Dave Nichols

This page will hold information about Dave Nichols and his talk

Profile

Dave is the ICT Manager of BVSC and Project Manager of Midlands Open Source Technology a central government funded pilot project to use Open Source for the voluntary sector in the West Midlands. Dave is a network administrator, an experienced trainer, a Prince 2 practitioner and a qualified social worker. Dave has worked in the voluntary & community sector for 20 years, usually fiddling about with computers or herbs.

Notes Relating to talk

Pilot project funded to look at model for voluntary sector IT infrastructure support -- Open Source (OS) needs to be part of this. Project funded to put OS solutions in 20 organisations across the West Midlands -- women's, disability and BME (Black and Miniority Ethnic) organisations. Groups range from small community groups with just one standalone PC to organisations with up to 20 networked machines. Project provides software, training, and 6 months technical support from date of installation. Technology planning for the organisation is embedded into the process and organisations get a "technology planning toolkit" (v. good for funders to see evidence of technology planning).

Emphasis of project is to "re-look" at how we are looking @ IT and move OS away from "geekdom" into the mainstream. Look at the functions the organisations' IT needs to perform and consider OSS (open source software) as one of the options (e.g. OpenOffice).

Project (along with others) is also looking @ developing accredited training for use of OSS e.g. developing ECDL (European Computer Driving License) for Star Office / OpenOffice.

Questions / Issues

• Databases -- complex though "apparently" made simple by Microsoft Access. However, no "easy to use" OSS equivalent to MS Access database.

MS Access can also be used as a front end to some other back end database system (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL) -- users need not know, however there isn't currently an OS equivalent that lets you build a "quick" database as Access does. Possible OSS with MS Access - like functions include Rekall (http://www.totalrekall.co.uk/, http://www.thekompany.com/projects/rekall/, http://www.rekallrevealed.org/) and Knoda (http://www.knoda.org/). Crossover Office (http://www.codeweavers.com/site/products/) also allows users to use Windows based databases on Linux.

• Tech support issues -- may need to use skilled (potentially expensive) developers (e.g. for database projects). Midlands OS technolgy project may look at developing a "hub" system to reduce

cost of developer expertise and / or develop "virtual volunteering" options.

• Star Office although not open source uses OS components. ECDL materials are available under the "creative commons license" (http://creativecommons.org/) currently in German so need translating any volunteers?

• How to train people to transition from Microsoft / other proprietary products to OSS. This can be a problem if users are "forced" into using OSS (however Seeds for Change Network experience was that users did not notice they weren't using Windows! -- http://seedsforchange.org.uk). Possible to customise the Linux desktop so it looks more like Windows for example. Interface for Open Office and various browsers is "Windows-like".

Training materials can be written to focus on activities that users need to perform or new tasks.

• Documentation for some OSS is poor - however for many projects documentation is very good (e.g. PHP manual, MySQL manual there are also several books on various OSS published by O'Reilly)

• Staff resistance can be a big issue but ... possibility of certification for use of Linux / other OSS, ensuring proper training and internationally recognised qualification will add to user skills and potentially provide incentive

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