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- FulcrumVitesse, on 10/10/2007, -4/+70I'm not sure I get why more government agencies aren't using OSS, considering the savings involved. That's taxpayer money being saved.
- sgu222e, on 10/10/2007, -5/+56Give that lady a raise
- hackiavelli, on 10/10/2007, -3/+53FTFA: "'OpenOffice doesn’t have bugs like Microsoft Office has,' Carver said in an interview after her presentation."
I use OpenOffice. I love OpenOffice. But it most certainly has bugs just like MS Office does. - schestowitz, on 10/10/2007, -8/+37Some big network infrastructure in California was recently migrated to Debian and open source as well. Good stuff!!
- TheZorch, on 10/10/2007, -5/+24Free open-source software like Linux is starting to look attractive to small groups like schools and local governments and even larger city schools and state government agencies. The reason is the cost of implementing Linux as apposed to the substantial cost of buying brand new machines just to use the latest version of Windows. Vista is floundering, I've never seen so much bitter dissatisfaction directed at a Microsoft OS as I've seen towards Vista. For one thing its not compatible with a lot of hardware, its Direct X is broken (no DirectSound3D, questionable compatibility with older Direct X games), it has no native OpenGL drivers despite a renewed interest in it by the game development community, and then there's the confusion over which version you should use. No OS is perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I've had a bitch of a time trying to get Wi-Fi to work in Ubuntu, but we waited a long time for the next version of Windows and were promised a lot of improvements. Especially in the security department, but nearly all of them have so far been broken. This isn't Linux Zealotry, its Reality. Vista is a failure.
- whataboutdave, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19Something tells me Stallman and Torvalds don't contribute much money to reelection campaigns...
- Evildad, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17Kudos to this lady. How many people would think of burning CDs of OpenOffice to send home with the students so they'd have the same programs at home? The fact that at the server end she's using a mixed solution shows that she's not being a zealot.
Unfortunately, in school "computer class" typically means "MS Office." Hopefully they've fixed that requirement in her school system. - niallabrown, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16I really wish the school board I work for would consider switching to an open source system. Using Windows 2000 stifles any creative possibility with these computers. We rely on ancient software that was made in the mid 90's but running on cutting edge hardware. With Linux we could be editing videos, making music, graphic design and much more. Instead we are teaching our students to use software that they will never see in the real world. When was the last time the only tool a graphic artist had in their tool box was MS Paint? How about Krita, Inkscape, Scribus....
- purpmint008, on 10/10/2007, -4/+19She could still have saved more money by not surrendering to anti-virus and using an imaging solution.
Although I must commend her for all she did.
Our tax money is still being wasted after freaking Windows in school...
Governments shouldn't depend on private industry to meet ends. - wwilton, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16OS is the future. Here in Brazil the government is shifting all public department's softwares to open source.
Today the maintenance coasts of Linux may be more expensive than Windows maintenance, but i have no doubt this will change in few years. - joelito, on 10/10/2007, -7/+20Probably because many bugs in MS Office can get your system "pwned by haxx0rs" while many bugs in OOo are mostly annoyances to users used to the MS way
- Xinex, on 10/10/2007, -1/+13Please either substantiate your opinion or just stop trolling. Thanks.
- Cymrubeats, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11There are open source alternatives available for windows, just cluing you in there. Of course, this FACT will be dugg down.
- BrandonPerry, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11The govt get's windows for free as long as that is all the develop for. (Look at the guy who got busted for uploading movies a while back and was forced to switch to windows.)
- Metis2be, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Isn't Indiana planning to (or already has?) switch to OSS? I don't understand why more schools don't. I'm not even a linux user and it just seems like an idiotic move not to.
- Xinex, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8http://development.openoffice.org/releases/2.3.0.h ...
I think I read that the latest openoffice fixed 240 bugs. Go open office for squishing that many bugs! - whataboutdave, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6If there is no cost analysis involved in selecting any OS for such a scale, you are doing something wrong. Even if you choose Microsoft, you should do so because it makes the most sense for your needs - not because it is the "default" best option.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7go suck your momsshizzle, momsshizzle's...
That's a funny user name! - Phocion55, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5You just made his head explode.
- cygnus2112, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9You live in a dream world if you think there are no bugs in OpenOffice that can't be "pwned by haxx0rs." Obscurity has it's own security rewards.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7Why doesn't Microsoft have an open format?
If Microsoft is better, can't Microsoft complete with an open format?
