[BNM] [OT]Eclipse and a typing tutor recommendation and an RSS reader and CD copier

[Jason Bailey]

 > >> but about 5 years ago) another University found that by  
switching to
 > >> another environment could result in a loss of over 100 hundred new
 > >> students.
 > The report wasn't written to say moving to linux/or
 > whatever would send  them off. The report (not university of  
Sussex author)
 > stated that Windows was the desired platform (it was probably  
windows 2000
 > as it was around 2000/2001). Actually it wasn't the OS/environment  
it was
 > the availability of a well known office package; which is "good  
for the
 > CV". Not sure if that means good for writing CVs or looks good on  
the CV.

 >>Oh right. Well I am not sure if Office is only available on Windows
 >>platforms, so maybe the author was similarly ignorant?
No. This is a mixture of my interpretation and experience. I think  
when the report was written there'd have been just office 98 for Mac.  
The author was reporting on the results from 17/18 year old's  
opinions not on the author's thoughts/opinions. It's quite common for  
students now to mix up versions of office/windows i.e. "I'm using  
office 98 on windows". I think this would lead to misunderstandings  
in what's available, coupled with lack of knowledge. This isn't me  
having a go at the people I work for by-the-way. And I don't remember  
the detail just the assumption that windows=office=windows... and  
that's what gets jobs. Don't shoot the messenger.

 > This is probably a time when employers were (and still are--I  
don;t know
 > now must look) asking for proficiency in Word, Excel etc and not  
generic
 > word processing or spreadsheet skills.

 >>Good question - I'd have thought proficiency in using something like
 >>that should be taken for granted by now and that employers are
 >>the unemployable are forced to take the ECDL now. When I last looked
 >>that required MS Office, but there were moves to make it more  
generic.
Blimey! you've not looked at ECDL in years then. I've been teaching  
ECDL since about 2000. This has covered syllabus 3 and 4 of ECDL  
which don't require MS Office. The issue is that  most, but not all,   
test centres use courseware and testing that use MS Office. You can  
find test centres that will test in lotus suite. Some ecdl-courseware- 
designers (Pearson and Electric paper) will write new courseware/ 
tests for you, if you are willing to pay. We don't use Outlook and  
approached a few companies to provide learning and testing material  
to cover our mail client. Yes they will but it costs.

Anyway.. my point was that people ask for Office, with a capital O,  
skills rather than word processing, etc..  skills. Clearly this has  
changed; it is far easier for a six form college to get government  
funding for teaching ECDL than an HE institution.

I've forgotten my point now- 1/2 bottle of wine - but we're working  
in IT and our knowledge is by-definition better than those not  
working in IT. I don't expect everyone to know versions/OSs. This is  
a constant argument I have with colleagues; some feel that anyone   
entering higher education should understand IT implicitly; I  
disagree. I like computers and stuff and so I know the geeky stuff  
but it's too much for others to care.

Blah Blah Blah.

Jason