Firefox on Church Computers

[indie]

My calling is Ward Family History Consultant. I also work a couple of
Saturdays during the month at the family history library in my
stake. A short while ago, I installed Firefox on one of the
computers. I did this because I wanted (need, actually, as I've
historically been prone to epileptic seizures) a popup blocker, and
also because I like the LDS toolbar extension, that makes an easy
bookmark out of scriptures and other church materials. I like being
able to work with tabs when doing research, the way I can navigate the
browser without having to ever touch the mouse, etc.

But one of the old cantankerous ego-inflated persons who fancies
himself to be the "Network Administrator" of the library kept taking
Firefox off the computer. One day, I wrote a short sweet little note,
something to the effect of "Please don't remove Firefox. The Mozilla
Foundation is run almost entirely by volunteers, just like the
Church."

Well, the other day, I got a phone call from his cantankerous ego-
inflated person, and he proceeded to yell at me for writing this note,
and to tell me that Firefox "interferes" with portal (basically a
clickable deskop icon link that goes thru to Internet Explorer). What
a lie!

Firefox does not interfere with anything. But in his narrow little
screwed-up world view, it does. So he basically ordered me to not
install Firefox on any machine, and to force any potential patrons of
the library onto Internet Explorer. As my calling is basically "free
tech support" I'm being coerced into offering free training for IE?
I'm sorry, but this is NOT RIGHT.

So I kindly tried to talk sense into this cantankerous old man who
thinks he is so smart. I attempted to explain to him my various
education and experience, and that I'd be happy to go fix whatever
problem he seemed to think Firefox was causing. But no use. He won't
allow any Firefox installation on the machines, so I will no longer be
volunteering my time in the library. Indeed. I've basically been
coerced into resigning my Staff position. Yesterday a call from the
director of the library confirmed it; unless I promise to not install
Firefox on any machine, I can't be a volunteer.

It's so unfortunate, all those potential people who I could help,
people who go through the doors of the Family History Library.
Perhaps their family research will be as unpleasant for them on IE as
it is for me, and their family history work and name submission to the
temple will be delayed even more, or not get done at all. Not my
fault. Because I refuse to work on IE any more, I have to give up my
calling?

Baloney. I'm actually considering leaving the Church all together,
after this incident. It's so hypocritical to endorse capitalism and
competition in the "real world," but to stifle it among entities that
(should) compete online. Maybe there are some more gold plates buried
in some hill somewhere, waiting to be unearthed by somebody with some
brains who can start the Church of Jesus Christ of Honest & Open-
Source Saints.

/rant

[Slide]

Matthew 6:15

--
slide-o-blog
http://slide-o-blog.blogspot.com/

[Spencer Gibb]

Portable Firefox may be an solution. Basically you install firefox on
a usb stick, you don't install anything.

http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

--
Spencer

[Brian Hawkins]

Slide, that was a very snarky response that doesn't really help the situation.

Indie,  You have to separate LDS doctrine from LDS bureaucracy.  Unfortunately I'm sure they have reasons for using only IE on the computers.  My guess is that they have a lot of "older" patrons that have been using IE (as bad as it is) and they need to have an app they are familiar with.  For example I showed one guy the coolness of Firefox (flash block, tabs, add block, etc) and he went right back to IE, why?  FF sorted his bookmarks when it imported them and he could not find anything (his bookmarks were not organized into folders).

They probably also have a disk image setup and it only has IE on it.  All that said it is till possible to change a bureaucracy if the issue is taken high enough and enough energy is put into it.

It would be nice if FF was at least an option if not the default.  And technically there is no reason why that cannot happen.

Keep up the good fight, good things don't happen because people sat around. :)

Brian

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 9:24 AM, Slide <slide...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Greg Warner]

Classic LDSOSS post! I love this list.

--
Sent from my mobile device

[indie]

Perhaps.

Maybe a larger issue is people who go to the library being hoodwinked or led to believe that IE on Microsoft is the "only" or the "better" way for them to do family history work, because that is what they see in the library.  Many people, especially those just getting started on their FH work, might not ever know there are other options.  It's one of those things that perpetuates because nobody has the guts to stand up for what is right.

Besides, if we're offering free help, we should be allowed to train people on whatever software we like.  Yes, I know I'm free to do that on my own time, but in the formal setting of the Church, this freedom should not be bound by the cold and slimy underbelly of Internet Explorer on Microsoft.

P.S.  No, I am not "seriously" considering leaving the Church :)

but I am a wee bit irked.  :(

[Slide]

Quoting scripture is snarky? I thought the original rant was completely over the top.

--
slide-o-blog
http://slide-o-blog.blogspot.com/

[indie]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 8:58 AM, Slide <slide...@gmail.com> wrote:

Quoting scripture is snarky? I thought the original rant was completely over the top.

Hey, if I can't rant about it here, where can I?  There are far many more unhealthy ways of taking out frustration than by writing. 

