Table of types of Open Source Software and related issues

General productivity tool

Interoperability and data exchange

Applications that generate data files should be able to export such files in open formats as well as popular proprietary formats. This means that they will be able to exchange data with proprietary software applications.

Learning how to use

The learning curve for applications is very variable. Learning an entire Office suite like OpenOffice.org in all its details will take years but most people don't need that detail. If you have already learnt what you need in similar software such as MS Office most of that learning will transfer to OpenOffice.org. The learning required in a major upgrade in MS Office eg MS Office 2003 to MS Office 2007 is similar to the learning required to migrate from MS Office 2003 to OpenOffice.org 3.0. Inkscape is probably simpler to learn than most of the many proprietary vector design programs and is comparable to Xara Xtreme.

Installation and set up

Mostly these are as simple to set up as any of their proprietary equivalents. Network set ups and deployments will need specific considerations such as permissions and security but no more so that with proprietary software. Setting up Firefox on a network is likely to be more involved than installing Inkscape.

People

Experience shows that people vary! Some people will accept a new application discarding any previous tools they used, others will be outraged and having to change. Providing choice is one way around this but it is likely that if you want to save money you will end up having to provide the proprietary software as well as the open source. You might make both applications available for a trial period. There is no universal answer but people are just as big an obstacle to change as technology so people need consideration.

Interoperability and data exchange

Firstly ensure that application is accessible through a standards compliant Web Browser. If it works with Firefox it almost certainly will be. Avoid any software that will only work with a particular proprietary browser. These applications will all use SQL databases to store information. In principle it should be possible to move data between SQL database applications whether Open or Closed Source. If content files are based on Open Internet standards which is likely in Open Source Applications, file exchange will be assured. In practice the complexity of the data structures involved in specialised aspects such as structuring lessons, is likely to result in a less than perfect match when moving information to another similar application. For example, a new Virtual Learning Environment with a specific classification structure for the "3 part lesson" will not necessarily have fields corresponding to this structure in the one used currently.

Learning how to use

There are differences but once one application is mastered the methods are usually similar and conform to the Web interface. Consistency of approach and user interface makes web applications generally quick to learn.

Installation and set up

Set up of web applications requires a server and supporting software stack. This could be hosted in the school or by a specialist provider. If you want an Open Source support stack it will probably be LAMP - Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl/Python. By out-sourcing to a server hosting company you can avoid the need to know anything about any technicality other than using the application. You also enable your applications to be made available to your community 24/7 with a faster internet connection than you are likely to want to pay for at your site. if you use a closed source stack it will probably be MS IIS server running on a Windows server and a proprietary database such as MS SQL server. If you do this check that there is no further dependency on using other proprietary software applications or you could find yourself locked into unanticipated costs.

People

Since web applications are more recent and more similar in user interface they are more likely to be accepted than change from a mature and familiar desktop application. It therefore makes sense to think very carefully before deploying any Closed Source and proprietary web applications because this is the area where Free and Open Source applications are having the biggest immediate impact. There is a great deal of risk in getting locked into proprietary web products at a time when many of the vendors of these products are unlikely to survive. Then what happens to your data?

Interoperability and data exchange

The main issues for interoperability and data exchange at the server level is when client machines are dependent on proprietary protocols or there is dependency on Active Directory for file permissions and group policies. There are ways round these issues but it requires specialist technical knowledge. With network services such as firewalls, web serving, proxy servers and such like there should be no real problems with interoperability.

Learning how to use

The learning required for Network management tools is the widest in range. Some aspects require virtually no technical knowledge at all where as others require a good knowledge of network security and associated issues.

Installation and Setup

Many of these tools eg Karoshi are designed to make it easy to set up and administer GNU/Linux servers in schools. The main issue with set up is understanding wider issues such as security and the physical time it takes to prepare software and machines. This is not necessarily any worse than for Close Source proporietary software but it is n overhead in terms of migration.

People

The main aspect is technical expertise and willingness to keep up to date. If you have technicians that show they are willing to implement Open Source solutions and have demonstrated ability to support these even on a limited scale you have a valuable asset. Investing in further training is likely to bring real improvements in cost-benefit and efficiency to the organisation.