[robterrell]

...they are learning how to use Linux? Not one bit.

I bought my kids cheap low-end chromebooks, and they also get chromebooks issued to them during certain classes. There's zero linux learning going on there. They can't go into developer mode. There's no more linux learning there than there is BSD learning on an iPad.

They are only learning the Google Docs ecosystem. It's awesome if indoctrination in software ecosystem lock-in is your thing.

"But let the kids go with their preference so they can be dumb wage slaves" -- Nice. Thanks for the implication that I'm a bad parent for letting them complete their schoolwork on the iPad as they are required by their teachers.

[beenBoutIT]

*Chromebooks with Developer Mode

https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/poking-around-your-chro...

iOS has nothing like this.

[kylec]

It's been a while since I was a student, but assuming that schools' attitude towards technology is still the same you'd probably get detention and your school-issued Chromebook confiscated if you tried to enable developer mode.

[robterrell]

developer mode is locked out of school chromebooks. for obvious reasons.

[beenBoutIT]

this is only going to make kids want developer mode more, even if obtaining it requires dropping $200 on a personal chromebook.

[volkl48]

The vast, vast majority of kids don't know it exists and have no idea what they'd do with it even if it did.

Yeah, I'm sure there's the one kid who loves tech in the class that wants to use it, but they'd be just as interested in Linux/tech stuff whether or not the school handed them a Chromebook.

[beenBoutIT]

any kid interested in getting around the barriers imposed by the school is going to wind up learning about developer mode.

[ld00d]

My 10yo has a Dell laptop with Linux, and she's not learning Linux.

[beenBoutIT]

Good point. Desktop environments effectively remove the educational value from linux.