[OPLINTECH] Public computers: Software? Decrease in the number of them?

[Chad Neeper]

Most of the libraries I work with don't follow OPLINTECH, but the following
applies to most of them:

*What software do you have on your public computers?*
MS Office, Chrome, Firefox, Edge.  For the most part that's all
that matters. The browsers, of course, seem to get the majority of use,
although that's anecdotal observations (ref. the next question).

*Do you have any way to measure how much different programs are used?*
Currently no. I've had this same idea in my ToDo List for quite a few years
now, but it's on the back burner and other things keep jumping the queue.
On a Windows computer, you'd either need to be using a menu program to
launch your applications and thus be able to collect stats or you'd need a
service that's running in the background that monitors what applications
are being launched. I don't know if such a service exists out
there...haven't looked, but would be curious to know. I don't much care for
the idea of a controlled menu launcher...did that stuff years ago, but that
era has long passed and don't expect it to come back into style any time
soon. My thought, if such a monitoring service doesn't exist, was to do a
poor-man's solution by modifying the desktop shortcuts to point to a custom
script that increments a counter on the server for each application that
gets launched. It wouldn't be as fool-proof as a menu launcher, nor as
comprehensive as a monitoring service running in the background. But that
was my thought on the matter. Again...it's a backburner concept that I
haven't put any development time into nor any additional thought other than
what I mentioned above. So...

*has the number of public computers you offer changed, or the nature of the
computers?*
Most of my libraries with just 3-4 patron computers normally...still use
those 3-4 patron computers. Most of my libraries with more than that have
removed several to half of them from service. This is generally to
accomodate a little bit of distancing in a computer cluster. Some have
physically removed them to a storage location. Some have simply covered
them with plastic. I think at least one library with at least 10 patron
computers still has them all in service. Generally, the number of
computers, even halved, still seems to meet patron needs with reduced
patron traffic and all.

As for the nature of the computers changing...MMMmmmm, yeah, I'd say
they've definitely been grumpier this year. I've had groups of them
spontaneously eat themselves alive, requiring full Windows
reinstalls...something I almost NEVER needed to do prior to Windows 10.
Most recently, the latest rebelliousness at several different libraries has
been to suddenly freeze and go unresponsive, requiring a forced power off.
That's something that usually indicates hardware issues, but I know that
not to be the case on these. So, yeah. The nature of the computers has
definitely changed this past year. But I put the blame 100% squarely on
Microsoft's hideous Windows 10 patching processes for that.


HTH,
Chad
______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in public libraries*


On Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 3:11 PM Phil Shirley via OPLINTECH <
oplintech at lists.oplin.org> wrote:

> What software do you have on your public computers? Do you have any way to
> measure how much different programs are used?
>
>
>
> Also, has the number of public computers you offer changed, or the nature
> of the computers?
>
>
>
> We have Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher) and web
> browsers. The ones in the room where we teach classes sometimes (not these
> days of course) also have things like Audacity, Inscape and Gimp. We had
> Photoshop on some of them for a couple of months while we offered some
> classes on that, but it was too expensive to have long-term.
>
>
>
> Phil
>
>
>
> *Phil Shirley*
> *IT Manager*
> *Cuyahoga Falls Library*
> *p.* 330.928.2117 x109 *e.* pshirley at cuyahogafallslibrary.org
> *w. *cuyahogafallslibrary.org <http://www.cuyahogafallslibrary.org/> *a. *2015
> Third Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
>
> <https://www.facebook.com/fallslibrary/>
> <https://twitter.com/FallsLibrary>
> <https://www.instagram.com/fallslibrary/>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
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>
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