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Tim, You are correct in identifying the issue but one must defend the use of free. If a shop gives you a new burglar alarm system without asking for any money (i.e. all you had to do was go in and pick it up) you would, I suggest, happily define it as free, even though it may take you time to attach it to your house and test it. In this sense of the word Moodle *is* free. However, as you rightly point out everything comes with a cost. Yet there are ways of reducing that cost with open source products, which in my opinion are not open to you with a commercial product. I can't comment on the ease of installing Moodle but from what I have heard most people say it is straightforward enough. I'd be interested in knowing how people find the scalability of it. Are people confident that it can cope with large numbers of users, and that PHP is a robust/secure enough for a large enterprise system? I don't have an opinion either way but just interested to hear what people think, Stuart *************************************************************************** Dr Stuart D Lee | Head of the Learning Technologies Oxford University Computing | Group (http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/) Services | 13 Banbury Road | Member of the English Faculty Oxford OX2 6NN -------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail: [log in to unmask]; Tel: +44 1865 283403; Fax: +44 1865 273275; URL: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~stuart/ Bodington VLE/LMS (Free): http://www.bodington.org.uk/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Wed, 8 Jun 2005, Harrison Tim (Staff) wrote: > Could we please stop referring to moodle as a 'free' system. It is not > and never will be. As has been mentioned dozens of times before, the > cost of implementing a vle is not just the software, it includes the > training and all the other bits that go into it. The same is true of > LAMS. > > I found moodle very difficult to install not because of moodle itself > but because of the other software it required, php and mysql. Getting > the right versions to talk with the software can be very fiddly, > particularly if you want to use Windows. I was very much left with the > impression that upgrades etc would be totally dependant on other factors > that I am simply not prepared to use it. I am also very concerned that, > for a mission critical system, not having any redress against the > writers or guaranteed maintenance is not acceptable. > > Tim Harrison > Colchester SFC > > -----Original Message----- > From: Virtual Learning Environments [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On > Behalf Of Luke Bennett, Production Manager, The Guardian Learnthings > Sent: 08 June 2005 10:35 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [VLES] MOODLE with LAMS > > Hi Andy > > That is a good point well made, importing 1600 Content Packages is a > drag! > What will happen if NLN Materials are repurposed and released to other > sectors, like schools. MOODLELAMS will provide HE/FE/Schools and ACL a > free > to use turn-key solution. To make this bullet proof the best way to > deliver > content would be through a web service, where content is pushed to > learning > systems. We are too reliant on mundane jobs that are difficult to > manage, > we need to offer systems that let people concentrate on the learning and > how they use content. Will the JORUM National Repository offer a web > service to surface content? Such a service would change the face of > e-learning. > > Luke Bennett > > The Guardian, Learnthings > Production Manager > www.learnpremium.co.uk > > 5th Floor, 79 Farringdon Road > London EC1M 3JU > > Mobile: 07977 059 183 > > > > > > Andrew Dudfield > > <andrew.dudfield@BE To: > [log in to unmask] > > CTA.ORG.UK> cc: (bcc: Luke > Bennett/Learn/GNL) > Sent by: Virtual Subject: Re: [VLES] > MOODLE with LAMS > Learning > > Environments > > <[log in to unmask] > > > > > > > > > 08/06/2005 10:08 > > Please respond to > > Virtual Learning > > Environments > > <[log in to unmask] > > > > > > > > > > > > > I have to agree with the comments Luke made here. I see point one (the > bulk import of content packages) to be hugely important. We here at the > NLN have produced 1600 packages, and it is hugely frustrating for our > users to have to import (and then classify and assign) the packages one > by one. > > I believe that with a more general/standardised adoption of metadata, > even at quite a low level, the materials could be imported as a batch > process. Surely one of the reasons why a XML manifest based content > production method is used by a lot of people in the first place is the > power and flexibility of automatic process? > > Andy > > -----Original Message----- > From: Luke Bennett, Production Manager, The Guardian Learnthings > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: 08 June 2005 09:48 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [VLES] MOODLE with LAMS > > Hi All > > Moodle and LAMS integration will have a massive impact on the landscape > of > the VLE marketplace. Commercial VLE providers will have to revisit their > systems. Three things that would add significant value to the offering > would be: > > 1. Bulk import of IMS Content Packages > 2. Out the box integration with Windows Active Directory > 3. Search functionality based on IMS metadata > > Does anybody in the community know if any of the above are in the > making? > Since a Colossus is in the making why not make the order taller? > > > Luke Bennett > > The Guardian, Learnthings > Production Manager > www.learnpremium.co.uk > > 5th Floor, 79 Farringdon Road > London EC1M 3JU > > Mobile: 07977 059 183 > > ***************** List information: ***************** > Remember - replies go by default to the entire list. > Access the list via the web on http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/vle.html > To unsubscribe, email [log in to unmask] with the message: leave > vle > > > > > > ********************************************************************** > This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and > intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they > are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify > the system manager. > This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by > MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. > www.mimesweeper.com > ********************************************************************** > > ***************** List information: ***************** > Remember - replies go by default to the entire list. > Access the list via the web on http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/vle.html > To unsubscribe, email [log in to unmask] with the message: leave > vle > > ***************** List information: ***************** > Remember - replies go by default to the entire list. > Access the list via the web on http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/vle.html > To unsubscribe, email [log in to unmask] with the message: leave > vle > > ***************** List information: ***************** > Remember - replies go by default to the entire list. > Access the list via the web on http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/vle.html > To unsubscribe, email [log in to unmask] with the message: leave vle > ***************** List information: ***************** Remember - replies go by default to the entire list. Access the list via the web on http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/vle.html To unsubscribe, email [log in to unmask] with the message: leave vle