[Opensource] BBC Article - Schools warned off Microsoft

[Adam Barbary]

Hi Jim,

As a replacement to Publisher you could try Scribus. There is a series  
of tutorials on its use on the web and shouldn't take to much for  
students to switch over to. Of course it is FOSS and available for all  
major platforms.

http://www.scribus.net/

Also have you looked at the Base database program included with Open  
Office? I believe it is Java based, which means it is a little slower  
than Access, but should be suitable for most of the tasks that  
students need.

Cheers,

Adam Barbary
Viewbank College

On 31/10/2007, at 8:27 AM, Jim Maunder 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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>
> 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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