I've received many letters in response to CSU
Going Windows. They raise some very good points you
might want to make when contacting CSU administrators - or
others.
But first, a hearty thanks to all the Mac webmasters who
linked to the article. Without your help, I don't think we
would have seen over 8,000 messages sent from the CSU
feedback page on June 9.
Before going any further, I should note the following
letter received from Cheryl Kwiatkowski, Senior Director,
Chancellor's Office Information Technology Services:
Your web site "CSU Going Windows" has been brought to
my attention. It would appear that you have received some
erroneous information. The plan of which you speak
applies only to the employees at the Chancellor's Office
headquarters and has no impact on any CSU campus or their
faculty, staff and/or students, (now or in the future).
The plan is for the Chancellor's Office headquarters
employees to transition, over a three year period, onto a
Windows operating platform. We believe this will improve
the dependability of our communications with campuses and
external constituencies, ensure a smoother implementation
of a new administrative system and take advantage of
desktop software not available for the Macintosh. It is
unfortunate that you did not verify the information prior
to publishing. We hope this clears up the confusion.
This raises several questions:
Is this an official statement of CSU policy, or may
other departments eventually be forced to migrate to
Windows as well?
How will using Windows computers, which numerous
studies have shown to have a higher support cost and
greater downtime than the Macintosh, improve
dependability of communications? Maybe CSU is unaware
that even computing giants like Microsoft and Intel have
been forced to take their email systems offline in
response to viral infections - something almost unknown
in the Macintosh world.
What "desktop software" crucial to CSU is unavailable
for the Macintosh? My source says most work is done in
Microsoft Office, which is most certainly available for
the Macintosh. The same goes for Microsoft's email and
web browsers.
With Orange Micro cards and products such as Soft
Windows and Virtual PC, Macs can run not only Macintosh
software, but Windows programs as well. Why is this
option not available to anyone in the Chancellor's
Office?
My contact at CSU notes that Building & Finance are
treating any correspondence on this issue as an
anti-Microsoft/Mac extremist movement. Let them know this is
a freedom of choice issue, the freedom to choose the
computer system that best meets the user's needs - even
users working in the Chancellor's Office.
One reader rightly noted that Apple Computer is a
California corporation. Not only would CSU be supporting
the home team, but Apple's profits would be taxed by the
state, generating additional revenue. Dell, on the other
hand, is in Texas.
Another suggests Californians contact their
assemblyman or state senator. These are the people who
approve the Chancellor's funding.
Remember that academic freedom is a powerful phrase
-- and this choice eliminates freedom by specifying both
the operating system and brand of hardware.
Someone even suggested a plain old-fashioned sit-in.
Cable yourselves to the Macs (finally, a good use for
security cables!) and see what happens. ;-)
The next Trustees meeting is September 14-15, 1999.
All meetings are held in the Dumke Conference Center, 401
Golden Shore, Long Beach, CA.
More email addresses: David Spence, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief
Academic Officer, dspence@calstate.edu Samuel Strafaci, Acting Senior Director, Human Resources,
sstrafaci@calstate.edu Gene Dinielli, Academic Senate Chair,
gdinielli@calstate.edu
A CSU student wrote and shared the letter he sent to
CSU administration. I hope other CSU students who love
the Mac, love Unix, or just love personal choice will
also write.
About 40% of the people in the Chancellor's Office would
prefer to use Macs, according to my source. Macs are well
behaved on networks, run Microsoft Windows, handle industry
standard email and web clients with alacrity, and have a
lower long term cost than Windows computers. Yet someone
wants every computer in the Chancellor's Office to be the
same - and equally susceptible to whatever kinds of holes
virus programmers will discover.
Then again, maybe they want to be in the same situation
as Microsoft was when the Melissa virus and Worm.ExploreZip
virus infected their networks and forced them to disconnect
their email system from the internet.
When the next virus hits, and the laws of human nature
combined with the nature of Microsoft Windows make that a
sure thing, I would not want to be the one responsible for
promoting a system so susceptible to attacks as somehow
improving dependability of communication.
Gone fishing for the summer, 6/13/00.
"Even on the Macintosh, where things are generally considered to be
easier, Murphy's Law seems to work overtime."
Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work
for all. Computers are like that. Please report errors to
Dan Knight
.
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