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'''This is a crowdsourced petition, meaning anyone that has access to this can help compile(pour hate and trash the requirement) it.'''
==Dissatisfaction with requirement==
* Available models are limited to a 13.3" maximum screen size
* USB Wacom Tablets can not be upgraded nearly as extensively as full-scale laptops. Lenovo tablets support a maximum 320GB hard drive, and are available for fairly cheap limited to a dual-core i7 2620M.* Keyboards are often cramped and do not include numpads. ===Lack of real benefits===Virginia Tech has produced a list of purported benefits of tablet technology. With the possible exception of diagramming, we do not find any of them valid advantages over full-size laptops. Additionally, none of them can possibly justify requiring thousands of students to buy specialized hardware and software.* "Writing on slides" - This can be done with text rather than handwriting. Most people can type significantly faster than write, and fuction as well as onscreen tabletstext annotations have the advantage of being more legible than handwriting. Many studets prefer USB tablets because * "Handwriting recognition" - This technology is nowhere near perfect, and operates disasterously when writing mathematical formulae by hand* "Formulas and equations" - After learning LaTeX or the keyboard shortcuts for OneNote's equation editor, most equations can be used typed faster than written. * "Collaboration" - While this idea works well in environments where each user is running OneNote on a Windows tablet, you can no longer expect this type of compliance as many users have switched to Unix-based operating systems. Wikis and Google Docs, among other services, permit cross-platform users to collaborate.* "Typing" is in no way restricted to tablets; in fact, one cannot even type on a tablet while writingthe screen is flipped in tablet mode ===Lack of choice===* Tablets are expensive compared to other laptops of similar specs, forcing students to pay extra for functionality they may rarely use.
* Students can't use Macbooks, as they lack tablet functionality.
* All available tablets are pre-installed with Windows, forcing students to buy an individual Windows license in addition to a VT Windows site license.
* Because the Engineering Education department assumes students have a tablet PC, they mandate installation of Windows-only software. DyKnow, for example, is an invasive classroom presentation tool with spyware capabilities, enabling lecturers to remotely control students' computers.
===Proposed Alternatives===
* USB Wacom tablets are available for fairly cheap and fuction as well as onscreen tablets. Many studets prefer USB tablets because the keyboard can be used while writing
* If tablets were made optional, students can purchase the technology they find optimal for them, rather than be forced to use a certain platform.
==Signatures of students not happy with the tablet requirement==
