[sims] If You Want To Use Nova-T 4 Then Move To Africa

[russdev]

As announced at Capita Conference last month Capita CS and Timetable Aid have teamed up to provide Nova-T 4 free to African schools.

 

Capita Children’s Services has announced that its timetable software, SIMS Nova-T 4, can be used free of charge by schools in Africa. The software has been donated to the charity Timetable Aid, and will initially be distributed to secondary schools in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

 

The idea behind Timetable Aid was conceived by the charity’s managing director, Tim Hicks, when he learnt of Capita’s plans to phase out SIMS Nova-T 4 in the UK and replace it with the current version of the software.

 

Tim Hicks, managing director of Timetable Aid, said: “In many African schools, a lot of time is spent planning the timetable manually, which can be an arduous task. In addition, the need to manage resources efficiently is perhaps greater than in the UK. There are a finite number of teachers, teaching tools and even less money. With this software, schools will be able to manage their teachers, pupils and rooms more effectively.”

 

Phil Neal, managing director of SIMS at Capita Children’s Services, said: “SIMS Nova-T 4 is a mini management information system (MIS) for schools as it includes class listings, pupil information and reporting facilities so for schools that have not used a MIS before it is the perfect first step. It is also designed to run on low spec computers which is perfect for Africa where computers in schools are often less powerful than our own equivalents.

 

“We are absolutely delighted to be working with Timetable Aid. They are committed to helping these schools make the most of their limited resources.”

 

Timetable Aid plan to distribute the software to approximately 2500 schools who will be supported by a volunteer group of IT support workers from UK schools and local authorities who will help the schools install and run the software.

[Sivadam]

It certainly is a complete MIS - if you include all the other Nova progarmas in the suite. Do they all still work?

NovaE for example?

[russdev]

I believe they plan to run nova-t in satellite mode what that gives you I am not sure.

 

Regards

 

Russell

[rh91uk]

I believe they plan to run nova-t in satellite mode what that gives you I am not sure.

 

Regards

 

Russell

 

As far as I understand it running Nova in Satellite mode allowes you to run the datasets locally (e.g. what was in S:\SNOVA would be in C:\SNOVA .....) and allow you to work on the timetable without seeing the SIMS server

I'm sure I will stand corrected if I am wrong....

[Sivadam]

As far as I understand it running Nova in Satellite mode allowes you to run the datasets locally (e.g. what was in S:\SNOVA would be in C:\SNOVA .....) and allow you to work on the timetable without seeing the SIMS server

I'm sure I will stand corrected if I am wrong....

 

That is exactly how NovaT used to run! One wonders if they are providing all the old Nova programs as well as NovaT. Or are they just dead and buried now? I look back at them with much fondness! They were way ahead of the field at the time I used 'em all (well not quite all!)!

[scholarpack]

So essentially they are saying you can have the scraps from the table? I know Africa is a 3rd world country but do they deserve 3rd hand software?

[russdev]

It makes sense as more important things to spend money on. This way the schools out there get to deal with some complicated timetable issues (you think uk schools have it hard) with free software.

 

Regards

 

Russell

[Sivadam]

So essentially they are saying you can have the scraps from the table? I know Africa is a 3rd world country but do they deserve 3rd hand software?

 

Those scraps from the table happen to make up an excellent program!

[matt40k]

Deep the in wilderness of Africa we can see the infamous Sivadam, a rare breed of timetabler. If we look closely we can see he is currently doing what he does best. Building a timetable.

 

You got to think, power is a big issue over there, and if you can pick up a 233MHz which runs off battery and get powered by the sun\hand crank, I don't think you'll mind running the old Nova stuff. Besides, I can't see royal mail delivering the discs when the internet drops out!!

[Sivadam]

Deep the in wilderness of Africa we can see the infamous Sivadam, a rare breed of timetabler. .......

 

Not so much 'rare' nowadays - more like 'well done'!

One only wishes one could be 'rare' again! 'Sigh!'

Edited August 18, 2010 by Sivadam

[scholarpack]

Those scraps from the table happen to make up an excellent program!

 

So why has it been replaced over here? Not to mention the fact it requires Windows to run on, right?

 

Jees, the sooner Ubuntu take over Africa and rid them of the proprietary 'hand that feeds them', the better.

 

It makes sense as more important things to spend money on. This way the schools out there get to deal with some complicated timetable issues (you think uk schools have it hard) with free software.

 

Yes but it's only free in the sense of 'here have this old car, it's only rusting sitting on my driveway - by the way, if anything goes wrong don't come crying to me'

[Sivadam]

So why has it been replaced over here? ....

 

Because SIMS bought out Nova and have developed it further so that it is more integrated with SIMS. NT6 is simply a Timetable construction package and all Class Groupings etc are now done within SIMS itself. Similarly, all Timetable and Group Reports are being moved into SIMS and so these are not part of NT6 either (or need not be in terms of the timetable reports - tho' Timetablers will still need these!)

Previous incarnations of Nova included a fully functioning database which, for many years, has been able to import the pupil data from SIMS (and any other MIS or Pupil database!). The more powerful NT6 is not designed to do this.

 

As for NT4 rusting. I bet it continues to work for very many years to come! There are those in the UK that have been using it for Construction purposes for the past couple of years when it was not supported for this purpose! To stop them doing so the export to SQL had to be switched off.

 

One wonders why you are critical of a company like Capita trying to help out by donating this software. I assume there will be no compulsion on anybody to use it if they have access to something else! At least it will be available to them! And I admire those that have offered to help by supporting it. I was actually approached directly to do this but, for various personal reasons, I regrettably had to decline.

