Escuelas y software libre (2)

Este es otro artículo de una escuela que migra sustancialmente de software proprietario (Microsoft) a software libre (Linux + OpenOffice) , en este caso en Detroit: Detroit high school opens its desktops.

Invirtieron en algunos servidores, pero estiman que actualizar sus computadoras solamente para poder correr MS Office 2000 les hubiera costado $100,000 más.

Incluyen seis pasos prudentes para una migración exitosa:

1. Start small -- familiarize yourself and a few others with the software.

2. Do your homework -- prepare a detailed written cost analysis showing the cost and benefits of your plan.

3. Educate and inform the decision-makers in your organization. Explain to them what the software is, what the benefits are, and why open source is widely accepted and used, and provide a formal cost analysis to support your arguments with hard facts.

4. Implement a pilot project to train your support staff in preparation for a large scale implementation, and to find and fix any unexpected problems.

5. Plan and implement a full-scale implementation.

6. Educate and train the people who will be using the software -- and remember that this is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.