Cal State Going Windows NT Exclusively

Feb. 1999 – This letter was written by an employee of Cal State who wishes to remain anonymous.

I want to let everyone know that California State University (Cal State, CSU) is planning a system-wide initiative to convert to Windows NT. With the assurance of Microsoft and the exclusion of Apple, the system will be linked through an Exchange server* and our so-called computing life will be made “much easier” (yeah right!). Email and attachments will flow like magic everywhere within the system without corruption, and files will open in the proper applications with ease.

Come on! What pipe dream did Microsoft feed them?

The Chancellor’s Office will be the first to switch, and it’s supposed to be the example for the rest of the system. That means the Chancellor’s Office will lose all 500 Macintoshes. The migration meetings are already happening – and the Chancellor’s Office will convert!

The point I want to make is that management is trying to take away the choice of faculty, students, and staff to use the OS they like best. This means no Macs, Suns, SGIs (Iris), etc.

This is wrong. Unfortunately Microsoft has already told their half-truths, and management is hooked!

This really needs to be addressed. If the ones who want to use other OSes don’t voice themselves, the CSU system stands to lose a lot (after all, the CSU is an academic institution, not a corporation). This also needs to be brought to the attention of the California State Academic Senate. Fortunately Apple still has a lot of support in academic arenas.

I’ve tried my best to curtail things, but I’m powerless to do anything. I’m supposed to be a part of the solution and not the problem. The resistance will have to come from outside the Chancellor’s Office. Hopefully from the tax payers, students, and the campuses.

Please pass the word. Please keep myself anonymous, although I’m here to aid in the cause.

Thank you.

See follow up article, Cal State Is Going Windows.

 * Read a field report on Microsoft Exchange Mail Server.

Keywords: #windowsntmigration #windowsonly #calstate

Short link: http://goo.gl/0gZ20W