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Readers,
UK government proceeds with strategic support of open standards. However, at local and departmental level, proprietary format continue use due to managerial inertia. It's up to taxpayers...
https://diasp.eu/posts/3185007
https://diasp.eu/posts/3183106
https://diasp.eu/posts/3181869
https://diasp.eu/posts/3181361
Hi 
My work-place is determined to use Microsoft even in cases where a
competing product is significantly better at the main task a program is
beign used for. For example Outlook (not the 365 one) for calendars and
room bookings rather than something that can be read outside the office.
The only time they are interested is after a better system has been set-up
and they can see it running - ie a bit too late to charge them for the work
of setting it up!
My managers and some colleagues still deny that they have problems due to
incompatibility (despite buying the same products that are being used by
other organisations) - and then make a big fuss about "having to Pdf it"
and about how Pdfs (from MSO) are almost invariably being blurry (unlike
ones done in LO)
Regards from
Tom
Tom, (you probably know this but for the benefit of others... ) in many cases it is not that a business wants to stick with Microsoft systems with their forever changing quirky proprietary file formats and obscure changing licensing. I recommend that you or others do as follows:
Write a proposal that identifies and details these long-standing problems that everyone is already aware of, and propose the the solution that you will co-ordinate it. Also state that irrespective of a decision being made on this, that LibreOffice can be installed with immediate effect as the default for ODF files.
Example of a proposal:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Deployment_and_Migration#Business_case_proposal_for_upgrading_to_LibreOffice
Example of installing LibreOffice in tandem with another office suite:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Deployment_and_Migration#Examples
Before you do this, you could provide an IT Disaster Recovery plan, that mentions the risks you already face, including your risks and issues of being locked in to a single vendor.
Rob
There's one thing that you are not taking into account. IT departments
have an entrenched interest in continuing to use MS software. Many of
those in IT who make these decisions make their living from hand holding
users of MS malware. There is a serious case of conflict of interests.
It does not matter how well you document your case. They don't want to
be confused with the facts because their minds are already made up.
I had a friend who ran a small computer shop. I asked him why he didn't
use Linux on the systems he built. His reply was that he would starve
if he did that because he depended on his customer's returning to him to
fix the ever present problems with MS Windows and MS software such as
data corruption, file system pollution with endless dll and temp files,
viruses, file segmentation, accumulated registry errors, etc...
Mark, all IT professionals I have worked with don't think like that, it's not like a Windows environment is being changed to GNU/Linux, it's just an office suite to complement an existing one if that's what you choose to do. Although the opportunity to use other operating systems increases if you switch to it later on perhaps.
Now that LibreOffice is so good, the only real roadblock is the saga of preparing the business case, see link below, and also how to roll it out with minimal fuss, also see the other link below. As LibreOffice can be installed with immediate effect as the default for ODF files without interfering, it is no brainer for a standard computer setup. Now with Group Policy and easy maintainance it is a simple task for an IT techy, the excuse that used to be "I don't have time" has passed.
Mark, your friend might see it as a threat like , however all staffers I have worked with in IT departments don't think like that, it's not like a Windows environment is being changed to GNU/Linux, it's just an office suite that can complement an existing one if that's all you choose to do. Although the opportunity to use other operating systems increases if you do use it.
Now that LibreOffice is so good, the only real roadblock is the saga of preparing the business case, see link below, and also how to roll it out with minimal fuss, also see the other link below. As LibreOffice can be installed and easily maintained with immediate effect as the default for ODF files without interfering, this is a minimum no brainer. The problem used to be "I don't have time" but it is a simple task for an IT techy, with Group Policy maintenance as well etc.
Hi
That is a good idea and might work somewhere that might take any notice of
a risk assessment or a disaster recovery plan.
My place prefers to take risks because it's not worth the effort of not
opening a known dodgy email or any other preventative actions, or
inactions.
LibreOffice is already on all machines, alongside MS Office, and it's been
seen that the documents it produces are much higher quality for much less
work. However, people say they "have got to use MS Office" because;
1. that's what they are familiar with, (and then keep asking me how to do
simple things)
2 (and onwards), lots of other hypocritical or nonsensical FUD
I have to reinstall Xp on half the machines that recently failed (although
the Ubuntu side kept on working fine). I'm not allowed to run updates,
because (the managers say) it's stuff like that which causes systems to
break down and they would be fine otherwise.
For the first time ever i have not been told to remove the reliable and
working system in order to replace it with the one that just failed = i can
keep Ubuntu on the machines but i'm not allowed to fix the Mbr!
Regards from
Tom