Ah right right. Please do tell me, what university do you work for? In what field again?

• Do you have experience in supporting researchers working under strict grant provisions that entail (at times) specific requirements in terms of data-format, reproducibility, output, methods, software used, etc.?
• Do you have experience supporting environments where exams are given, and thus require highly locked down, monitored, reproducible, environments in the terms of hundreds if not thousands workplaces at, potentially, the drop of a hat? Even if exams are generally planned well in advance, there can be last minute alterations due to weather, incidents, etc.
• Do you perhaps have experience supporting a piece of software that was used for research several decades ago, that interfaces with a piece of equipment that’s now old enough to vote and drink?
• Have you ever had the conversation with a researcher where you had to tell them that due to privacy, technical or legal requirements you have to upgrade the software and thus pretty much set them back if not ruin their entire research?
• Have you ever had to support thousands of students doing their research/study/course that requires HPC capabilities on a shoestring budget?
• Have you ever had to have a conversation with an ISV and get them to provide intricate detail on all of their libraries/dependencies used because of legal/technical/moral requirements?

So let me ask you again, is it really that easy to just “require all documents to be either odf or pdf?” in such an environment to achieve ehm… what was it again you wanted to achieve? Achieving some moral high-ground so that universities don’t use Microsoft’s format that is so entrenched in all of society, at all levels, companies and organizations and thus by not supporting/using it all of the students are put at risk of not being prepared for their future careers? Which is kind of the points people get an university degree.

But sure, I’ll see if I can get it added to the agenda in the next all-hands IT meeting.

EDIT: I’m sure of this comes across as rude or snide; it’s just that your reply seems to imply that we (IT staff, as well as the universities as a whole) haven’t already tried something like that before? Like HexesofVexes correctly points out - universities are in a near perpetual crisis for their very continued existence. Imagine having to cut millions from your budget that is already millions underfunded - and then decide to take a risk as something like this? How many jobs, livelihoods, careers, and so much more would they be putting at risk?

No, it’s not that easy. It’s an incredible risk - and universities can and will take it but they will need support. Financial as well as societal both of which right now are virtually non-existing. So they won’t as we are in pure survival mode, and have been for years.

LOL if only it were that easy

I am not saying it’s impossible, I am saying that it’ll need a complete plan and support on all levels. Universities, the employees, teachers, students, scientists, grant-commissions, local and national government, the EU etc.

Each and every one of these has a level of power and sway. And right now, they are swaying towards Microsoft (and Google) hard.

Wrong question to ask; it shouldn’t be CAN they it should be WILL they?

As more and more ‘MBA-type’ managers are drawn into management of universities (as in; those that want to run the university as a business not as an actual university) taking an ethical/moral stand becomes increasingly harder. Combine that with the reality that the (still to be formed) government is looking at putting even more budget-cuts on education it becomes a dire reality. In swoops Microsoft with big discounts and ‘free’ consultants, scans, reports, etc. showing that their stuff is “just right for you”. We’ll ignore that when you start implementing their advice it’s not uncommon to then hear that you’ll need to upgrade this or that, or agree to this multi-year contract etc.

So the options are:

• Chose the “easy” fix for which you probably get some financial support (for a while) and/or discount, staffing isn’t as big of a challenge (and people can be readily replaced if need be because ‘everyone knows Windows right?’) Reality is that in the future this will come and bite you but that’s for later
• Or chose option that WILL cost more upfront in terms of training, on-boarding, etc. and will ultimately detach you from big-tech.

So “upfront easy, later cost” or “upfront cost, later easy”. I’ll let you guess which one is most likely going to happen in this current climate.

PS: before any reply-guys want to go “but actually” - I have worked in an university IT department for almost 10 years. KTHXBAI