Wow, if this goes. We all have to live with the most opressive laws this world has seen. Just imagine our freedom of speech reduced to, for instance, what Iraque wants us to read.
Just have a look at what happend to Salman Rushdie.
Been going this way for about half a year now. Not to discourage you, but just to keep a reality check.
Openoffice/staroffice looks like it is choice number one, but you cannot be to sure about it, since MS is changing its document format every now and then (mostly now). Since you can also install it on win32 it will make things easier for your users.
Actually that is probably the most difficult part about your plans: getting your users to like it. They spent a lot of time getting used to Word, Powerpoint and Outlook and are now faced with totally different product. They will probably demand training and you have to be honest about the time they lose versus the money saved by moving away from MS. I cannot tell honestly what will be cheaper in this case:-(
If you really want to move away from all the MS stuff (including windows) you face bigger problems. I would really suggest you do this in a second phase. Linux is the alternative here (Mac being too expensive in your case). Mozilla is a good browser, but not IE compatible, which means there is a lot of sites that will not run (I know this is a problem of the site, but tell that a user). Evolution is a great Outlook replacement and does even connect to Exchange (if you are willing to invest). If you move away from windows you will also need Codeweavers Crossover plugin to have at least a real word preview and naturally the browser plugins.
As an administrator you will be able to save a lot of time using Nixes. Just think of all the tools that come with it!
For myself, as stated at the beginning, I'm so close that I only reboot to windows if I want to play a game. Good luck,
First: be interesting, come prepared, be a guru, know your audience and be funny.
Things worht mentioning, but if you are a good teacher you will be aware of them.
Second: mind the differences. Windows is totally GUI driven and that makes any *NIX hard to understand for windows users. That's a challenge to overcome. There are some good tools (like webmin) that bring some gui functionality to Linux (and other OS-es). It might be worthwhile to point that out. So my first point would be show GUIs, to tell them that it is possible.
The second point would be to show them the advantages of tools. Tools in *NIX are very specialized and very easy to combine. This is totally different in windows. There you have programs that do it all (or they don't do it and then you're pretty stuck). On *NIX you can combine the tools the way you want: making it very powerfull for people that want to use computers.
Tell them that *NIX-es can work with any other system (where windows has a hard time connecting to other OS-es). It makes it easier to create something on a *NIX machine than a windows machine. The system itself is more open.
Last but not least: don't tell them MS is bad. They will not buy that from anyone. If needed they will see it for themselves. Just show them how cool things can be if you got control over your system.
Just a short comment from this side of the ocean. I would like to say thanks for taking these outrageous bills serious and even taking the time to go and talk to your representative. Looking from this side of the ocean at the laws that are made in the USA, I can only sit back and fear. Fear because I know that someone overthere a government, I have no influence on, is making laws that will finally influence the way I live my life overhere.
Since the internet is a global platform USA laws are slowly getting a global character (I think we've seen proof enough of that). This scares the shit out of me. There is no democracy involved whatsoever.
Trip
By the way: did anyone notice how Linux won parts of the German government (all servers on tux, the clients on XP) and big brother Bill files a patent for connecting with Samba?
I don't think is a loss of spirit at all. If I did, I wouldn't have done this.
I'm very sorry but I cannot be anything but scared for the changes this brings. It's selling you finger to a commercial system knowing they will take you whole hand if they have a chance. Personally I don't mind paying for a service like/. Quality will have its price, I'm very aware of that, and you guys need to eat too. No problem.
It's forcing smell behind it: if you don't pay we will give you adds, that really bothers me.
Personally I try to stay away from commercials, even if they are interesting. If I want to find out I will investigate and find it. I don't need no one to push me into the direction of information. That's why I filter and will continue to do that. It's my freedom of life. It also has something to do with esthetics (most adds are ugly).
I think if you want to go commercial there might be more to the google model. Let me explain what I mean:
Google advertises when you search for something, by presenting it as the first link you will find (telling by the way that it is advertisement).
I could imagine slashdot having an advertisement news flash, where some companies could tell about their latest greatest inventions in a way we, geeks, would like it (talking about target advertisement, wowy). So no: buy my product bull**** but indepth commercialized technical backgrounds: why is my product so cool.
Think about it, I guess there are some companies that would love to do this.
My first post, what will this do to my karma, can you go negative?
There was a day slashdot was about open source, free (as in speach and in beer) and getting to know the way around the web... stuff that matters.
Today, they (there's a lot of them) announced the end of all this. Today it got announced that I have to pay to see slashdot the way I want to. Today I got told that filtering advertisement is bad. The next thing will be, they tell me not to skip the commercials on my taped tv programs.
I sit in my little web enabled corner and cry.
It is not that I am not willing to pay for good services. It is not that I am not able to pay about $30 a year. It's about my loss of faith. It's about an announcement that almost makes me not to believe in free (as in freedom 'cause I don't care about the beer).
It's about a mentality getting lost
It's about using old-fashioned management tactics in new uncontrolled environments.
It's about the loss of what we believe in.
I know there is a need for money, bandwidth and costs. But from a recent mail about some marriage I read there is also a 250.000 readers on slashdot. Multiply that with $20 and I think you can buy all the bandwidth you need + get yourself a nice honeymoon (which I wish Rob will have).
If this is going to be the goal slashdot wants to reach, I would like to cancel my subscribtion now.
Slashdot Mirror
Wow, if this goes. We all have to live with the most opressive laws this world has seen. Just imagine our freedom of speech reduced to, for instance, what Iraque wants us to read.
Just have a look at what happend to Salman Rushdie.
