[odf-discuss] Re: odf in schools

[Janet Hawtin]

Hi folks
This is the response I sent to the original question, I also suggested
that developing/developed world can be a bit of a tricky or subjective
way to think about things.
Janet

There are some schools using open document format in SA NSW VIC TAS NZ.
I have also heard of schools using both, a TAFE using odf, so there
are a range of situations where people use open document format. As
Wanda pointed out there are have been policies which suggest use of MS
Word in some AU education sector situations. In practice people are
exploring options. Internationally there are places with a very
different mix. ODF was developed by OASIS to be standards compliant
and is an ISO standard format.

Open document format can be used on Windows Mac or Linux.
These folks would be a subset of folks using open document format as
these people are using a specific Linux server approach:
http://k12ltsp.org/casestudy.html

Spain uses open document format more than we do:

In Andalusia, biggest region of Spain with near 8 mio. permanent
inhabitants and 3 variable more mio. through tourism, we use
officially in schools only Linux, OOo and so, ODF. In total more than
200k computers.

In Extremadura, also in Spain and with one mio. inhabitants, these
wonderful guys have been using Linux, OOo and now ODF, perviously OOo
formats, since 1999. In total near to 80k computers, 1 per each two
students (during the night the Extremadurans have an agreement with
CERN to use the 80k CPUs for nuclear data parallel processing).

In Valencia, also in Spain, the third most populated region with 5
mio. inhabitants, they use also Linux, OOo and ODF (but not as many
computers as in Andalusia and Extremadura).

Same is happening in Galicia (3 mio.) and Catalonia (7 mio.). Madrid
(6 mio.) and Canary Islands (1,5 mio.) have double boot Linux/Windows.

Apart from educational use ODF is widely used in public Health in
Extremadura and Castille.

Some other places which have adopted ODF in government infrastructure include
Munich, Germany
Vienna, Austria.
French Gendarmerie (the national police body)
Bank of Brazil
Ministry of Justice of Finland.
New York Stock Exchange
Massachusetts uses ODF through Microsoft Office
http://opendocument.xml.org/case-studies

Google apps supports ODF
Open office supports ODF http://www.openoffice.org/index.html