Wednesday 28 April 2010

Before I forget about L-Space …

You know, there’s an old saying about a week being a long time in politics. Especially if your name’s Gordon Brown

But I’m also thinking, somewhat, that a week’s a long time in blogging, as well.

Because I almost forgot to tell you that my last email to the Gazette got published, last week.

I was pleased, although not by the fact that either I — or they — forgot to mention my name at the end of the blessed thing … !

Ah HEM!!!!!

But that’s a little sideways, I think …

Because, as I said in my last post about the subject, I intended to write back to Susan Carragher.

Here’s what I said …

Dear Ms Carragher,

Can I take this opportunity to say Thank you for the response that you sent me, about my recent library service enquiries.

Thank You.

But I think — think — I’ve one or two final question before I consider this matter closed.

Minor, but useful ones, I think.

As you might have noticed from the ‘Dear Susan’ post — and recent letter to the Brentwood Gazette — I’ve got to admit that choice in operating systems is something that’s close to my heart.

With that in mind, I’ve got to admit I realise that something like an Apple Mac — or a pc running an open source operating system, like the much referred to Ubuntu — may be an out-of-the-question option, now.

But have to ask if — in view of any changes that the up-coming election may bring — if either will be an option in future.

Secondly, I’m also like to clarify — as mentioned in that recent post — if the ECC Library service partners had actually done a price comparison between the relevant models of HP computers — whatever the operating system — and the Apple equivalent.

Thirdly and finally — for now — I’d like to ask if the library service was aware of the ongoing Freedom Toaster project that originated in South Africa, and is slowly spreading to other countries … ?

To summarise, briefly, this is a project to place kiosks that allow member’s of the public to burn free, open-source software onto user-provided CDs and DVDs.

Which strikes me as a very good use of library resources.

Now, I’m not too sure how she’s going to react to that, as Ms Carragher’s on holiday, at the moment.

Cie La Vie!

But I’ve got to admit that I couldn’t resist asking whether they’d actually done a cost comparison, between the Mini and the nearest equivalent HP.

And I couldn’t resist mentioning the Freedom Toaster, either: it’s something I’d known about for sometime, and thought should get a mention, if nothing else.

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