[Scribus] Tutorial reference

[Gregory Pittman]

Christoph Sch?fer wrote:
> Am Donnerstag, 26. Januar 2006 01:33 schrieb Craig Bradney:
> [snip]
>   
>>> Exactly my thoughts. Kids in primary school have to learn writing and
>>> math basics, and they almost certainly don't know enough arithmetics to
>>> use a DTP app succesfully. People normally get accustomed to this kind of
>>> software after finishing school, either in their training for the job or
>>> during their studies. And that's early enough, IMHO.
>>>
>>> Seems to me like much ado about nothing.
>>>       
>> Don't believe that for a minute.. in many schools where I am from (Sydney),
>> many primary schools, mostly private ones, all kids will have a laptop as
>> required by the school.
>>     
>
> And I think that's quite stupid. Sorry for writing this. Kids at school should 
> learn how to write (and I mean write, not type) and to figure.
>   
>> Now, if I was coding when I was 8, which I was, do you really think I
>> wouldn't know how to play around in a DTP app?
>>     
When I was eight there wasn't any such thing as computers. In the eighth 
grade I came in second in a regional math contest, and received a very 
nice (Keufel & Esser, I believe) slide rule. Ah, those were the days!
>
> Well, what is true in one case, may not be true in others. And one would have 
> to ask: Cui bono? I can't see any sense in teaching DTP, especially as it 
> takes time to develop a sense of proportions and taste. So teaching how to 
> write, to figure and -- perhaps -- to draw is much more important than using 
> software, which is only a tool.
The way I see it I'm happy to see anything that intrudes into the idea 
that kids who are good at, and spend a lot of time at playing with 
computer-based computers games, are learning about computers.
>  Moreover, only a small percentage of pupils 
> will use a layout software when they are adults.
But this is like saying that if you're not going to play a musical 
instrument as an adult, there's no reason to learn how when you're young.
It's certainly better to have kids use some open source software to 
realize that OSS can do some cool stuff. There is a lot to be learned, 
once you're exposed to Scribus, about the fact there isn't a Scribus, 
Inc. out there, that there really isn't even any one /place/ that this 
collaborative effort is taking place, and that it is constantly 
evolving, and it's free. But you wouldn't even be interested in this if 
you weren't interested in what Scribus can do.
There's also the WOW factor, when the project goes home and the parents 
say, "You did THIS?"


Greg