Curriculum software = Pants

[CraigM]

I can only agree.

In my last job, I had to install a lot of Sherston software for the teachers of keystage 1 and 2. Some of it ran ok, but some of the older software caused Windows to drop to 16 colours and low resolution that would not go away until I logged in and fixed it. Caused anguish for the next class to come in, often the high school kids.

I kept trying to get the software changed to newer versions, but as always the school had no money.

Thank heavens those days are over

[Mr.Ben]

I spent most of my years as an tech repackaging and tweaking old software in a Secondary School that also supported 10 local primaries.

Now I'm an NM i've had the chance to shape my own Network, and I have been brutal with a lot of software (The bin may have been used to lose a lot of Software )

With SMT support, all software has to be purchased through my department, and I ask teachers this question when presented with old software:

Do you expect a ten year old computer to work with the most modern software? (answer is always no - staff seem to understand that)

Then why do you expect a ten year old program to work with a modern PC?

I always try to sweeten it by finding an alternative or newer version - and telling them to purchase it (with the correct licensing), but a lot of the time here there is already software available on our network to meet the teaching objective that they are trying to reach.

[Tallwood_6]

Testbase, Exampro, Multimedia Science School, Just Click E-Science, the list goes on. Alot of the naff stuff i get usually comes free with ........... insert name of Exam Board textbook.
Theirs alot of 'professional' software which can be just as bad when not alot of thought is put into how it can be deployed, or run by users which otherwise dont have admin access to the machine.

[sted]

Testbase, Exampro, Multimedia Science School, Just Click E-Science, the list goes on. Alot of the naff stuff i get usually comes free with ........... insert name of Exam Board textbook.
Theirs alot of 'professional' software which can be just as bad when not alot of thought is put into how it can be deployed, or run by users which otherwise dont have admin access to the machine.

newer versions of testbase arnt that bad (granted umpteen codes that are case sensitive are a pain) but at least its now script installable

[Tallwood_6]

newer versions of testbase arnt that bad (granted umpteen codes that are case sensitive are a pain) but at least its now script installable

Great stuff, now how about an msi? God knows why they are so anal about the licencing for it as i wouldn't give their software away. Such great fun i've had with getting older and newer versions of this software to play nicely together on the same machine.

[sparkeh]

God knows why they are so anal about the licencing for it

Heh yeah, and I was surprised to find that when I accidentally put in out Issue 11 licence details in for Issue 12 it still installed!?

[Batman]

I think we'd like the web based stuff a lot more here if:
1. We didn't have to keep updating flash all the time.
2. Web browsers worked properly under CC3. Even using the RM blueprint IE7 is dreadful... Firefox just doesn't work (let me know if you've managed it, I'll be very interested).
3. Applets didn't require browser security exceptions (another RM gripe probably).
4. We could rely on having the internet 100% of the time. Teachers go mad when it goes down... at least when it's a local program you don't need the internet to use it!

I don't think web based stuff is necessarily any better. Just mention "Kerboodle" to anyone in our office and you'll hear audible groans.

[Tallwood_6]

I think we'd like the web based stuff a lot more here if:
1. We didn't have to keep updating flash all the time.
2. Web browsers worked properly under CC3. Even using the RM blueprint IE7 is dreadful... Firefox just doesn't work (let me know if you've managed it, I'll be very interested).
3. Applets didn't require browser security exceptions (another RM gripe probably).
4. We could rely on having the internet 100% of the time. Teachers go mad when it goes down... at least when it's a local program you don't need the internet to use it!

I don't think web based stuff is necessarily any better. Just mention "Kerboodle" to anyone in our office and you'll hear audible groans.

Bring on HTML 5, this should ease the need for web developers to turn to flash, shockwave etc for much of the web 2.0 type stuff that is all the rage now.

[sparkeh]

I think we'd like the web based stuff a lot more here if:
1. We didn't have to keep updating flash all the time.

Do you really need to update flash to the latest version all the time though?
Unless there is a serious security flaw that needs addressing I rarely find anything that doesn't work with a version that is a couple of revisions old.

2. Web browsers worked properly under CC3. Even using the RM blueprint IE7 is dreadful...

Hmm yeah I have to agree. The main problem for me is that most of the usertype settings don't seem to do anything

[Batman]

Do you really need to update flash to the latest version all the time though?
Unless there is a serious security flaw that needs addressing I rarely find anything that doesn't work with a version that is a couple of revisions old.

My point precisely... that would be my preference too but we've had problems on occasion because a site which was working suddenly "requires" a new version and won't let you view the flash content unless you install it. Very frustrating.

[Michael]

2. Web browsers worked properly under CC3. Even using the RM blueprint IE7 is dreadful... Firefox just doesn't work (let me know if you've managed it, I'll be very interested).

Very, very interesting you mention this Batman. I had a user who wanted to run downloaded SWF files the other day and they just wouldn't work, despite knowing Shockwave and Flash are both installed! I came to the conclusion there are too many software restrictions as it works on other networks that I have created from scratch.

[Batman]

We've found that some websites work with workstation security set to Standard and then don't work when you REDUCE the security level to none. Bizarre isn't it?