.

This is shameful beyond words.

what was good about the college thay did use RED HAT servers last year and during the summer and dont ask me why they did this as i dont know why but they decided to but windows 2000 server on them! i thought they might have at least put 2003 on tem but still going from linux to m$ on there servers! dont ask me why they did this but they are stupid!

Perhaps you could simply contact the exam board with a comparison of the two softwares and show them that it is OK to hold the penguin's hand.

umm..... if your exam requires you to use a computer at all, thne the college should rpovide you with a computer to work on !?

some people out there cant afford a computer.. but that doestn mean they dont have a right to an education.

your shhool SHOULD provide you with the software AND hardware to work with.

doent your school have a computer room ?

Muncipalities and states in various parts of the world have considered switching to Linux only to be tempted away, successfully, by Microsoft's offer of huge discounts to stay captive to their products.

I have no doubt the same shoddy tactic is used with schools worldwide.

my college has pleny of access to computer that i can use, its just easyer to do at home, and just been rather P1ssed off that i am been forced to use m$

My University tried to make me use only MS products, after BALLmer flew the University heads to redmond to "discuss" curriculum (Read: BRIBE). I went to my professor when they assigned us the task of creating an e-bookstore website. They required ASP be used, I went to my professor and told him I wanted to use LAMP. I had to argue it with him for a day or so, and convince the prof that PHP wasn't Python but actually a web scripting language, and he let me do it. The only additional requirement put on me was explaining the syntax of the code I used to the class, and I had to install and configure LAMP on the department server (yawn) as the computer science dept. didn't have anyone who didn't require a mouse to use a computer.

Someday the USA will wise up and join the rest of the tech world in slowly raising the finger to MS and using what works, not what is easy enough for a monkey to use. I hope...

This is a little off the subject, but you mentioned you prefer Photoshop. I actually got Photoshop to run pretty well using wine. frankscorner.org gives instructions on how to install and run it successfully. The only difference is it runs slightly slower and all the smaller windows within the program behave a little oddly. Nothing too bad though.

I also just checked it out and you can run Publisher on wine. Youcan check out wine here and the Publisher entry for wine is here