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Subject: |
[centres] Openoffice vs. M$ Office (was and still is Overpriced, overhyped and over here) ;-) |
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Date: |
Mon, 12 Jan 2004 17:46:00 +0000 |
** Low Priority **
Hi everyone, thanks for the replies
Just to pick up on a few of the points. I apologise in advance for my
incoherent and nonsensical rambling.
I too remember the days of ZX80s, BBCs, Acorns, etc., but I think those were
different computers for different times and different purposes. In those days
the microcomputer market was still very much a hobbyist and computer studies
type thing. With those Sinclairs, Acorns, BBCs, and Commodores they all had
their own versions of BASIC. Before games started being sold with these
computer studies pupils and hobbyists used to play around with BASIC,
theyinternet:"<address@hidden> were primarily concerned with getting a program
working on the one model of computer. I don't think they even thought of cross
platform compatibility.
Around the same time (early 80's) business and productivity was catered for by
IBM PC's, WordStar and Visicalc. That was all you had so compatibility wasn't
an issue. A few years later almost everyone followed each other to WordPerfect
and Lotus 123. When compatibility was almost non-existent I don't recall much
people complaining about it during the move from WordStar to WordPerfect and
then from WordPerfect to MS Word or from Visicalc to Lotus 123 to MS Excel.
It's funny that people who unquestionably keep shelling out on MS Office will
use compatibility as an excuse even in though all word processors, spreadsheets
and databases on all platforms have features such as "save as file type",
import, and RTF. Don't MS Office users know about these features? If not then
what are we teaching people in our CLAIT, IBT2, and ECDL classes?
Whenever I've taught any CLAIT, IBT2 and ECDL classes I've always encouraged
people to explore the common features and functions of all Windows based
applications, regardless whatever version they're using. Just because you learn
to drive in one model of car, doesn't mean that you can only drive that model
when you've passed your test. A learner driver must learn to effectively use
things such as the indicator or reverse gear even though those things are
configured differently on different cars. However you get the gear into reverse
the principle and practicality is the same.
I don't think we should be training people just in the use specific versions of
specific software especially when Micro$oft "forces" us into upgrading our
operating systems and applications every couple of years. We shouldn't get tied
down to specifics in specific versions because IN THE REAL WORLD most
businesses, most colleges, most UK Online centres, most people can't afford to
get latest versions of M$ Office.
In the real world most users can't afford MS Office. Even people who can
afford a new computer for £400 can't afford MS Office. Usually new PC's are
provided with MS Works which would actually be more than adequate for people
who only need word processing and spreadsheets, but because people feel
compelled to install MS Office (and not because they need Powerpoint and
Access) they usually end up asking if people can get them a copy.
Even many colleges (and their UK Online centres) are at it. I've worked in tech
support at three different colleges (from 1991 to 2002) and observed how IT
managers have turned a blind eye to when college management and staff have
wanted MS Office installing on their laptops and home machines. Many IT
managers only started to care when FAST (now BSA) started threatening people
with large fines and imprisonment, but even then it was all still a bit dodgy
as IT managers started using a "blanket academic license" instead of strictly
auditing software.
When students and teachers copy MS software you often hear them try to justify
their actions by saying it's just for educational use and personal use, it's
funny because that's exactly what filesharers and warez distributers say on
their websites. It's not just the desire for filesharing MP3s and movies that
puts us in questionable legal territory, it's also our desire to install the
latest M$ bloatware that's getting many of us into trouble. So come on then,
let's do an anonymous poll to see how many of you and your staff have purchased
licensed versions of MS Office for their home machines.
I call MS Office bloatware because even experienced everyday users only use 30%
of it's features. For most people the other 70% is hardly ever used. The main
people to have benefited from all the extras features such as macro's and
scripting as found in Word and Outlook are script kiddies who write viruses and
worms such as MS Blaster, Sobig, and Melissa. All of these are the fastest
spreading worms all thanks to exploits, vulnerabilities and holes found in XP,
Word and Outlook, in features that most of us never asked for and never use.