The answer is obvious, to anyone with a brain. - graemee, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Except MS only fixes bugs in the NEXT version of office.
- Cymrubeats, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6I know i'm pushing it by posting again, but i looked up the programs you mentioned...2 of the 3 are available for windows (inkscape and scribus). I'll bugger off now.
- ZenMasterJG, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7care to explain where you got those numbers, troll?
- Garfunkel, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Major kudos to this lady. Finally, a government official that does research to find the best solution instead of following what everybody else does!
If the dept of education and training in Australia was this smart we would have 10x the amount of cash to improve our crumbling schools and outdated technology. But no, instead they spent 18 million AUD dollars this year on proprietary software, mainly from microsoft. - doolittle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4"For Windsor, it was a year of “analyzing the cost, analyzing the savings, my IT time, my staff time, our uptime, our down time, and our security,” she says."
Apparently it was a consideration. - Phocion55, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Don't bother. I have yet to see an MS troll actually provide facts or numbers with their extremely vague criticisms.
- Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3At my suggestion we installed a Microsoft Small Business Server at work. What a mistake! It is plagued with problems and it's basically an untouched virgin install (by a 30 year exp dealer). The first thing I noticed is admin interface would fatal when I clicked help from the admin. Apparently that is a feature that comes virgin SBS R2. Then one day it stopped allowing me to print to one of the shared network printers (only from my desktop). The file share(s) stop and start functioning at random. It is also setup as a mailserver which currently fails for external connections at random, but fine internally. We know don't have enough licenses simply because we want the fileshare to be available to a 6th PC. Once the box has been running for a few days (as it should) then invariably something will come up as having crashed. A reboot (when it doesn't simply ignore the command) takes about 20 minutes. It's a dual core 2.8Ghz? setup with 2Gig of ram, and 640Gig raid setup. SBS is just pathetic.
My original intent was to install a Linux server, though with PLC stuff in the works, I thought I'd play it safe. But the PLC stuff only accesses a firebird database which is available for Linux too. The filee/printer share can be handled by Samba. As can the Mail server. Now I'm all red faced for handing out a grand (with installation) for a dud! Won't make that mistake again! - mabhatter, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Vista as a product is a raging success.. it's the model of buying the same software in boxes for money that's starting to wane. Vista will be a success because it's the only OS most PC makers can afford to ship due to network effects and proprietary restrictions. At this point in time it's the OS with the biggest support and path of least resistance. Personally I believe Vista will be Microsoft's last OS success BECAUSE of it's success as a product. it forces companies to buy new tools to write software, it forces people to buy new hardware with extra restrictions.... that success will cause backlash that will open the door for new players.
personally it's time for a "FreeComputing" banner to fly. Not just open source or free software but end-to-end free technology. What's needed is to get a movement out there like the Microsoft logo program... to get the logo on PC boxes, on web sites on newspaper adds, on billboards... a collection of free tools that will do what users need end-to-end... Put the focus on formats and open access and not just getting stuff for free. Word processors would be "FreeComputing-approved" if they properly implemented ODF as a default file format. Websites would be approved if they meet W3C standards.... OSes would be approved for implementing the approperiate mix of open protocol tools.. kerberos, file sharing, as well as standard formats for management and standard programs. Devices like iPods could get the sticker for properly implementing free-formats like Theora and Vorbis and also DRM, non-proprietary ways to load the media to the device. Companies know that little windows logo makes them money so they pay to get it.... "FreeComputing" needs enough momentum to get manufactures to notice. - Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3No. Windows has painted itself into a corner with all it's substandard design and engineered incompatibilities. Linux on the other hand, while baring a much older base, doesn't suffer those obstacles within itself to anywhere the same degree.
Now that the anti-competitive hurdles are falling thanks to the DOJ (which I think people underestimate), Linux is beginning to blossom in the market. As is open source software, with the emphasis on quality and service, rather than you'll buy this crap, because it's the only crap universally available, and you'll pay top dollar to do that. - eatbeefjerky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Staff training is something that must be done with any new software implementation -- keep in mind that if she HADN'T gone OS, she would have had to train her staff and students on whatever proprietary software she'd have chosen.
- niallabrown, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5Hmm I don't really believe there are no bugs, although OOo crashes A LOT less for me on all of my systems.
- Coldkill, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Go back to your cave, troll
- Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2There is an equivalent (and free) substitute for most applications. And you would be surprised just how much Windows stuff runs transparently under wine anyway. Teachers are also people who like learning. You may just find they have a new zest for teaching now.
