Non-paywalled Ghostarchive link.
On a recent trip to the law library, I opened LexisNexis and typed “AI” in the search field: 1,777 results popped up in the New York Law Journal. Pro se litigants are up against district attorneys equipped with A.I.– enhanced research and motion drafting tools at their fingertips. We don’t even have Microsoft Word.
Libre Office too ironic for a prison library?
Does Libre Office run on Swintec typewriters?
Because the issue is they’re not even allowed a PC, the budget only allows typewriters.
They even point out in the article that a new Swintec technically costs more than a new, crummy laptop.
They’re promoting new legislation to allow the libraries to allow modern equipment and not just typewriters.
Further, since it’s a Correctional Facility library, there’s gonna be strict controls and even if they wanted Libre Office instead of Microsoft Office they would have to put in a formal request for it and then have various security teams deciding whether it was safe to use or not, even though it is technically free. I mean, that goes for pretty much any government job or corporate job, too. They don’t usually let people install whatever they want on government or corporate networks.
I see them online for ~$350. You could build a decent budget pc for the same price. Or you could buy a few single board computers for the same price.
I’m betting the budget isn’t the problem.
Jesus ya think? Is today “everyone painfully obviously didn’t read the article and commented anyway” day?
Just quoting myself here:
The issue seems to be how the money is designated, not the amount of money. Even if you have a million bucks budgeted for typewriters for one facility, it’s not automatically fungible.
The thin clients should be capable of running LibreOffice, or at least running it remotely.
Have you ever worked in a corporation or in government? Even moreso, have you ever worked at a secured facility of any type?
You don’t just get to install whatever the fuck you want on machines, you know? They have to go through a process, and since this is a government organization, if the law doesn’t allow them to install something like that on a thin client, it’s kind of pointless to reference.
I’ve worked a shitty corporate job where I basically had no power and I had to get approval from a couple different teams for something like Microsoft PowerToys, which is free and made by Microsoft.
Yes, I literally am a government employee, and formerly worked in the military in Radio Comms and IT, often with Top Secret communications and infrastructure . I am intimately familiar with government procedures.
I never said that end-users would be setting up LibreOffice. I’m just pointing out there’s a low/no-cost solution, and it isn’t a hardware limitation.