Ok, so not all of it is bloatware, to be fair some of it is a bit useful,
things such as web stuff and multimedia integration, but I still think Windows
95, MS Word 2, Excel 3 and Access 2 or MS Works 4 is more than adequate to
successfully and effectively train people to CLAIT, IBT2 and ECDL level. All
this software is actually more than adequate for most business users. All we
get for being forced down this upgrade path are more bloated applications that
take up megabytes of hard disk space and RAM memory.
I'm happy to have newer more powerful computers for multimedia development and
I'm happy to have newer more robust operating systems such as XP to take
advantage of these new systems, but I'd still be happy with the older MS Office
Applications, I wish Microsoft gave us the choice. The older MS Office apps
require less hardware resources in terms processor, disk size and RAM. They
work perfectly on an old machine (e.g. 486) with Windows 9x, and work very
quickly on new machines such as Pentium 4's etc. Thank goodness for Openoffice
which more than adequate in terms of features and functions yet is only a 70Mb
download and 250Mb install and doesn't require you to have the latest Pentium 4
or AMD Athlon. That's why around the world Openoffice is catching on in
developing countries, poorer inner city communities, and cash conscious local
government departments. All of these places are in the real world.
In the real world, the Israeli Ministry of Commerce has recently suspend
contracts with Microsoft and switched most of the Israeli Employment Agency
workers to Openoffice. Microsoft reacted scornfully to the decision, accusing
the Israelis of being tight-fisted. "The employment agency has selected an
immature and unproven software package and its functionality is at the best
close to Office 97," said Microsoft representatives. Accusing the ministry of
penny pinching is hardly a promising line of attack. Users make rational
choices. And Word 97-era functionality is clearly considered good enough for
the Israeli ministry of employment. *
Of course I understand why we need to upgrade software and then subsequently
upgrade hardware, I can see the need with the use of multimedia communications,
but can most of you honestly tell me that your productivity and use of MS
Office has significantly improved each time you've upgraded? The amount of
processing power, hard disk space, and RAM memory required to run MS Office has
doubled with each new version, but has your productivity or the speed at which
you work doubled?
Colleges and local governments should exercise true buying power. Buying power
isn't just the ability to get a 25% discount off software which was double the
price in the first place and which you'll never use to full capacity. True
buying power is about knowing what you need and exactly why you need it. True
buying power is about knowing the choices and alternatives. True buying power
isn't just measured in monetary terms. Just because you've got several
thousands of pounds of public money doesn't mean you've got buying power.
You're powerless if you're uninformed about the choices, you're powerless if
you can't let Micro$oft know that you're aware of the choices, you're powerless
if you believe the FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) that M$ tells you about the
alternatives, you're powerless if you can't ween yourself of M$, you're
powerless if you think the REAL WORLD can only be a Micro$oft only world.
In this matter I'm critical of Becta for not using their website to inform cash
strapped students, teachers, schools, colleges and LEA's of the alternatives
and choices. A search on the Becta website for the word "openoffice" (or "open
office) produces no hits. Only the Helpisathand website mentions it in a few
paragraphs, but there's no detailed review or discussion about it.
And speaking of powerlessness due to being uninformed. Just need to let some of
you know that to switch to an Opensource alternative such as Openoffice DOES
NOT require use or knowledge of Linux. Don't worry, we wouldn't have to convert
the world to Linux. Openoffice is available for use on Windows based machines.
Linux is an operating system, Openoffice is an application. It's applications
not operating systems that we're talking about here. Those of you that think we
need to switch to Linux to so that we could have an alternative to MS Office
may want to check out Module One of the ECDL. ;-)
The opensource community has made a good office application that can be used on
Microsoft Windows, I wonder if and when Microsoft will make and sell a version
of MS Office that can be used on Linux or any other opensource operating system?
Hmmmm? Nuff said.
R!
*
2004 - the year Microsoft's prices bend, buckle or break?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34685.html
OpenOffice CDs live for lending in Scottish libraries
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34593.html
Israel accelerates free software migration
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34522.html
MS scorns Israeli OpenOffice defection
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34154.html
MS moves to counter open source growth in UK gov
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/33664.html
address@hidden
E-Learning Resource Developer
Click! Sandwell
Sandwell Council House, Freeth Street
Oldbury, B69 3BS
Tel. 0121 569 2415
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