Well my $0.50c why not go for a PDF form.
*IF* the organisation already has a web site then setup a
link so folks can download the PDF on the link page their be
a notice stating something like...
"you who fill in the form and email it back to us do so with
the knowledge that the sending of email is akin to your
signature on this form".
Ya I know in walking in a mine field and what I've said most
likely has holes in it.
But then once the email it back and is all requisite data it
can be...
a) printed off and put into a filing cabinet
b) put into a folder under the year and term number.
c) the PDF can be saved with an appropriate filename
now with my idea above no real S/W will need to be purchased
(okay maybe a signing up to some online site like
fillanypdf.com (I've only just done a quick search for said
topic, know nothing more than it being a site that came up).
but I hope the idea has been put across.
the onus would be on the organisation to create the form,
the parents/guardians/caregivers to fill it back to them and
for the organisation to file those returns be they in paper
or electronic form.
Okay a spreadsheet could be used to mark off those who have
and have not returned the form.
----- Original Message Follows -----
> With all of these different systems that might fit you
> will probably find that most of them *will* fit.
> But you need to ensure that their problem is solved.
> Providing the working software is only part of the
> solution to their problem.
>
> They need to have:
> - someone help them to input the historical data,
> - someone to teach them how to use the software
> - someone to ensure that the system continues to run
> - at least one person in their organisation who is
> prepared to use the software
>
> It's always easy to find a piece of software to do the job
> but unless there are people that can help with those
> bullet points then you are on a hiding to nothing.
> Software systems are about people as much as the
> technology. This means that a largish capital outlay
> pushes the management into making the staff use the
> system. So getting them to invest in a good quality OS
> system is going to get them a better system and give them
> that push.
>
>
> In my not so humble opinion ... :-/
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 7:01 PM, Steve Holdoway
> <st...@greengecko.co.nz>wrote:
>
> > Depending on their goals, then quite possibly buddypress
> > , or just parts of moodle ( if they're maybe looking at
> > putting course stuff online / storing results etc ) will
> > do most of what is requested. Taking Nicks model of
> > getting the clients ( well probably parents ) to do the
> tedious, time consuming data entry, then the cost should
> > be far less than suggested so far.
> >
> > My $0.02,
> >
> >
> > Steve
> >
> >
> > On Mon, 2012-11-05 at 18:36 +1300, Christopher Sawtell
> > > wrote: Quoting
>
http://kexi-project.org/wiki/wikiview/index....@welcome.html
> > >
> > >
> > > Kexi is Free/Libre/Open-Source Software. As a real
> > > member of the KDE and Calligra Suite projects, Kexi
> > > integrates fluently into both. It is designed to be
> > > fully usable also without KDE on Linux/Unix, Mac OS X
> > (with Fink) and MS Windows platforms. >
> > >
> > > So I suspect, and fear, that it might well run on
> > > windows, on the other hand, knowing the nature of the
> > > beasts with which we are dealing, it might well not.
> > >
> > >
> > > But then taking your suggestion of using a browser to
> > > access the database: A browser is a browser you know.
> > > So why does it matter as far as the client is
> > concerned what the underlaying o/s is? >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 5 November 2012 18:13, Nick Rout
> > <nick.r...@gmail.com> wrote: >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 3:28 PM, Christopher
> > > Sawtell <csawt...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Has anybody used KDE/Calligra's Kexi
> > > for this kind of thing?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Does it run on windows? I am guessing these
> > > people will not want to also get used to a new
> > OS. >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 5 November 2012 14:53, Zane Gilmore
> > > <zaneli...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sun, Nov 4, 2012 at 3:52 PM
> > > , Nick Rout
> > <nick.r...@gmail.com> wrote: >
> > > On Sun, Nov 4, 2012 at
> > > 3:19 PM, Roy Britten
> > <roy.brit...@gmail.com> wrote: >
> > > <snip>
> > > A spreadsheet
> > > is capable of
> > > producing
> > > reports, and
> if there are only a few changes for kid X then a cut and
> > > paste from
> > > last term's
> > > spreadsheet
> > > line to this
> term's is pretty damn simple, and not really time
> > consuming at all. >
> > > We all know
> > > spreadsheets are not
> > > databases, despite the
> > > fact many people use
> them as such, but is their existing solution just being
> > > badly managed? I
> > > cannot for the life of
> > > me imagine why anyone
> > > would not just print
> out a report from last term and say "change anything that
> > > needs updating and
> > > sign it" - then do a
> > c&p and make any necessary changes >
> > >
> > > These are really good points.
