On Wednesday 20 Oct 2010 10:26:10 Drew Campbell wrote: > Our company (The Top Floor) serves 45% of the school districts in Vermont. > Over the past few years we've found a very large number of these schools > moving to OpenOffice with great success... > > However the trend is turning...Schools in Vermont are now moving to Google > Apps at a very rapid pace. The challenge to marketing LibreOffice here > will be less about support, etc, but more about competition with Google > Apps for Education. > > Of course there are advantages and drawbacks to both LibreOffice and Google > Apps, and perhaps a mix of the two is the best solution for some > schools...Has anyone written about how LibO is either superior to or > complimentary to Google Apps? > > Thanks, > ~Drew
In fact there is an extension: Gdocs that integrates OOo/LibO with zoho and Google docs http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/en/project/ooo2gd It has the advantage of being able to be used when connection is not available Cheers GL > > Drew Campbell - [email protected] > The Top Floor - Business Computer Solutions > ________________________________ > > PO Box 524, Middlebury, VT 05753 > Phone: 802.388.1600 x252 > Toll-Free: 800.290.4979 x252 > Fax: 800.290.4765 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Marc Paré [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 11:08 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [libreoffice-marketing] LibO in Education (JK-High School and > NOT post grad. university/college) > > Merci Michel for your note: > > Le 2010-10-18 10:43, Michel Gagnon a écrit : > > I am neither student nor teacher, but I have to offer support to my > > daughter and her friends. I find that OpenOffice (and most likely > > LibreOffice has a few problems to solve before it penetrates the market. > > What are the main problems that need to be addressed? > > > > - College, universities and large high schools have some IT personnel, > > but smaller high schools and elementary schools don't have any. They > > will get support from the school board for computers used in > > administration... and they will get wiring for computers used in the > > classroom. So it needs to be plug and play. > > I am involved in committee work (teacher side) and meet regularly with > school board IT. I am not sure if is is different in Quebec, Canad, but > in Ontario the IT departments in our school boards are pretty well > modelled on the IT department found at most universities. The school > board IT departments are naturally smaller by comparison, however they > do have divisions/specialists such as: network specialist; webmaster; > help desk; hardware specialist/repairs; software repairs. As an example, > my school board has over 10,000 computers servicing over 100,000 users > and we have: 2 network specialists; 1 active help desk; 2 software > specialists; 1 hardware specialist (with summer hired help) (I know this > is definitely not enough); 1 webmaster (school board has a website and > ALL schools have a website); 1 teacher-IT specialist for software > research/usage of elementary/high school software use/adoption. > > > - Computers used by students typically have the software they were > > bought with. Until the personnel who prepares the documentation for > > tenders write that they ask for a computer with Windows and a free > > Office suite, computers will continue to be stocked with Microsoft > > Office. So these administrators are the first people we need to address. > > Again, in Ontario, the system is a tendered system, Novell has deep > penetration for networking solution in school boards in Ontario. MS > products are installed with a cost/seat charge. Software is usually > chosen from a Ontario government approved list: > http://www.osapac.org/cms/ where IT and teachers coordinate the list of > license purchases. > > Ontario school board then tailor their purchases according to this list. > BTW ... in Ontario, this is the group that LibO would have to target in > advertising. They already have StarOffice on their list. > > > - Installation has to be simpler. One just have to look at the tutorial > > on "how to install -- or upgrade -- OpenOffice on a Windows platform" to > > be totally discouraged about the process. And the French version is even > > worst than the English one (as in more steps to go through). > > Fortunately, I did not read the tutorials before, installed the usual > > way (double click), and things went well. > > > > - In the same line, installation needs to be closer to the so-called > > "silent install" that can be done with some know how. The way it should > > work: Double-click and it automatically creates its temporary folder and > > installs itself; registration should disappear. Why not replace that > > with a link to the help forums in the "?" menu? > > The LibO suite is still in beta and I hope that the install process will > be as streamlined as OpenOffice. There have been discussions on the > discuss mailist about this. Just search for this thread: Survey|Opinion > - LibreOffice Install and Update and add your opinion. It will count! > > > - Whatever may be said - in theory - about the beauty of open formats, > > Microsoft Office 2003 formats have become the de facto standard. > > Students need to be able to prepare a homework, send a resume or show a > > presentation saved in one of these formats without any loss of data or > > presentation. > > Some school boards in the US are already accepting OASIS formats from > their students. An example is here: > http://www.doe.in.gov/olt/InACCESS/index.html. > > It is imperative that the LibO partner with the OASIS group in > advertising the benefits of an ISO convention format. We need to target > the right organizations and I think we can hold up the example of the > "Indiana Department of Education" as a shining example of this success. > Maybe we should invite them to speak to us on this discussion list. > > > - Pricewise, OpenOffice and LibreOffice are cheaper (obviously), but not > > that cheap when we consider that Microsoft makes its Home and Student > > version fairly affordable. > > Yes, however, the Home/Student versions are crippled versions of their > full-blown product line. The also advertise the fact that their > Home/Student users should consider upgrading to the full-blown product > when they need more functionality. LibO is full blown. Maybe a > theme-able student menu could be offered to those who want fewer options > in the menu line? > > > - Finally, the Windows platform has often been an orphan of OpenOffice, > > and now LibreOffice. For instance, I haven't installed the new > > LibreOffice because it removes my working installation of OpenOffice 3.2 > > and because there is no French language pack. I don't care that much for > > menus in French, but my daughters do, and I really want a French > > dictionnary. I hope the upcoming Beta 3 will solve these shortcomings. > > Yes, the LibO is still Beta and the devs (developers) will address these > issues in time. > > Cheers > > Marc -- Graham Lauder, OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant. INGOTs Assessor Trainer (International Grades in Open Technologies) www.theingots.org -- E-mail to [email protected] for instructions on how to unsubscribe List archives are available at http://www.libreoffice.org/lists/marketing/ All messages you send to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted
