moonwalker

Ben, How about the figures?

benIT Ben, How much are you paying for the web parts? Do you have functional spec / link for what you will be paying? Where / how do you intend to use web parts??

Do you have a specification of any sort for these webparts? What are your requirements? ie what will you do with them? Any idea of the price?

Georgebush: I'm confused!! Georgebush, does your response relate to Outpost's entry - Outpost: [sIMS Lesson Monitor with PDAs] Its a goddam nightmare! ... if you browse on Capita forums you'll see many posts on the issues of PDA's and mobile SIMS. Updates seem to make it fall over and even Capita get the details wrong as witnessed on the September Update.

Toby.Belfield: . But see =>thread "SIMS Lesson Monitor with PDAs " Outpost: Is Toby's wife talking about a different system??? In this forum or Capita forums, I read nothing good about SIMS Lesson Monitor on wireless network and it gets even worse with PDAs. It sounds as if Toby's wife is referring to some other system. Toby -pls check and let us know.

This sums up my thinking - but can anyone explain why? Do you know any other software that does not suffer the same way?

I heard that SIMS Lesson Monitor runs like a dog on wireless. Anyone with good or bad experience running registration on wireless with laptops? What others are there that run fast?

I know Moodle is free. I couldn't find any pricing information on Becta site - any idea how much a VLE should cost?

Hmm.. Reading the above two arguments and looking up the web sites from both angles - I think any government stick should come from e-Government and e-GIF. e-GIF goes through the heart of government policy for open systems & interoperabiity. There is a mandate to exclude companies from accessing public funded programmes and it will have immediate effect on companies who choose not to tow the line with OPEN SYSTEMS / INTEROPERABILITY policies - like Capita. And Capita's argument about having special deals with suppliers, goes no where near what open systems are all about. Isn't surprising why Becta or DCSF isn't building their work/efforts on SIF to be backed up by e-GIF mandate??? Is it just an example of disjoint government or what? In case many ask what is e-GIF - see FAQs web page on e-GIF http://www.govtalk.gov.uk/faq/faq.asp?section=e%2DGIF It is a God sent to all who only want to access the very data that belong to us!