Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 18th Jul 2006 11:46 UTC, submitted by Troy Drossi
Microsoft's effort to provide a little privacy for Windows users has instead turned into a very public black eye. There was a near-immediate outcry saying that, without proper safeguards, what was intended as a benefit could turn into a big headache for businesses. The software could make it harder for companies to meet compliance regulations as well as to handle users who forget their password, critics said.
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Member since:2005-11-27
I think you're overexaggerating enormously. First of all, if you leave your system open like that, encrypted files are the least of your problems. It's a compromise: if you want a secure network, lock it down. Too much strain on your staff? Unlikely, but fine, just don't complain about it. Secondly, it seems as though software is needed on a single course basis, in that any computer for that course will need the software. It seems like you should just be doing batch installs when a newer version comes, or if the course needs some other type of software installed. If you can't manage that, then you're IT department is undermanned, and you should be complaining about your university rather than this.
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Member since:
2005-08-02
Then obviously the school installed software is terribly designed, because at the beginning of the year, all departments should know exactly what software they require for the said course; engineering will say that they need matlab, solidworks, and maple; the arts/humanities will say that they'll need internet access and Microsoft Office.
Oh, all departments should know, but often they don't, or they neglect to inform other departments of version changes. Or many times, vendors don't inform them until very late in the process.
Or you could get a situation where when the purchase order goes through only an a newer version is avalible and that's what gets sent. That's how you get half a campus with Office 2000 and the other with Office 2003. (And there's no money for the other departments to upgrade.)
Or, in terms of various purchase cycles and budget alotments, one department could be on W98 and others on W2k or XP.
Or, say a few departments use Macs ....
Or, say another is locked into using Sun and Solaris because the software vendor doesn't offer a Linux version ....
Or say a professor, at home, on their machine, creates a Flash file or WMP file and they have a newer version of the software than the U.
If these so-called 'tests' are part of the provided course,
Nope. Tests from various state and other regulatory agencies. The U has no say over them.
(Kinda sucks to try and view a Windows Media 9 video when the lab you're in only has WMP8.)
then the said applications would have already been installed on the computer for the end user to use, at the beginning of the year. If it isn't installed on the computer by default, by the university, then the end user obviously doesn't require it.
Well, what about when the U contracts out to a third party vendor for some on-line multimedia training. Once again problems are created when the vendor has the latest and greatest and the U doesn't.
If that said user is so desperate to using the said feature, tell him or her to purchase a laptop of their own, then they can have the freedom to put on what ever the hell they want.
And at home, I have done that.
Not practical at all for the student who is attending U on work-study or finanical aid.
When I was at Caterbury, all computers were locked down, if the software wasn't available, the university had deened it not to be necessary for you to complete your course work.
So, what do you do when you're taking an entry level digital photography class (bring your own camera) and you need to take the photos off of it so you can complete the Photoshop portion of the assignment, but none of the Lab's computers happen to have the driver for your model? Should the U be trying to find and download every possible driver for every possible camera in the market?
And years ago, that may have been practical, but with so much on-line multimedia distance ed going on involving content-creation that my particular department has no control over ...
... it has become necessary for students to install software to complete their course work.
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And the IT department has found some extremely creative ways to cripple those admin accounts. Being Admin does not give a user a run of the computer or the network.