Fresno Famous

Open Source

Someone requested an open source replacement for Word. Sun heard your request and has produced an open source suite that replaces MS Office. Save yourselves hundreds of dollars and check it out: http://www.openoffice.org

Switch to linux

Microsoft is bad... Switch to linux instead..

Open source has got to be part of the reason

That's what I was getting at in the first place, there is no money in it for anyone that way. Or if there is, it's nothing compared to the roll they just dropped on MS licenses. If they don't use the money given to them this year, next years budget goes down. They have to spend the money or they lose it.
Diablo

Damn right it's free for a reason

Open Office sure is free for a reason- that reason being that it was coded mostly by volunteers and is released under an open source license. As far as it "not working with FUSD's technology infrastructure"- I can not imagine a scenario where you could run M$ Office and not Open Office. As far as the argument about "this is what they use in the business world". Blah blah blah. By the time the kids graduate who knows what they'll use in the business world? It sounds like the latest version of Office is nothing like the preceding version, so what does it matter what word processor the kids learn to type on? What's more important is teaching them the fundamentals of computer use, not specific things applicable to only one program. This is such a huge waste of money, especially when school districts are hacking away at programs like art and music that it just pisses me off.

If a student learns how to

If a student learns how to operate a computer within the context of an operating system that runs a window manager like Gnome or KDE, that knowledge will translate to a Windows computer. In the same way, students who use Windows can take that knowledge to a Linux box running Gnome or KDE and find themselves using the computer with little difficulty.

We can't eliminate Windows altogether. Microsoft and its products have become a part of the world's collective technological corpus. What I am suggesting is that FUSD and their technology staff seize an opportunity to do something new and interesting for their students and for the community.

MS

is already a big boulder rolling down a hill.

Was starting to think that if someone has programming blood in them they'll use it. No one taught me how to mount and configure a hard drive in Red Hat. I would assume that most who learn Linux/Unix today does so of their own accord anyhow. Good for them.

It just feels like some kind of communism or monopoly, some kind of forced compliance. If people aren't aware they are working inside of a box, I guess the box isn't there........for them. It's all about what's easy...

Diablo

just making sense

it makes complete sense to stick with what i am going to call "real-world" applications. district-wide, everyone is using the same programs now, the kids will be using these programs, and when they get out of school, the businesses they work for will be using these programs. the argument for open-source applications and unix/linux doesn't apply here. fighting microsoft is something to be done on our own time, and not at the students' expense. the majority of graduating students will (hopefully) be more equipped to handle the job market after graduation. for those that want to go into more advanced studies of IT and other applications, they can do so in advanced classes or in higher education.

Mac

Most of the elementary and middle school are using Mac OSX and the district wants to make sure that everyone is using the same program for word processing, etc. I do not know about the whole price issue but having the same program on all the computers in the district will allow everyone to be able to share files through email much easier.

FUSD Suggestions

All of the suggestions are good but unfortunately in the world of public education, especially FUSD, they do not work.

First..In the deal with Microsoft, FUSD went from paying $50 to $100 a license. Kurt Madden, a recognized great local leader, and the FUSD school board did not do their math correctly.

Second..The deal with Microsoft is not for 15,000 computers but for 15,000 licenses for the MS products: Office, Windows XP and Vista Operating systems. To clarify that's 15,000 total licenses not 15,000 for each product

Third..Open Office is free for a reason...too many issues. FUSD did a beta trial. It was concluded that the application did not work with FUSD's technology infrastructure.

Fourth..Kurt Madden wants to take FUSD to a complete Microsoft environment so that makes Linux and Unix out of the loop. Also, FUSD does not have the resources or the personal to train their staff and students to use the different OS'.

Lastly, FUSD is wasting a lot of it's tax payers money to change an infracture that was not broken.

Don't believe me I encourage all to do research on the internal email fiasco.

Open Office

If only there was some kind of free alternative to Word, Excel, and Power Point....

FUSD tech

It's my understanding that FUSD has brought together a committee of local technology leaders to do just what was described above. Kurt Madden was involved, and he is now the Chief Technology Officer for FUSD (as of October).

Possible scenario

Here's a possible scenario: Allow teachers to opt into a Linux program. If they do, ask local businesses to donate the hardware they have in their back closets that won't run Vista as a tax write-off. Give the donated computers to the teachers who opt in. Create a higher computer-to-student ratio in those classrooms. Hire one or two people to support those in the Linux program. Dual boot a few machines for the software that must run on Windows.

I'm not the one to argue the finer points on how to roll out a heterogeneous Linux/Windows network for FUSD. I see this $1.5 million decision as a failed opportunity to bring high-tech, creative jobs to Fresno, save money in the long run and get a chunk of that early adopter cred.

where is fusd on this?

