Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-edu (225 mails)

["Mark Evans" <mpe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, May 02, 2003 at 10:12:05AM +0100, Richard Rothwell wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I think that we need to step back for a moment and
> look at this with a longer perspective. Here are a few
> random thoughts....
> 
> 1. I don't think anyone is suggesting that many
> schools need to move to the free admin software
> immediately;

Where the alternative is spending lots of money
on new hardware in order to run the "next generation"
of SIMS an alternative which dosn't require wholesale
hardware replacement looks very good.

> 2. This project is opening doors for people and
> allowing more choice;
> 
> 3. There is a good philosophical and moral arguement
> for  paying for support - not for the coding;

Also for payment to be made locally, rather than
to a foreign company thousands of miles away.

> 
> 4. Openess about coding and file formats has to be a
> good idea;

If nothing else it would bring down the costs related
to support. Both by allowing competition and reducing
the need for people to try and work out how something
actually works.

> 5. The users might have some good ideas about what is
> needed and how it should be implemented;

Something which often appears lacking right now.

-- 
Mark Evans
St. Peter's CofE High School
Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109
Fax: +44 1392 204763