Are you actually using VistA in a medical practice? I hear a lot of people recommending VistA as a free software alternative to expensive and often disappointing commercial systems, but not many people use VistA outside the VA. I went to the WorldVistA conference in Pittsburgh in July 2006 to look into using it for our ~30 doctor ophthalmology group, and I was surprised at the small size of the community actually using this creaky old software in a private practice setting. There are a few promising installations, and the core user group is incredibly dedicated and friendly. I met one of the devs from MedSphere at another conference a couple years ago, and they've done some fascinating work trying to make the best of this system and support it. But I think most of the people recommending this system either don't know much about it or want you to buy their VistA related services.
I'm a pretty hardcore advocate of FOSS solutions, and I was excited by the hype around VistA. But after learning about this system in some detail there's no way I could recommend it as a reasonable alternative to the better commercial systems out there despite the savings on software licenses. MUMPS is a platform without much of a future. There are huge gaps in functionality. And the future of VistA outside the VA is far from certain. I'd encourage anyone looking for an EMR/EHR system to educate themselves about VistA a little, but I suspect most of them will reach the same conclusions we did.
"So answer my question: Why the asdf would I ever want an 'eBook'?"
Because you can get to an ebook over the network. That's the reason for eAnything. Make a book, a movie, some music or some family photos available in electronic format, and all of a sudden you have something more powerful. You can get to it anytime from anywhere, share it, have it in more than one place at a time and format it according to your needs.
If the question was "Why the asdf would I want an 'eBook' NOW?", I'd have a different answer. You probably don't. Current devices have a lot of limitations. Network bandwidth isn't always available or sufficient to have that "anywhere access". And there's not much legal content that doesn't use DRM to strip you of the benefits of electronic media. But those things will change...eventually.
An older Blackberry can be had pretty cheap ($100) off ebay, and the interface for entering text from a small and durable device is hard to beat. I think you can use the desktop sync software and even run your own non-networked J2ME apps without turning up service with a wireless carrier.
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> WTF is Myyearbook?
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It's a long story. And it all started with this letter.
Are you actually using VistA in a medical practice? I hear a lot of people recommending VistA as a free software alternative to expensive and often disappointing commercial systems, but not many people use VistA outside the VA. I went to the WorldVistA conference in Pittsburgh in July 2006 to look into using it for our ~30 doctor ophthalmology group, and I was surprised at the small size of the community actually using this creaky old software in a private practice setting. There are a few promising installations, and the core user group is incredibly dedicated and friendly. I met one of the devs from MedSphere at another conference a couple years ago, and they've done some fascinating work trying to make the best of this system and support it. But I think most of the people recommending this system either don't know much about it or want you to buy their VistA related services.
I'm a pretty hardcore advocate of FOSS solutions, and I was excited by the hype around VistA. But after learning about this system in some detail there's no way I could recommend it as a reasonable alternative to the better commercial systems out there despite the savings on software licenses. MUMPS is a platform without much of a future. There are huge gaps in functionality. And the future of VistA outside the VA is far from certain. I'd encourage anyone looking for an EMR/EHR system to educate themselves about VistA a little, but I suspect most of them will reach the same conclusions we did.
"So answer my question: Why the asdf would I ever want an 'eBook'?"
Because you can get to an ebook over the network. That's the reason for eAnything. Make a book, a movie, some music or some family photos available in electronic format, and all of a sudden you have something more powerful. You can get to it anytime from anywhere, share it, have it in more than one place at a time and format it according to your needs.
If the question was "Why the asdf would I want an 'eBook' NOW?", I'd have a different answer. You probably don't. Current devices have a lot of limitations. Network bandwidth isn't always available or sufficient to have that "anywhere access". And there's not much legal content that doesn't use DRM to strip you of the benefits of electronic media. But those things will change...eventually.
An older Blackberry can be had pretty cheap ($100) off ebay, and the interface for entering text from a small and durable device is hard to beat. I think you can use the desktop sync software and even run your own non-networked J2ME apps without turning up service with a wireless carrier.