Appendices > Handouts > Why we're choosing open source

Sample memo: Why we're choosing open source

This sample memo may help you communicate with stakeholders.

To all staff:

During a recent meeting of the technology committee, we agreed to explore a new kind of software called open source. Open source software is growing in popularity with some businesses and governments. Examples include Linux, Apache, and OpenOffice.org. Open source is different than most of the software you're probably familiar with, and it offers some significant possible advantages. For example:

• Cost - Open source software is free to download. We can use as many copies as we want, without worrying about software licenses. As with any software, we'll still have to spend money on support and training, but we hope to save money in the long term.
• Quality - Many open source programs have all the features and quality we need. We'll only consider programs that are comparable to what we're using now.
• Supports learning - Many open source programs can help us meet our curriculum goals and support good teaching. We'll only consider programs that meet our needs.
• Independence - With open source, we'll never be forced to buy a new version of a program. We may be able to solve more of our problems without paying someone else.
• Principles - The idea of open source is "share and share alike." Many educators are choosing open source because they like the community of mutual help and support.

How does this affect you?

Some of the changes may not affect you. For example, when you connect to a server or access a Web page, you probably won't notice any differences. But we're also considering open source software for some computer labs or classroom computers. We will try to make the changes as convenient as possible, with regular communication, training, and support. This may be a challenging transition, but we believe the long term benefits are worth it. We invite you to learn more, by reading about open source at:

Open Options: Making Decisions about Open Source Software for K-12
http://www.netc.org/openoptions

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Open Options is a product of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. These materials are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. The following acknowledgment is requested on materials which are reproduced: Developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Portland, Oregon.

This Web site was developed and maintained by the Northwest Educational Technology Consortium. The federal funding for the regional technology consortia program ended on September 30, 2005, and no further updates are planned unless additional funding becomes available. However, much of the content is still useful and NWREL will continue to provide access to this site to support educators and to meet its own technical assistance needs.