USEP and OSS

Should USEP adopt Open Source Software (OSS)? This is a question that begs to be answered and if the answer is yes, then the question, WHY, should be answered next before the, HOW could be discussed. These are questions that need to be answered.

Should USEP adopt/ apply or use OSS? My answer to this question is a resounding YES.

WHY:

“A leading university in the county that fosters innovation” and “A dynamic and balanced leader in Information and Communications Technology innovations” are two lines that every IC student of USEP should have engraved in their hearts, the former comes from the University’s Vision statement while the latter from the Institute of Computing’s. Innovation, that is exactly what OSS offers.

OSS has a lesser Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) or the total expenditure in using and maintaining the software. OSS doesn’t necessarily mean ‘no fee’. Most OSS are. They could be downloaded via the internet. The cost of installing an OSS on schools is much cheaper compared to installing propriety software the later usually having one computer one license policies. But on the over all scheme using OSS would put a lesser strain or no strain at all on the school’s budget and would allow excess funds to be diverted to other concerns.

The third reason for using OSS in USEP is an ethical concern. By using OSS the university would be promoting a more democratic form of technological practice as Gary Hepburn and Jan Buley put it. www.innovateonline.info The problem concerning the training of students to use a particular company’s software would be addressed. No longer will the students be locked in using a particular software but they would be given the chance to explore new and in some instances better software.

HOW:

The most difficult part of all is doing what we know we should have done. It is not enough just to know what is the right way, we should also DO the right way. So, how could we apply OSS in our University? It can be done, that is for sure. We could see that on the many examples of universities and high schools that applied OSS in their campuses. www.schoolforge.net compiles stories about these schools. Gary Hepburn and Jan Buley also wrote an article entitled “Getting Open Source Software into Schools: Strategies and Challenges”, this could be found at www.innovateonline.info. Before you could access the article you are first required to sign up at their site.

In the article three approaches are outlined on how to implement OSS on schools. All three of them could be applied in USEP but not at the same time. First, the university should run OSS applications in conjunction with propriety operating systems. When the students and staff become comfortable with the set up, the second approach could then be applied, that is running both OSS and propriety Operating Systems in one computer. After that a change to full use of OSS could be made.

References:

1. www.innovateonline.info
2. http://edge-o.org/grouch/schools.html
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4642461.stm
4. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39198432,00.htm
5. www.networkworld.com/weblogs/smb/2006/012953.html
6. http://www.cjlt.ca/content/vol131.1/hepburn.html
7. http://www.netc.org/openoptions/home/quickstart.html
8. www.schoolforge.net

GREEN CAMPUS COMPUTING

Before I give suggestions on how to implement “green campus computing” in my school (USEP), I would first like to define what it means. Enable to do this, I will break the phrase ‘green campus computing’ into two: “green” and “campus computing”.

According to wikipedia, computing is defined as ‘the activity of developing and using computer technology, including computer hardware and software.’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing) Therefore, Campus Computing can be defined as the use or the development of computer technology within the bounds of the university. In the area of campus computing, Kenneth C. Green, is a prominent if not the leading authority in the subject. He is the founder of The Campus Computing Project. You could visit their website, www.campuscomputing.net. Although their study was first based on American universities, they are now extending to other countries. In a general view their Campus Computing Survey is an annual study or report on the use or misuse and the state of computing technology in the surveyed campuses.

“Green”, on the other hand, connotes environmental awareness or having a positive effect on the environment. Hence, ‘Green Campus Computing’ would roughly mean the positive effect of the use of computer technology in campuses on the environment.

One study of the effects of computing technology on the environment can be found on this link: http://www.isc.uoguelph.ca/documents/061211GreenComputingFinalReport2006_000.pdf. This is a case study by the University of Guelph on the impact of Computing Technology on their campus.

Now, knowing what Green Campus Computing means, we could now suggest ways on how to implement this concept in USEP. The University of Colorado produced a guide on how to apply Green Computing in their university. It could be found in this link: http://ecenter.colorado.edu/energy/projects/green_computing.html.

For the University of Southeastern Philippines, to be known as a university that applies the concepts of Green Campus Computing would mean applying them from the beginning ( defined in the case study in the University of Guelph as the cradle phase) until the end (defined as End of Use) of using computing technologies. When I say beginning , I mean upon or before the purchase of computing technologies and the End meaning when the said technologies are no longer usable even to the event of their disposal.

Beginning – upon buying computing technologies, the USEP should go for technologies that have power saving devices or devices that have a positive effect or at least a lesser harmful effect on the environment. (ex. Green screen TV, LCD flat panel displays, etc)

During Use – this is defined as the time wherein the technology is functional. There are a lot of ways to help the environment during this period and some of them are listed or mentioned in the University of Colorado’s Green Computing Guide some of these are:

1. Switching all appliances off whenever they are not in use. If for some reason a computer can’t be turned off then at the least the monitor should be turned off. This also goes with the printers, never turn on the printer unless it would be used.
2. DO NOT USE screen savers. Screen savers do not save energy.
3. When printing use a small font size if possible to conserve more ink.
4. Recycle all used paper. If only one side of the paper has print, the paper can be used as scratch paper.
5. The USEP should also allot a portion of their budget on buying good protection (Anti-virus Softwares and the like) for their computers. A lot of hardware is destroyed in the laboratories due to weak or unprotected computers including those of the students.
End – a lot of unused computer monitors can be seen inside the laboratory (LAB1). If those monitors are unusable due to some reason or another, then the university should find a way to dispose of them properly. That way should be friendly to the environment. I also saw a lot of floppy disks that were just thrown away. These disks could still be used if they are formatted.


Refferences:
1. www.campuscomputing.net
2. http://ecenter.colorado.edu/energy/projects/green_computing.html.
3. http://www.isc.uoguelph.ca/documents/061211GreenComputingFinalReport2006_000.pdf
4. www.umich.edu/~sites/green.html
5. http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2007/09/14/News/Campus.Computing.Comes.Up.Green-2969071.shtml
6. http://technologysource.org/article/campus_computing_project/