Re: Teaching Using Octave

[Steve C. Thompson]

> ... it is currently better to teach a Windows user to use Linux, and
> then teach Octave using Linux.
I agree with this.  If it were me, the first day of class I would hand
out Ubuntu CDs and tell the students to go home, install GNU/Linux, and
get to work.  However, this isn't practical, I know, and somewhat
draconian.

So the question is, how do you get them to use GNU/Linux?  On a Linux
lab on campus?  This doesn't necessarily exist.  A lab next to me,
running Solaris, is administered by the academic computing people;
getting Linux and Octave on these machines would be really hard.  Does
the instructor have to do some wrangling to get a Linux lab set up?
Does he have to do it himself?

The other alternative is to have the students install GNU/Linux on their
machines (back to free CDs).  There are problems here as well.  The
student has to be quite motivated and willing to change their ways.
They might be resentful if things don't work perfectly smoothly (which
they never do).  They might ask you during class, ``How do I set up my
email,'' ``How do I get the ssh-thingie to work?''

Michael, I like your basic idea, but can you give more details one how
to implement?

Steve

On Apr 14 11:59AM, Michael Creel wrote:
> For teaching, in my experience, it is currently better to teach a Windows 
> user 
> to use Linux, and then teach Octave using Linux. This may not be the case for 
> all Windows versions - I only tried one.
> Michael
> 
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Octave is freely available under the terms of the GNU GPL.

Octave's home on the web:  http://www.octave.org
How to fund new projects:  http://www.octave.org/funding.html
Subscription information:  http://www.octave.org/archive.html
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