bob@bdofed.UUCP (n) (09/11/90)
Sorry if this is a repeat, our network burped and I can't find any of the articles. I am interested in what other school boards, not Universities, are doing with setting directions for the purchase and integration of computers. We have an IBM 4381 running mainframe stuff, two AT&T 3B2s running office automation and a collection of PCs and MACS. The school systems are based on Unix, Pick, DOS and MACS. Yup, quite a collection. We are trying to standardize on a direction for school systems. We have proposals ranging from a local lan in each school to one BIG central machine and terminals at the office and the schools. I don't want to say much else because I want to hear any and all ideas that have or are being tried at different school boards. Some questions: Are you staying with one vendor? are you staying with one platform? Are you going central or distributed? Should the hardware come first or should the software( school package ) come first. Please reply by mail. thanx in advance bob (uunet!bdofed!bob)
chris@mks.com (Chris Retterath) (09/11/90)
In article <283@bdofed.UUCP> bob@bdofed.UUCP (n) writes: >We have an IBM 4381 running mainframe stuff, two AT&T 3B2s running >office automation and a collection of PCs and MACS. The school >systems are based on Unix, Pick, DOS and MACS. Yup, quite a collection. Yes, quite a collection. When I lived in Etobicoke, I complained to this board about the high tax bill for schools, and about its rate of increase, which was > 12% per year when inflation was around 8%. No wonder our taxes were so high, given the poor choices in h/w and s/w you guys bought. An IBM 4381 for crying out loud! Slow, and expensive. Plus the admin overhead of the school board. Plus the slimey admin types I talked to whenever I phoned to complain re: the school tax; nice to know all those well-padded seats were filled, no? Working for small companies that get 10X the work done on machines costing 1/10 to 1/100 the price, it sure burned me up to get my property tax bill from you people. I'm glad I left Etobicoke. >We are trying to standardize on a direction for school systems. >We have proposals ranging from a local lan in each school to one BIG >central machine and terminals at the office and the schools. Don't bother, in my opinion. Schools don't need computers. They need better teachers, better equipment, and more competition. The admin overhead of a single high school could be done with a few PCs. One fax machine for ~$2000.00 would be better then a computer network. And your "need to standardize" just shows the central admin style philosophy of the school board. Why standardize on purchases when every school is different, and has different need? Why centralize everything? You won't see massive economies of scale unless you start buying thousands of machines, which I think you don't need anyway. Remember when the schools all went 'A/V' crazy? (A/V == Audio/Visual). Lots of new 16mm movie projectors. Even a VTR for recording in some schools. Lots of big colour TVs in a central pool. And of course a 'A/V maintenance type' on staff, to keep the machines working. Lots of bright promises. Did it ever deliver? Chris Retterath MKS Inc