Le 2010-10-03 02:34, Wolfgang Bornath a écrit :
2010/10/3 andré<and...@laposte.net>:
Targeting the school boards makes a lot of sense.
Again this is something you can not generalize, different countries
have different structures.
In Germany it is not a school board who decides what software will be
bought for a certain region or school. This is decided on state level
for the various states of the federal republic. You have to go to some
state office and compete with the reps of Microsoft. You do not talk
to parents or teachers, it's some bureaucrats who decide this over
here (with very few exceptions).
Same with many other countries. This school board system as in the US
is not a world wide system.
I can't speak for André (he sounds like he is Canadian), but I am not a
US citizen, I am Canadian. Our school system and software purchase
models are the same as you describe. However, we do consult with school
boards and interested partners before acquiring software licences. I am
sure, the German states would consult with their partners before doing
such as well. We have provinces in Canada and, as you say, in Germany
you have states -- same hierarchy but with different names. As far as I
know, the American model is more of a federalist model and
consultation/coordination is done mostly from a national point of view.
I am sure someone on the list will straighten us out on this account.
We shouldn't assume that, if people describe a different system on this
ML, that they are therefore American citizen who are trying to impose it
on everyone. I just assume that we are all Canadians on the list (chuckles).
Marc