Trip
There is pretty good stuff around:
german privacy site sponsored by the German government. And also this one which features an M$ Outlook plugin.
They are easy to install and there is a great introduction to GPG in the pdfs provided on the first link (German only).
Sorry to say, but although I like the product VMWare, I just cannot imagine it is good for playing games. It is just too slow.
Even if you manage to get the games work, the performance will probably make you sick and if not the performance, than the video output will.
Been going this way for about half a year now. Not to discourage you, but just to keep a reality check.
:-(
Openoffice/staroffice looks like it is choice number one, but you cannot be to sure about it, since MS is changing its document format every now and then (mostly now). Since you can also install it on win32 it will make things easier for your users.
Actually that is probably the most difficult part about your plans: getting your users to like it.
They spent a lot of time getting used to Word, Powerpoint and Outlook and are now faced with totally different product. They will probably demand training and you have to be honest about the time they lose versus the money saved by moving away from MS.
I cannot tell honestly what will be cheaper in this case
If you really want to move away from all the MS stuff (including windows) you face bigger problems. I would really suggest you do this in a second phase. Linux is the alternative here (Mac being too expensive in your case). Mozilla is a good browser, but not IE compatible, which means there is a lot of sites that will not run (I know this is a problem of the site, but tell that a user). Evolution is a great Outlook replacement and does even connect to Exchange (if you are willing to invest). If you move away from windows you will also need Codeweavers Crossover plugin to have at least a real word preview and naturally the browser plugins.
As an administrator you will be able to save a lot of time using Nixes. Just think of all the tools that come with it!
For myself, as stated at the beginning, I'm so close that I only reboot to windows if I want to play a game. Good luck,
Trip.
I just filed a pantent on stupid laws.
Now just wait for congress and get that money.
First: be interesting, come prepared, be a guru, know your audience and be funny.
Things worht mentioning, but if you are a good teacher you will be aware of them.
Second: mind the differences. Windows is totally GUI driven and that makes any *NIX hard to understand for windows users. That's a challenge to overcome. There are some good tools (like webmin) that bring some gui functionality to Linux (and other OS-es). It might be worthwhile to point that out.
So my first point would be show GUIs, to tell them that it is possible.
The second point would be to show them the advantages of tools. Tools in *NIX are very specialized and very easy to combine. This is totally different in windows. There you have programs that do it all (or they don't do it and then you're pretty stuck). On *NIX you can combine the tools the way you want: making it very powerfull for people that want to use computers.
Tell them that *NIX-es can work with any other system (where windows has a hard time connecting to other OS-es). It makes it easier to create something on a *NIX machine than a windows machine. The system itself is more open.
Last but not least: don't tell them MS is bad. They will not buy that from anyone. If needed they will see it for themselves. Just show them how cool things can be if you got control over your system.
Good Luck!
Just a short comment from this side of the ocean. I would like to say thanks for taking these outrageous bills serious and even taking the time to go and talk to your representative. Looking from this side of the ocean at the laws that are made in the USA, I can only sit back and fear. Fear because I know that someone overthere a government, I have no influence on, is making laws that will finally influence the way I live my life overhere.
Since the internet is a global platform USA laws are slowly getting a global character (I think we've seen proof enough of that). This scares the shit out of me. There is no democracy involved whatsoever.
Trip
By the way: did anyone notice how Linux won parts of the German government (all servers on tux, the clients on XP) and big brother Bill files a patent for connecting with Samba?
Hi Hemos,
/. Quality will have its price, I'm very aware of that, and you guys need to eat too. No problem.
I don't think is a loss of spirit at all. If I did, I wouldn't have done this.
I'm very sorry but I cannot be anything but scared for the changes this brings. It's selling you finger to a commercial system knowing they will take you whole hand if they have a chance.
Personally I don't mind paying for a service like
It's forcing smell behind it: if you don't pay we will give you adds, that really bothers me.
Personally I try to stay away from commercials, even if they are interesting. If I want to find out I will investigate and find it. I don't need no one to push me into the direction of information. That's why I filter and will continue to do that. It's my freedom of life. It also has something to do with esthetics (most adds are ugly).
I think if you want to go commercial there might be more to the google model. Let me explain what I mean:
Google advertises when you search for something, by presenting it as the first link you will find (telling by the way that it is advertisement).
I could imagine slashdot having an advertisement news flash, where some companies could tell about their latest greatest inventions in a way we, geeks, would like it (talking about target advertisement, wowy). So no: buy my product bull**** but indepth commercialized technical backgrounds: why is my product so cool.
Think about it, I guess there are some companies that would love to do this.
There was a day slashdot was about open source, free (as in speach and in beer) and getting to know the way around the web... stuff that matters.
Today, they (there's a lot of them) announced the end of all this. Today it got announced that I have to pay to see slashdot the way I want to. Today I got told that filtering advertisement is bad. The next thing will be, they tell me not to skip the commercials on my taped tv programs.
I sit in my little web enabled corner and cry.
It is not that I am not willing to pay for good services. It is not that I am not able to pay about $30 a year. It's about my loss of faith. It's about an announcement that almost makes me not to believe in free (as in freedom 'cause I don't care about the beer).
It's about a mentality getting lost
It's about using old-fashioned management tactics in new uncontrolled environments.
It's about the loss of what we believe in.
I know there is a need for money, bandwidth and costs. But from a recent mail about some marriage I read there is also a 250.000 readers on slashdot. Multiply that with $20 and I think you can buy all the bandwidth you need + get yourself a nice honeymoon (which I wish Rob will have).
If this is going to be the goal slashdot wants to reach, I would like to cancel my subscribtion now.
Trip