Right ... there should be a choice. The parent post said *Windows* (OS), not x86 or x86_64 (which Apple is anyway). The point is that when choice was taken away with Windows as OS (has been done both ways plenty of times), nobody's making a stink. Same argument ... different product. Reality is that it's either the folks supporting or making the deal/controlling the money that are making the call and it happens both ways (but a stink usually gets raised when it's Apple ... fact, not rant).
And .. "using a cross-platform system (opensource, web-based, etc)" also induces support costs, learning curve, complication factors in/out of the classroom. Do you want to support or be the teacher where you have 30 students...
- 15 with malware-infected Windows using a mix of MSWorks, Open Office and MS Office
- 8 with relatively clean Windows systems. same mix of apps
- 4 with Macs running another variety of Apps
- 3 with Ubuntu (or other linux variant) using an even more potentially obscure (to you as teacher) variety of apps
One could argue that that's how this 'real world' of which people seem to speak is. In the 'real world' people also make decisions such as which kind of computer you are going to use at your [school]work. Personally, I always thought school was part of this 'real world' thing.
Here's your "choice" ...
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