Sure they do, for those of us who like high framerates. 1080p with maxxed out settings and low/no AA would also be useful.

They're not going to do that. Their goal is to turn out complete projects ASAP and get paid. Certified acad drafters command high premiums so companies who employ them are willing to spend thousands on workstations. No one is interested in crippling that for politics.

Well, I think autocad was used as an example and not as a complete list. The point being that most people expect to be able to run whatever software they need on their machines. Since most of their time is spent interfacing with proprietary software stacks at work/school and for hobby/entertainment use, linux is of limited utility. Sure, linux is fine for web browsing, but so is everything else. There's actually quite a bit of useful software out there in OSS land, but the unfortunate reality is that software is not usually the industry standard. It's certainly possible to use linux as a desktop for personal use and be productive, in fact, much more possible than it was a few years ago, but it does not replace systems that do run industry standard software like autocad/adobe/etc. Most users don't care what os they run, they just want access to the software they need to run.

No, but it is a good reason why linux is not chosen for desktop use by most people. It would be nice to see, though.

Obviously not. Running stuff through wine is fine for casual use, but it is not good enough for performance sensitive software like autocad. I am sure that's why anon listed it.

Sure, with a 20-50% performance hit. Are you serious?

The issue was the malware wrapper. It abuses the rep of the developers as bait to get people to install the adware.

Fine. Then find and fix the core causes instead of adding to the oppression that drives kids to such extremes. Of course, this would require the school to accept some fault and fix its authoritarian culture.

No. It's teaching kids that panopticonic surveillance is normal and acceptable.

so you want your young scholar to grow up and embrace the totalitarian regime?

How about, within reason, letting individual employees set up their environments in the way that makes them the most productive? Obviously there's some need for social interaction, but forcing its extreme on geeks who are stereotypically not that social and prone to attention deficits, is a recipe for wasteful, unproductive stress. When it comes time to push those buttons, a quiet space is required, and reasonable accommodations should be provided by the employer if the expectation is that employees be productive.

I think you're actually referring to hipsters, not geeks. They thrive on social interaction because they're inherently insecure types who need constant affirmation of their 'alternative' status.

I don't see how you could know from others' experience. It really depends on the kind of work and the temperament of the individual. These open floor plans crush those individual preferences, and thus productivity, then tries to make up for it by cramming more people into a space. It's communist hell at its finest.

because nerds are the ones shuffled into these open offices like they are factory workers..

No, but it makes it difficult to accept judgments made by said government on citizens. No one likes a preachy, bulling hypocrite.

You cannot regularly exceed your budget and expect to remain operational. Governments are no exception. The problem here is that the politicians running things are borrowing on the backs of the taxpayer, not on their own.