> > > Spreadsheets could probably do
> > > the job but they require a lot
> > > of discipline, a lot of
> patience and a lot of technical expertise to make them
> > > work for a job that could blow
> > > out in size and complexity at
> > any time. >
> > >
> > > They have a
> > > budget to
> > > implement a
> > > "proper"
> > > solution for
> tracking kids' details. They've been quoted five-figure
> > > sums for
> > > American
> > off-the-shelf solutions which seems a bit much. >
> > >
> > > "Off the shelf" (read
> > > proprietary) solutions aren't
> > > much better, they cost a huge
> > > sum just for an installation
> and the you *still* need to get it going for the business.
> > > If you pay for an outfit to
> > > develop it from OS technology
> > > stacks then you will save them
> > money in the long run. >
> > > I reckon this
> > > list is a good
> > > place to
> > > discuss
> > > suitable
> OS/Linux solutions. Go! I'll start with: can OpenOffice
> > > (or
> > > LibreOffice,
> > > or whatever)
> > be customised up to support this sort of thing? >
> > >
> > > Open/Libre have
> > > database hooks - there
> > > is a menu for
> > > LibreOffice Base in my
> Linux Mint system. However I would have thought a LAMP
> > > based system would be
> > a possible answer. >
> > >
> > > Using something like Rails
> > > ,Django or Cake someone should
> > > be able to put something
> > together reasonably quickly. >
> > >
> > > There are libraries
> > > for producing pdf
> > > reports from databases
> > or other data, reportlab for example. >
> > > Whether the costs of
> > > setting something like
> > > that up and
> > maintaining it is any less than 5 figures, I don't know.
> > > >
> > >
> > > To get someone who actually
> > > knows what is required to do
> > > this will almost certainly
> > > cost into the 5 figures. even
> > > if it is low 5 figures. From
> > > your description (disclaimer:
> > > I am hazarding an educated
> guess from your description) to write this shouldn't be
> > > much more than a week or 2 of
> > > work but the main thing is the
> > > maintenance and ongoing
> > > tweaks. You will need to talk
> to an outfit who wants this kind of work. Try talking to
> > > the guys at Egressive (
> > > http://egressive.com/ ) It's a
> > > local Open Source development
> > > company. If they don't want
> the job, they might be able to point you at someone who
> > does. >
> > >
> > > HTH,
> > > Zane
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------- Zane Gilmore
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > Linux-users mailing list
> > Linux-users@lists.canterbury.ac.nz >
> >
> >
> http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Sincerely,
> > > Christopher Sawtell
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > Linux-users mailing list
> > Linux-users@lists.canterbury.ac.nz >
> >
> >
> http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> _______________________________________________
> > > Linux-users mailing list
> > > Linux-users@lists.canterbury.ac.nz
> >
> http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Sincerely,
> > > Christopher Sawtell
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Linux-users mailing list
> > > Linux-users@lists.canterbury.ac.nz
> > >
> http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
> > > --
> > Steve Holdoway BSc(Hons) MIITP
> > http://www.greengecko.co.nz
> > MSN: st...@greengecko.co.nz
> > Skype: sholdowa
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Linux-users mailing list
> > Linux-users@lists.canterbury.ac.nz
> >
> http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
> > >
>
>
> --
> -------------------------------------------
> Zane Gilmore
>
> _______________________________________________
> Linux-users mailing list
> Linux-users@lists.canterbury.ac.nz
> http://lists.canterbury.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
>
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