Classrooms were never going to be the first place you’d expect to find the latest versions of Windows and Office. Nevertheless, the short shrift given to Vista and Office 2007 by the British Educational Communications and Technology Association this week sounds particularly harsh:
From the agency’s summary of its 1-year study:
The new features of Microsoft’s Vista product added value but did not justify early deployment in the education sector. The deployment costs were seen as high and the benefits were far from clear.
Office 2007 contained no "must-have" features and Microsoft should develop an underpinning business case to justify deployment in the education sector.
There were interoperability concerns regarding Office 2007; and Microsoft should urgently provide "native" support for the Open Document Format (ODF.)
After its rejection last September, Microsoft will make another bid next month for international backing for its own new "open" document standard. This is a reminder of how much is at stake.
