[K12OSN] OT: any OpenOffice vs. MS Office studies/cases out there?

[Accessys@smart.net]

also buried in section 508 of the rehab act I believe is the
requirement that if you require a certain software package in a gov
funded program (such as education) then every person required to have
that software must be provided it at no cost.

Bob



On Sat, 21 Feb 2009, Paul Nelson wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 2:22 PM, Alan Hodson <aahodson at episd.org> wrote:
> > Having just heard at the highest level in my district that Open Office is "culturally unacceptable here" (border district of 63,000 students) I am wondering if there is someone in our community of users/believers that has come across data/studies that I could use disprove the MS ethos - I know than in Texas, both PlanoISD and SanAntonioISD are huge open source supporters, but I don't know if that has translated there, or anywhere else, into a document that we can hold up as a banner.
> > Any ideas?
> > Thanks
> > Alan Hodson
>
> There are lots of good reasons to use OpenOffice. Sometimes though you
> need to move forward with a pilot project first. Get some open minded
> folks to give it a try and then use the data to decide what to do
> next.
>
> One of the strongest points is being able to send home with students,
> a CD with the same software they have at school. When you decide to
> use a proprietary software, you deny that software to all of your
> students and families in your community. When you choose an open
> solution you make a gift to all your users.
>
> The kinds of software where open source has great solutions are often
> generic software packages. These days, word processing is not rocket
> science. A generic solution works just fine. Once this is established
> then it becomes an ethical decision when spending tax money on
> software. Public servants are required to spend tax dollars wisely. To
> spend money needlessly on software when there is an acceptable free
> solution is a violation of public trust.
>
> And... yes, I'd rather have an art teacher than expensive software I don't need.
>
> ;-) Paul
>
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