Hi again, perhaps it is a distraction, but I think on balance it is not, it's just that the nature of the discussion is confused between technology and the framework that it resides in. The nub of what Pat is saying is that technology choices to deliver desired functionality should be left to the professionals who are paid to deliver these services - on that, in principle, I agree.
But I wouldn't describe OSS as a technology choice, nor is proprietary - they are umbrella terms that describe modes of production and each has distinctive characteristics that are well documented. MySQL is a technology choice, as is Oracle etc.
So perhaps the middle path here is that the decision-making process over mode of production is a broader discussion that faculties, eLearning units etc. clearly have a stake in when it comes to customer/student facing applications - vs the brass tacks of “making things work”. In other words, once the strategic framework is in place then let the IT professionals get on with it.
Thanks Pat, great to have dialogue over an area that is really at the heart of using OSS.
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