[Opensource] BBC Article - Schools warned off Microsoft

[Roland Gesthuizen]

Schools can easily run both Office2007 and StarOffice on the same computer.
No big deal, just let MS Office handle MS Document .DOC file extensions and
OpenOffice the open document .ODT type extensions. Each to his own. .. we
even tweak the start menu shortcuts on our base image so that the OpenSource
desktop application Scribus sits in the same folder as OpenOffice, rather
like how we put Publisher in with MS Office.

We have been doing this for years without a hickup. The resources consumed
by this is minimal and it was dead wasy to setup. It will not make your
school milk go off, and it certainly will not break your computer!

Regards Roland

PS: As a rule, we generally avoid any MS software version that ends in dot
zero. No plans to migrate to Vista for at least the next few years.


On 31/10/2007, Jim Maunder <techo at ruyton.vic.edu.au> wrote:
>
> At 10:01 PM 30/10/2007, you wrote:
> >Nice find Cameron,
> >
> >Pity that Victoria has just inked a contract for $24 Million with MS.
> >Given that XP already does what schools need and alternatives are
> >often free, makes you wonder why there is an upgrade deal at all.
> >
> >Problems with Office 2007 are already becoming apparent as students
> >begin to submit work in the new proprietary formats.
> >...
> >On 30/10/2007, at 8:58 PM, Cameron Bell wrote:
> >
> >>Schools warned off Microsoft
> >>
> >>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7063716.stm
> >>
> >>Cheers
> >>Cameron
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>
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> >>Teachers Association Inc
>
> In a couple of weeks we will have to decide what to put on the 100 or
> so new laptops/tablets that will come into the school next year. I am
> perfectly happy with XP and Office2003, but we are expected to go
> with Vista and Office2007. I looked up how licensing works, and it
> looks like we will have to set up a 'key management server' so that
> the machines can authenticate every 180 days, and that makes the
> 'upgrade' a major PITA.
>
> The Office2007 compatability problem is not too hard to fix - set all
> the Office2007 machines you have to save in 2003 format, and install
> the file format converter (fileformatconverter.exe) on the Office2003
> machines. It just pains me that after 20 years of using the 'File
> Edit Format Insert ... Help' toolbar that MS originally developed and
> everyone else pretty much adopted, they have now dropped it for those
> damned ribbons.
>
> StarOffice looks more attractive every day. I'm sure we could change
> over easily enough, but our kids would miss 'Publisher' and a few of
> us would miss 'Access'. (Any volunteers to convert my code and macro
> driven laptop database?)
>
> Well, that's the early morning rant over.
>
> rgds
> Jim
>
>
>
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> Melbourne, Australia
>
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-- 
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
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