How to teach OS

[EM1897 at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/5/05 5:09:13 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
corecode at xxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>> have to
>> be rewriting the OS for a job. [much stupid stuff snipped]
> It was a JOKE. Get it? Geeez.

:No. You seem to have a very subliminal type of humour. Please use 
:so-called ``emoticons'' aka ``smileys'' next time you write a funny 
:comment.
:Example:
:
:-----8<------
:I thought the point of college was to prepare students for PAYING jobs? 
: :)


Ah, sort of like an applause sign for those with no sense of humor?

BSD developers don't get paid. Everyone knows that. Of course you
can get paid with the knowledge. You can get paid for telling jokes
too (I don't, btw). But its a questionable curriculum. So it was one
of those "jokes" that is designed to make a point. Such as "why
are people paying $14K/year to learn skills that may not have much
value?"

People become MSIEs not because windows is fun or great but
because that is where the jobs are. Professors should teach whats
most needed in first level courses. If they want to have a 4th level
course on 'BSD internals, let students opt to take it. If you want 
to illustrate the differences between several different OS (which
would be my choice) and include BSD, fine. But a professor
who has a "goal" of churning out BSD developers from students
paying ridiculous tuitions has a personal agenda that has little
to do with the best interests of the students. 

So thats why I made the "joke". To keep you from having to read
all of that :-) (I prefer a nose in my smileys, if thats ok with you?)