On Thu, 2008-03-27 at 13:03 +0000, Stephen O'Neill wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > Alistair Crust wrote: > | They will not have to employ anyone else full time to > | maintain it. > > > If an automated update breaks something overnight then at 9am teachers > are relying on the computers to > deliver lessons then you need someone to be able to sort it out there > and then. Outsourced support options may not always be able to provide > this - particularly if you need onsite assistance in a remote area. I > think that most schools would be wanting someone who could fix it very > close by.
Most things can be fixed remotely, of course there are some things that can't. In that instance would it not be feasible for the person (who we have already established normally can follow bullet pointed instruction on a que sheet) who is responsible for co-ordinating ict to follow instructions over the phone from someone who knows how to fix it. You don't have to understand why your typing things but the tech support on the other end of the phone does. For hardware failure it makes no odds what OS or system your running you'd still need someone able to physically install equipment or (less technical) know how to place an order for a replacement. This doesn't need to be an expert, just someone who is clever enough to follow instructions and hold a telephone. In my opinion the biggest challenge in adoption is the political reasoning not technical reasoning. There is always some company pushing there own agenda, selling licenses, more licenses, premium phone support for buggy software, more licenses, upgraded hardware after x years, etc and there will be teachers and management that just blindly accept "the norm", the spin, advertising and hidden agendas without looking at the technical merits of something different. Just because its different does it make it technically inferior.. no. In the same breath, just because its proprietary and "the norm" does it make it inferior... no. But we as taxpayers and tax spenders have a responsibility to look at all the options available, and should not be forcing pupils to use any one particular vendor. Kind regards -- Alistair Crust <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Systems Administrator Skegness Grammar School Vernon Road Skegness Lincs PE252QS Tel: 01754610000 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