I found zippo about this on the fusd website. would be interesting to hear more information other than the tiny blurb from channel 30.

in any case, i will tell you all why they have chosen MS software. because that is what is used in the business world. while you may find pockets of non-MS users out there, and they may be doing just fine, the rest of the world uses MSOffice and gets irritated when they get a document that looks funny when converted to MSOffice.

training kids on the software they will use when they get out of school benefits the kids. while we may argue that training them to use a computer, how to adjust to various software programs, etc., may be more beneficial, it would require too much time and money to train the teachers to be able to do this.

you set up a good committee

the board should set up a knowledgeable committee to make recommendations. then the superintendent signs the OK to the board's final recommendation. this knowledgeable committee needs to seriously look into all possibilities. surely this was part of the process.

Most people don't know Linux or Unix

but the PC world has evolved with Windows for most people. That's all backwards meant. Back to when Unix was most common for networking, and people knew it.

Unix and Linux are so solid they have withstood the test of time in stability. If it isn't broke don't fix it. Certainly they are not broken platforms. Where Windows has been infested with problems since it's inception.

What about the open source for those platforms? Does that play into why they are not pushed the way a MS product is? Is there not enough money in it then? Maybe if I'm a computer company or a company with a real IT department the choice to run Linux is obvious. But what if I'm the superintendent of a school district and I know squat about OS's? How will I know Linux makes the best sense?

Diablo

Many companies run Linux as

Many companies run Linux as a platform for networking. I don't see why you think that chosing Linux is a step backwards.

Linux can run many Windows-like desktop environments, which is good. I'm not saying that we drop a kid in front of a command line and tell him to write his term paper in LaTex.

What I'm suggesting is that FUSD makes a bold choice to go a different route. Year over year, the software, hardware, and maintenance costs favor running Linux.

If you need a Windows environment, there's always Wine (Windows emulator), or you can use the licenses you've already purchased from Microsoft and dual boot the system.

Google Docs

Google Documents has shortcomings that bar it from being adopted. Hey good luck FUSD with your proprietary deal.

So funny that moving forward

in the case of Linux, would mean taking steps back in time when Unix was the chosen platform for networking. Agreed that Linux would be the way to go. Most servers run some kind of Unix base OS. Even the most basic programming skillz give such an edge to learning and understanding computers. I say don't box people in with proprietary software and let them know how things work, that's the only way they can make a good thing, better. That's my biggest beef with Mac's too.

The only problem is that the same fast food people want to be able to point and click as opposed to stop, think and type. Point and click killed Unix. Microsoft is just easier for more people to use, that doesn't make it better, only easier.....for the same people who can't program the time on their VCR. Funny to think now, they don't put a clock on DVD players do they...

I haven't seen a recent release of Linux in ages though, I bet it looks very Windows-ish.

Diablo

Forward thinking for ten years ago...

Google mail, documents and spreadsheets feature almost everything that MSoffice has to offer, is compatible with each other, and is entirely free. That would have been the most forward thinking, and that 1.5 million could have been used to buy 3,000 more computers for FUSD, all of which could also be freely loaded with everything google has to offer.

A forward-thinking school

A forward-thinking school district would have switched to Linux.

With one half of the $1.5 million, FUSD could hire professionals to make the switch from Microsoft to Linux, create high-tech jobs in the valley and save lots of money on software in the future. Linux runs well on dated hardware, which I'm sure FUSD has in spades.

Paying more money out for Microsoft software perpetuates a vicious monopolistic cycle.

more sarcasm

great jumpin balls of fire!

i'm not going to say that bill gates should give his software away . . . wait, no, that is what i'm going to say. the student discount should apply to those of us who are buying it for home use. but a school district that is putting it on the school computers for kids to learn? come on, bill! ok, so if he gave it away to every school district, 1.5 mil plus 1.5 mil plus 1.5 mil and so on, would add up. but again, come one bill! what is the guy worth now? over 25 billion dollars. there is just over a thousand school districts in california. lets multiply that by 40 (49 other states, of which 47 are smaller, most much smaller). so, 40 thousand times 1.5 mil is 60 billion dollars. would that be a monstrous loss if bill gave away MSOffice to every school district? yes it would. you figure about 40 bil goes to the government at some point. then 20 bil back to the company. what are the costs involved in running MS? certainly not 20 bil. even if you spread that out to each Office update, say every 4 years, 5 bil a year? ok. maybe. but then every thing else they sell, every version of Vista on every new computer, every other license for Office, etc. is pure profit. where am i going with this? i no longer know.

is 1.5 mil a deal? not in my opinion.

tcm

sarcastic wow

"software for 15,000 computers a year; including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint."

so, they get software for $100 and not computers? that's not all that special. i have the microsoft office suite for mac and paid about that myself (although i do have an educational discount, available to almost anyone). so, fusd got the same deal that i did? not all that impressive, especially since they'll be using it on 15k computers.