What if RM decided to stop developing Integris? What would your school/LEA do then? RM already provide support for an open source package (Squid). You don't think they'd offer support for another package? This solution will be potentially as easy to support as Squid anyway. LEAs have already learnt to support more than one school solution; learning to support another will not be impossible. And a well-designed management system does not provide data, it provides information. Clearly, concisely and with much explanation as needed. Schools have yet to experience a good management system (home-grown ones I have no exposure to are granted an honourary exemption!), but they do exist in other industries. It's time we had one in education; why not have one that has no licence cost? -----Original Message----- From: simon@qec.carms.sch.uk To: Alan Davies Cc: SUSE Mailing List Sent: 5/2/03 10:08 AM Subject: Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Free school administration software - project has started OK, in this school we use RM Integris. First of all our staff use it constantly, it runs well, it has all the data they need if not too much data in some cases. We have support from our LEA for the product, although sometimes the support is slightly lacking but the job gets done eventually. My opinion, and this is all it is, is that we would not go to a free admin system because of the above, we know it, we use it, it works. Personally, when something goes wrong, i know who to point the finger at and who to contact. Would this be the same with an Open Source admin system and would a group volunteer themselves to be in the firing line of support and problem queries locally, as sometimes we have to have visits from the LEA to sort more complex problems. As it stands, i wouldnt want our admin team to switch to anything else. Not trying to dampen things, but these issues i feel are relevant and very important before any software is created. Quoting Alan Davies <staff.asd@birkenhead.wirral.sch.uk>:
I'm not sure that 'free' is a good way to go here.
Administration is a mission critical area of school function. As such it can't possibly rely on goodwill of volunteers to find bugs and solve them - or to test new versions rigorously.
I am disappointed that the market is so dominated by a single supplier - SIMS (which we don't use - we use Phoenix).
In fact considering the high cost of SIMS I am surprised that there are not more competitors out there - but the reality is that users once familiar with SIMS (and having heared of SIMS) are not ready to migrate to anything else whether technically better, cheaper - or free.
(A rather similar argument as to why Microsoft continues to dominate).
I would be much in favour of some industry standard SQL based database to drive these systems with suppliers providing mix and match module capability- but that would require specifications laid down by Department of Education and such a scheme would end up being more expensive than giving all schools SIMS, run years over due and not work properly as users required at the end.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Duncan" <chris.duncan@dsl.pipex.com> To: <suse-linux-uk-schools@suse.com> Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 11:37 PM Subject: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Free school administration software - project has started
Hi all,
I have read messages on this list with interest over the last few
topic, which is of interest to me, has been raised on several occasions, namely, the question of a free school administration software
months. A package.
A project has now been started to produce such a package. It is at
stage and has need of volunteers to help define the requirements of
and assist with the construction of it. I am posting to this list because I am convinced that the most effective way to produce a free software application of this nature is to engage the education community in it's development from
the planning the system the
outset.
If you would like to become involved please visit this site:
http://schooltool.sourceforge.net
and subscribe to the mailing list.
Regards
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:) ------------------------------- Simon Davies Systems Manager Queen Elizabeth Cambria School Tel:01267236451 Fax:01267238224 www.queenelizabethcambria.com ------------------------------- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-help@suse.com