Because Chromebook is Linux + Google proprietary ecosystem & spyware.
When advocates say Linux they just mean the FOSS Linux + FOSS software.
This typically means a standard image the school can manage that has reasonable device management, with a company they can pay, and that their in-house IT can contact for support when the unexpected, unforseeable issues happen.
I have yet to hear one suggest ChromeOS or any Android tablet; those run the Linux kernel, but don't (AFAIK) use nearly any of the GNU software.
And I kind of get it. We've all seen the copy-pasta, and this division took on a life as a joke about a crazy person that takes things too far. But most of the people that make that joke seem to have forgotten that RMS frequently starts off looking crazy, but is nearly always vindicated. Sometimes it's five years, sometimes it's twenty. But it happens more often that not.
I tentatively lean towards calling it "desktop Linux", or perhaps "user-controlled Linux" since that's rather the important part.
Thanks, I will change that in the article. I appreciate your feedback
User-controlled might be the best I've seen so far, which is really saying something - all it's missing is what happens when it's issued (and administered) by a school or other org.
Now I'm gonna be rolling around phrases like "libre-encouraging Linux" in my head the next few days.
But does it need to be?
School private networks seem unnecessary, especially nowadays when most apps are cloud-based and don't require installation. Many modern routers support domain blacklists to prevent access to inappropriate content. What else is needed?
The only regulation that works is self-regulation. The way to ensure that companies self-regulate is by punishing them (directors and shareholders) harshly whenever they cause harm or damage.
On the refurbished laptop market, I see large amounts of the same series of laptops, often Thinkpads, for example. I assume this is because companies will replace entire collections of hardware dated for their purposes. I don't think it is too far-fetched to connect this market to schools in individual districts.
> a laundry list of other "technology solutions" which would be, obviously, impossible for a school system to smoothly maintain or even deploy.
See: https://nextcloud.com/blog/keep-your-data-in-your-school-use...
I'm not sure privacydad has ever deployed or maintained an IT department. A school system is very complex.
For what they offer - Chromebooks are actually very good. My kids' school computers are probably better than most of the corporate-issue windows laptops I've ever had. Google docs/classroom are also very good compared to grab-bag of apps my kids have to use.
--- (general computers-in-school rant) ---
The clear answer is to get computers out of schools as much as possible! I know they won't so if you happen to work on this kind of software - PLEASE advocate for shipping better software!
My kids aren't even taught how to type but are expected to put together slide shows and things every other week.
The testing and assignments done on the computer are full of UX issues like missing scroll bars and confusing + inconsistent <form>s - Some tests allow you to go back and read the material, some don't, some lose your answers in-between, etc.
Every year there is massive churn of "apps" the school district was corrupted into buying to replace last year's crop of junk.