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From: kent@xanth.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: some questions
Message-ID: <734@xanth.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Mar-87 15:41:49 EST
Article-I.D.: xanth.734
Posted: Tue Mar 24 15:41:49 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Mar-87 03:22:35 EST
References: <338@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan)
Distribution: world
Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk Va.
Lines: 34
Summary: cheap computer resources by sharing expenses

[in response to a query about how to pay for software for CS at an impoverished
 university]

Perhaps a change of perspective would help.  There really isn't any department
in a university that can't, given proper training, make use of spreadsheets,
data base software, and related support software.  Why not widen the
availability of your machines, add more machines and capabilities, and
amortize the cost across the whole university community via a tuition based
funding structure?

The National Institutes of Health used (may still use) a similar mechanism to
provide their user community with a superb computer system.  They bought
about 5 times as much computer power as they could use, rented out the
excess time to off site users, and let the resulting cash flow fund a larger,
more responsive staff, more and better software, newer and more cost
effective hardware, and so on.  The GAO got on their case several times, but
they were able to demonstrate that this method provided their users with the
cheapest, best computer service possible.  Of course, the offsite users (I
was one) loved it too.  It was about the best run computer site I ever used.

Put your CS department in the position of NIH, and the rest of campus in the
place of the off site users, and it can work for you, too.

Good luck!
--
Kent Paul Dolan, "The Contradictor", 25 years as a programmer, CS MS Student
at ODU, Norfolk, Virginia, to find out how I was supposed to be doing this
stuff all these years.  3D dynamic motion graphics a specialty.  Work wanted.
Unemployment is soooo nice though...I never have to disclaim anything!

UUCP  :  kent@xanth.UUCP   or    ...seismo!decuac!edison!xanth!kent
CSNET :  kent@odu.csnet    ARPA  :  kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu
Voice :  (804) 587-7760    USnail:  P.O. Box 1559, Norfolk, Va 23501-1559
Wisdom:  "Peace in mankind's lifetime.  Why leave a whole universe unexplored?"