Benefits for Students

If Open Source Software is so good, why is it not the standard in the real world? How can my students benefit by learning and using it?

It is a misconception that Open Source Software is not a standard in the real world. Open Source Software is the foundation of the software that runs the majority of web servers and other servers on the Internet today. It has taken time, but now desktop Open Source Software is becoming more widely accepted.

Why is it necessary for students to learn particular versions of commercial software in schools? By the time they move into the real world, new versions of this software will have been released and their skills will be rendered less relevant. We need to train our students how to adapt to constantly changing technology. A student that knows how to use word processors is more valuable than a student that is locked into only knowing how to use a single word processor. Open Source Software helps students learn how to use software concepts so that they can adapt to constantly changing applications.

If you do not have the financial resources to keep up-to-date commercial software available to your students, Open Source Software can greatly benefit them. They can always use the latest version of the software and they can use it on their home computers.