Edited August 18, 2010 by Sivadam

[timzim]

God help Africa if they get gifted the rest of SIMS - the support is bad enough here. Imagine having to upload your database to Capita via 14k dial-up modem...

[matt40k]

Why does Phil Neal get out of bed? He gets moad at for doing a good dead by people who believe Ubuntu is the best thing ever!

[Sivadam]

God help Africa if they get gifted the rest of SIMS - the support is bad enough here. Imagine having to upload your database to Capita via 14k dial-up modem...

 

Unfortunately I have to totally disagree with that statement.

Support here is nothing short of excellent! Do you use Capita direct Support or a Local Helpdesk?

[matt40k]

Do you use Capita direct Support or a Local Helpdesk?

 

Hey nothing wrong with Local Helpdesk

[Sivadam]

Sorry Matt. Obviously yours is ultra efficient - as, no doubt, are those whose reps I meet at UAT.

Are they all as efficient tho'?

Judging from some of the comments I see on SupportNet School Forums, I suspect that some are not up to your illustrious standard!

 

Hey - have you noticed my Reputation Red Squares gradually disappearing? If I ain't carefull they will go green again! My reputation will then be in tatters!

Edited August 18, 2010 by Sivadam

[scholarpack]

Because SIMS bought out Nova and have developed it further so that it is more integrated with SIMS. NT6 is simply a Timetable construction package and all Class Groupings etc are now done within SIMS itself. Similarly, all Timetable and Group Reports are being moved into SIMS and so these are not part of NT6 either (or need not be in terms of the timetable reports - tho' Timetablers will still need these!)

Previous incarnations of Nova included a fully functioning database which, for many years, has been able to import the pupil data from SIMS (and any other MIS or Pupil database!). The more powerful NT6 is not designed to do this.

 

As for NT4 rusting. I bet it continues to work for very many years to come! There are those in the UK that have been using it for Construction purposes for the past couple of years when it was not supported for this purpose! To stop them doing so the export to SQL had to be switched off.

 

One wonders why you are critical of a company like Capita trying to help out by donating this software. I assume there will be no compulsion on anybody to use it if they have access to something else! At least it will be available to them! And I admire those that have offered to help by supporting it. I was actually approached directly to do this but, for various personal reasons, I regrettably had to decline.

 

Look - Nova T4 is worth nothing to Capita. They can't make any money out of it in the UK or anywhere else for that matter. Hence my rusty car sitting on the drive analogy. What would actually be philanthropic would be to give away up to date versions of SIMS and Microsoft Licenses on top of that. However I think I'm safe in saying that will never happen. In my opinion the IT support workers who volunteer to help would be better placed getting modern, lightweight software into African schools - with a large open source support base. This would bring development from programmers all over the world and easily installable updates. There is already timetabling software in FET etc which can integrate with MIS's. Giving out hand-me-down out of date software which relies on proprietary and expensive and/or bloated operating systems is a joke. Right I'll shut up now..should have seen the fanboys coming..

 

Matt - I didn't say Ubuntu was the 'best thing ever'. It's the closest we've got to an actual solution for computing in Africa though right now; have a read - I hope you can see the point?

 

God help Africa if they get gifted the rest of SIMS

 

[Sivadam]

You may be correct about what is best to use (though I would have thought a choice would be better made at local level!) but that is no reason for knocking those who do want to give away something that they no longer want to use.

 

Where would Oxfam be if people followed your principles?

"Sorry I can't pass on these unwanted clothes because the elbows might wear out in a couple of years?"

Edited August 18, 2010 by Sivadam

[AyatollahPies]

What's the big issue here?

 

Company donates useful software to Africa that they are very grateful for. Company gets grief for doing so.

[matt40k]

I think it's more a question of why reinvent the wheel. Nova-T is pretty much a standard tool in the UK education market, it shouldn't be that hard to then move on to the newer product. Don't think of it as old, think of it as cut down (like Windows 7 Starter). The hardware they've got isn't going to run the modern SIMS .net.

 

You think the "big" push was to give them One Laptop per Child (OLPC): Laptop, I'm sure Nova-T and Windows 95 will be a big step forward.

 

PS: Did I hear Win3.11 is no longer copyright'd? Thus "free"?

[Ric_]

Where would Oxfam be if people followed your principles?

"Sorry I can't pass on these unwanted clothes because the elbows might wear out in a couple of years?"

 

That is not a comparable analogy. A better analogy is the building of wells... Oxfam propvide the means to build the wells and then train the local folk to maintain that well and it will service them for years to come. They don't give them a second hand well and tell them to get on with pumping water.

 

I don't disagree that it is very generous of Capita to give this software to the African schools... it will come in very useful I imagine. I do agree with scholarpack though that providing modern, supported, software would be more useful in the long run.

[Sivadam]

I don't think anybody would disagree with that last sentiment!

 

And that's me done on this Thread!

[matt40k]

It is supported, not directly by Capita, ok no active development is going on, but if they run into trouble someone will help, I'm sure Capita will help as much as they can if it comes to it. I can't see how you consider Nova-T4 less modern then anything else out there. You still timetable in pretty much the same way, just the tools that you use, use newer technology to cope with then new hardware.

 

I'm sure they won't care about not having colour printing or mutli-touch support!!

[localzuk]

it shouldn't be that hard to then move on to the newer product.

 

The grumpy cynic in me think that this statement is the key here... Much like Microsoft making WIndows 7 Starter in order to try to push their way into the market, a cheap/free product will start them on the trail to what we have here - a single supplier dominated market.

 

But then that's just the cynic in me.

 

You can't knock them for it though! That's how businesses run. No-one would think twice about Google giving away equipment or connectivity to groups, but the only reason they're doing it is that it'll help their bottom line at some point.