Re: robust software

[Wes Davis <wlrdavis@EARTHLINK.NET>]

I bought 10 computers for my room on eBay.  All Pentium class.  Cost about
$20-$25 each plus $75 each for upgrading.  I put what I want on them :-)







----- Original Message -----
From: "Frohne, Vickie" <VFrohne@BEN.EDU>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 5:10 PM
Subject: Re: robust software


> My sister's school district does not allow teachers to put their own
> software on school computers, either. The issues for school and corporate
IT
> departments are:
>
> 1. Legal and copyright issues. The purchase of a piece of software for
home
> use usually does not entitle the purchaser to put it on a networked
computer
> in a business or classroom. For that, a multi-user software license
> agreement is necessary. Rather than run into trouble, district lawyers
> advise against allowing teachers to install their own software.
>
> 2. Network, computer stability, and software compatibility issues.
>
> 3. Virus, worm, and computer security issues.
>
> 4. Economic and productivity issues. It is simply MUCH cheaper to choose
one
> software standard (such as Microsoft Word) and train everyone to use it.
All
> that daily converting of files and test-printing and reformatting
documents
> between favorite word processors is time not spent in productive pursuits.
> Also, when many individual documents will be moved around the
> company/district and merged into larger reports, it's much easier (hence
> cheaper) if everything is in the same software format.
>
> Vickie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Hugh Haskell [mailto:hhaskell@MINDSPRING.COM]
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 5:34 PM
> To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
> Subject: Re: robust software
>
>
> At 14:26 -0600 3/10/03, J Montgomery wrote:
> > Unfortunately not all of us have a choice of software
> > for use at work.  At my school we are not allowed to
> > place additional software on any computers so I'm pretty
> > much stuck with Outlook.  This also means I'm stuck with
> > the annoying "=3D20" tacked on at the end of my lines if
> > I'm not careful about hitting return every 60 characters
> > or so.  I would gladly use Eudora if the option was
> > available to me.
> Too bad that many IT depts seem to think that the only way to run a
> network is to have every computer identical. It makes it more
> convenient for the IT dept, even if it easily can become a nightmare
> for the users. But as long as we keep our priorities straight and
> recognize that the computer network is for the benefit of ITS and not
> the users . . .
>
> The totally uniform network has another useful function. It makes it
> much easier for ITS to monitor what is on each computer to be sure
> that nobody says or sees anything that they or the boss won't like.
>
> Ain't technology grand?
>
> Hugh
> --
>
> Hugh Haskell
> <mailto:haskell@ncssm.edu>
> <mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>
>
> (919) 467-7610
>
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