A few days ago, I posted a link to a story that outlines how a Detroit high school switched to using the open-source office suite OpenOffice.org. They’ve managed to keep older computers by converting them to Linux. They’ve managed to increase stability in using high quality software. They’ve managed to keep costs low because the software costs nothing and there are no necessary hardware upgrades. They’ve managed to save students’ money by not forcing them to use a $200 office suite. And they’ve broken themselves out of that nasty vendor lock-in.

The cost analysis was compelling — the Linux option could be implemented for around $21,000, more than $100,000 less than the Microsoft Windows alternative. The key to enabling the move to Linux, however, was the ability to provide an acceptable office application suite that would run on both Windows XP and Linux. It was impractical for the school to support more than one office application suite, nor was it cost-effective nor beneficial to remove Windows XP from the newer systems.

Back here in Toronto, I’m at a high school where the school board has just finished ‘upgrading’ our computers to a unified TDSB network system. Our computers are running on Windows 2000 and are making use of Office 2000. I’m interested in how the school is going to deal with upgrading their computers again soon, what with Windows 2000 going into extended support in July. So now, we’re forced to upgrade older computers because Microsoft can’t write software without it benefitting their partners in the hardware industry? So what’s West Hill going to do now? Scrounge up some more funding for new shiny Dells in the compsci labs? They’ve already spent a fortune on upgrading the library lab, the math lab, the tech labs, the main office, and the department offices. Good thinking there, TDSB. Not only will you have to get more hardware, you’ll have to get Windows XP licences as well! Oh, what was that? Longhorn coming out in a year or two? Darn. Gotta get those too, I guess.

And you wonder why schools in Toronto are so poor.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 29th, 2005 at 6:06 pm and is filed under Computers, School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.