- mabhatter, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2but the same people that won't upgrade from win 2000 are the same one that use "only Microsoft" and won't touch "free software" as some kind of scam and won't touch it.. "microsoft can do no wrong"... but they can't use the latest versions either... and THAT is most of corporate america!
- daftman, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Oh that's right! People use computers ONLY for professional video editing and professional 3D animation. I mean all the other profession don't count, only the "professional video editors" and the "professional 3D animation" matters.
Guess what Dreamworks and Pixar use to make cartoon genius. - doolittle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Given the cost of a college education, those costs are apparently passed to the student. It would be no surprise to see the institution in question use open source product on the back-end servers, when done properly it is completely transparent.
- eatbeefjerky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I found this interesting -- not sure if she realizes this, but OpenOffice does have the option of saving your documents to .doc format. I've set OO on my computer to do this by default -- not because I like the format, but because when I submit homework assignments or send documents to other people, they usually need those documents to be in the .doc format.
- Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Assuming that only Open Source requires retraining, then what makes the better Education Department announcement.
1. Education Department hands over $250,000 to maintain Microsoft Licenses.
2. Education Department employs 5+ extra staff in computer support & training roles at a cost of $250,000
Schools need more staff. Teachers need more jobs. Microsoft has all the cash it needs... - Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+21. If you need something fundamental changed in Windows, forget the checkbook. You're going to need the keys to the treasury, or simply resign to failure. It's actually finally feasible for entities to commission changes themselves with Open Source.
2. And now that Linux is getting proper coordination under the Ubuntu banner, it's zipping along. A 6 month development cycle is 12 fold superior to a 6 year development cycle resulting in bitter disappoint. - smacksaw, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The key in that article is the licencing cost. You have to pay for EVERY client that connects to your server. If you load balance connections onto other servers, you have to pay for licences for that as well. If you don't have enough licences, computers can't connect. Imagine if you needed a licence to connect to a website, or if a website refused your connection because it was only licenced to have 50 visitors at once. It's that sort of maddening ***** you must deal with if you choose Microsoft. You spend a good deal of your time managing licences from a logistical standpoint PLUS there's compliance issues - you don't want to be doing something illegal. And that goes for all commercial software. If you've rolled out too many copies you can get fined. The BSA is just like the RIAA and MPAA. Pissed off employees will install pirated software, call BSA on you, get a reward for doing so and you get a fine. It's like their own golden parachute. Businesses are sick of being hassled with this stuff. Really, MS and others are only going to nail you if 90% of your organisation is on pirated software, but still. It's costs related to IT that have nothing to do with actual engineering and that's wrong. Even bean counters get that.
- eatbeefjerky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Please elaborate on your statement. From what I've seen, almost everyone who tries Linux likes it and sticks with it. Those who don't usually don't because they need certain software that is only available on Mac or Windows OS. The Linux user base has been growing exponentially lately and once more software and game manufacturers catch onto this (Valve already has!), there will be more people who can pick up PCLinuxOS or Ubuntu and use them exclusively.
- doolittle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That is the attitude MS is banking on, they hope the "blinders" they have put on "average desktop users" will continue to dominate both the corporate user base and IT staff. Hence, they bully license compliance and those who can see alternatives may see it as a better option and spend as they see fit. I can't imagine setting a calendar and/or screen saver as a reason to spend over a quarter million in licensing. The staff will be retrained to do their job, and with the additional funds to their disposal perhaps they will feel they have more job security since staff reductions will not have to be mandated to comply with MS licensing.
My sons school has two to three PCs per room, and I personally was not all that impressed with the educational software they have running it felt very old. I had "an embedded feeling the district has made a bad decision" with that windows-based educational package. - EvilGeniusTodd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1more hearsay. Post link/names or it didn't happen.
- doolittle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1...
- Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And they are reaping those rewards...
- tjolson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I worked in a California school district, and they don't pay their IT any better than they do the teachers.
- EvilGeniusTodd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I always here that. But if what happens? you mean like a virus destroys the entire network? every tried sueing microsoft for dataloss. good luck with that.
They offer no support, no garantees, and no timely patching of serious peoblems. Seems to be similar offer from the OSS community. Only you get to use thier software for free. - Stormflux, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Well, at University, the IT staff makes 1/8 as much as the teachers.
- Myztry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So contributing another $100,000 dollars to Microsoft's already bloated coffers is somehow better than investing the money in staff, and thus the local economy?
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