RE: [school-discuss] SIF versus other initiatives

[Chris Puttick <chris@centralmanclc.com>]

Could some appropriate work on this eliminate the issue? i.e this does the
SIF or SCORM or whatever, then the individual school app has an API built
for BIE?

 http://www.brunswickwdi.com/bie

Just a thought!

Chris


-----Original Message-----
From: Les Richardson
To: schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net
Cc: jmw@oss-institute.org
Sent: 10/15/03 12:31 PM
Subject: [school-discuss] SIF versus other initiatives

Hi,

I would recommend that we simply "ignore" this, until there is a need
for
Open Source school applications to inter-communicate. As far as I know,
that point has not been reached.

I would vote that we write the Open Source schools applications first.
My application can certainly stand another year of development before
I'll
be somewhat happy with it.

Let's not waste time and energy on this, yet. Think and Write
Code.<grin>

Les Richardson
Open Admin for Schools


On Mon, 13 Oct 2003, Tom Adelstein wrote:

> After a careful analysis of the SIIA SIF standard, I want to recommend

> that Schoolforge avoid this standard 100% and look at other
initiatives 
> in progress such as  ADL Co-Lab Network,  SCORM (Sharable Content
Object 
> Reference Model), among aothers.
> 
> I'd like to reference an article call "The Standard Bearers Close
Ranks".
> 
> http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=7359
> 
> The article addresses each initiative as well as SIF.
> 
> SIIA is an organization closely resembling Microsoft's front 
> organization BSA which has gone after schools for not having licenses
or 
> proof of purchase.They show up with Federal Marshall's and embarass
the 
> school district in an attempt to discredit and intimidate the boards 
> into submission to their claims. They only want your money. They are
not 
> a benevolent orgainzation.
> 
> I have person experience with SIIA.  Two former disgruntled employees 
> (fired) told SIIA that my company was pirating software for 
> distribution. In fact, we were a Linux shop and developed Linux 
> software. We didn't have any of their software.
> 
> It took two years to get the SIIA to give up. They billed me 
> extraordinary amounts for things I never had or owned. They sent us 
> registered letters, gave us deadlines for compliance, hired law firms
to 
> send us drafts of law suits they planned to file. I check with other 
> firms and the consensus is that SIIA are bullies. I spoke to their 
> chairman during a conference call and he wanted me to run their audit 
> software on our Linux boxes and to submit a diagram of our network. 
> 
> Are you up from that kind of threatment? BTW, they interferred with
our 
> productivity by continously calling, writing our attorney with demands

> for discovery.
> 
> This is  what you may face.
> 
> Funding for Open Source projects for K12 schools will be forthcoming
in 
> the next few months. No need exists for schoolforge members to follow
SIF.
> 
> I plan to bring up opposition to the SIIA standard by petitioning 
> Congress under the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001".
> 
> Hopefully, you will respond to this email and suggest alternatives 
> before I do.
> 
> If it was up to me, I would have Congress outlaw the SIIA and BSA.
But, 
> they will ultimately die - unless of course, they get into the 
> "standards business".
> 
> Respectfully submitted,
> 
> Tom Adelstein
> Open Source Software Institute
> 
> 
> 
> 
>