[Technical] Interestingcomputers-in-education

[Clark, Ian C]

> Not correct. The Apple ][ (1977) was out 5 years prior to the Microbee
(1982). 
> And yet, the Microbee still sold really well.

Yes, you're quite right, Con ... the Apple II was well and truly
entrenched in schools when the Microbee appeared. And then unfortunately
in '81 IBM released the first PC ...


> > > Amazing to think what could happen if Australian 
> Governement thought 
> > > of all government expenditures as part of an industry development 
> > > fund.....
> > 
> > Well, historically Australian governments have been protectionist. 
> 
> Not in IT. In fact, the opposite. 


You were born in the wrong country at the wrong time, Con!  :-)

If you were in the Extremadura district a couple of years ago, public
funding would have gone your way for a project that's really worthwhile
but hasn't seemed to attract any interest from the other Spanish
regions: http://tinyurl.com/9aekt

In China, you could have had your choice of software
http://www.redflag-linux.com/egyhq.html or hardware
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/25/china_cpu/ 

In the United States, after WW2 the Pentagon did all the heavy lifting
by funding computer, software and network development in universities,
then simply let corporations instead of taxpayers make profits with the
actual products that emerged ... IBM mainframes, Solaris Unix, Cisco
routers and so on.

Your other love (Physics) would have been served best in the States too,
where under Reagan half of the nation's physicists were on the Star Wars
payroll.  :-)

Cheers,
Clarky


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