University moves toward open source despite some resistance

I've just lost a battle. A decree has been handed down with little discussion, and software has been purchased. Now we have to migrate fully from OpenOffice+Thunderbird to Office2003Pro+Outlook+Exchange. Heck of a time to learn Exchange, as I've never configured a mail server, and our email has always been hosted by our ISP in the past. Importing from Thunderbird to Outlook will be no easy task either, requiring a kludgy and time consuming Thunderbird to Netscape 4 to Outlook Express to Outlook conversion. I think they want it done by the end of next week, with no downtime. On top of that I've been asked why we have a mix of servers, instead of 100% Windows, and they want to bring in an outside consultant to review our setup.

Sounds like an "outside consultant" from MS has already gotten to someone in an office there.

Probably a "Gold Certified" partner or something like that. Sorry to hear the bad news. How did you respond to the inquisition - and did you get any feedback on that?

Lordy, I would have whoever made that decision examined for mental competency. Geez la weez.

Lordy, I would have whoever made that decision examined for mental competency.

Unfortunately, the bosses in many Corporations are certifiably incompetent... Still, they're still in charge.

What got me was the IT Director on my full-time job gave me some line about how all the FOSS was going to go back proprietary. That's when I explained to him that the nature of copyleft licenses prevent that. Not that it can't happen in other ways, but copyleft licenses are specifically a countermeasure against non-free forks.

aiee don, doncha love getting lectured by ignoramuses. The less they know, the more authoritative they feel.

jimf: Unfortunately, the bosses in many Corporations are certifiably incompetent... Still, they're still in charge.

Otherwise known as "seagull management"! They fly in, crap all over everything and fly away!

They fly in, crap all over everything and fly away!

Accompanied by their outside consultants, who don't know the situation, and couldn't care less as long as they get their fee.

> aiee don, doncha love getting lectured by ignoramuses. The less they know, the more authoritative they feel.

Just when I was afraid I hadn't made my point clearly enough. :-) I'm much lower on the totem pole than he is, so he therefore knows way more than I do about IT generally.

dtfinch:

You have my sympathy. It sounds like it might be time to update the resume. :(