[Sean Gates]

Yeah, I didn't know how to take the rant, whether it was cheeky or truthful.  Hard to tell.

But, I think you're taking things a bit to far with blaming Microsoft.  Their recent attempts with IE 8 have been noble, but their OS still stinks.

I use FF exclusively, but I've also moved to a Mac for more stability and better productivity.  By saying you can't work in IE just because it's IE is kinda silly.

--
Sean

[Sean Gates]

Point taken. :D

[John Harrison]

This sort of thing is going to vary from location to location. Our
ward has both Firefox and OpenOffice installed and nobody bats an eye.

[Greg Warner]

Indi,
I'm sorry about the situation you're in. I would like it if I had to
use IE all day either.

[James Vann]

Apparently this old man is the stake technology specialist or really does have a calling that puts him in charge of it?  If he is not, I'd talk to whoever is.  I really don't think there is any Church policy about Firefox, but the local Priesthood leaders can make local policies that might not make any sense to us, but nevertheless should be followed. (If even just to show the Lord we are willing to sacrifice all things- including Firefox, for Him!)

I appreciate your rant and your feelings, but even suggesting that you were considering leaveing the Church over it was a little over the top!  People really do such stupid things, you shouldn't give them any ideas.  (It can be hard to read sarcasm since we don't know you).

God Bless,

James Lee Vann
Founder, Ensign Technologies LLC
Website: EnsignTech.com
LinkedIN Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesvann
Facebook: www.profile.to/jamesvann
Skype: james.lee.vann
Phone: 417.429.2036

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:01 AM, indie <indi...@gmail.com> wrote:

[indie]

LOL. 

Did everybody miss my P.S.?

P.S.  No, I am not "seriously" considering leaving the Church   :)

but I am a wee bit irked.  :(

 

[Lars Rasmussen]

indie,

I second Spencer's Portable Firefox suggestion. That way you can
comply with the admin's wishes, but give an option to users who prefer
Firefox. You could even velcro a bunch of Firefox-branded USB keys to
the workstations in case using FF is desired by a given user.

I would also insist that the admin be specific as to IE
demands/requirements. Which version of IE is supported/required? All
versions of IE are not created equal, and IE is a big target for
malware - I'd guess much bigger than FF(for the time being).

Thank You,

Lars

[David Hale]

I have been a Family History consultant working at two different libraries. In one case, all of the machines had Firefox as the primary browser while the other one had them side by side and let the patron select which browser they were most comfortable with. The "standard" at these libraries is one of convenience for the person maintaining these desktop machines. They want to be able to clone them consistently and to not have people installing or upgrading software on any of them, making it more difficult to keep them all in sync. In addition, it is a huge support problem when they are all slightly different and your support people working in the library are barely technical enough to walk people through a scripted set of steps. They are clueless when patrons start changing what is installed on the machines and they can't support them like they need to.

Personally, I would go "over his head" and speak with the high counselor over Family History (or Stake Presidency, if necessary) to see what options there are for modifying the standard build for all the machines in the library. They can't expect that this "expert" is the only one that has valid expertise in this area. It should be his job to take input from the library staff to build machines that best serve the needs of the patrons.

Good luck!

David

[Brian Hawkins]

Instead of trying to understand or resolve the concern you simply told him to go and repent = snarky

Using a scripture to do so, makes it no less snarky.

btw I love that word, snarky snarky snarky.

Brian

[Russell Hltn]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 5:21 AM, indie <indi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'm sorry, but this is NOT RIGHT.
>

What is not right is not getting permission to install software on a
FHC computer. I'm sorry, but your calling as Ward Family History
Consultant does not confer upon you the authority to install what you
want/need on a FHC computer.

To quote from the Internet Usage Policy published by the Family
History Department:

Downloading
- Family history center directors should approve downloads (software
patches, antivirus software, and so on) needed to maintain their
center's computers.
- Patrons should not download programs (such as plug-ins) to family
history center computers unless the programs are authorized by Church
departments. Patrons may download family history related information
or programs onto their own floppy disks, CDs, flash drives, or to the
center's hard disk if a folder has been designated for that purpose by
the family history center director.

Altering Hardware or Software
- Patrons may not alter or customize the browser software (toolbars,
"favorites", and so on) without the approval of the family history
center director.
- Patrons should not load any personal software (printing
applications, multimedia programs, and so on) onto family history
center computers.
[end quote]

You may want to consult local policy, but typically any installs
should be approved by either the Family History Center Director and/or
the Stake Technology Specialist.

The Stake Technology Specialist, who is an assistant Stake Clerk, is
responsible for the operation of the computers in the Family History
Center. So yes, there is a designated "Network Administrator".

This has nothing to do with IE vs Firefox or waving the Open Source
flag. This is all about what you are authorized and not authorized to
do. You need to work within the system. Since you've already ticked
off the STS, I suggest you work with the Family History Center
Director to smooth things over with him.

Running Firefox from a flash drive may work, but you'll notice the
"should not load" from the quote above. Someone could interpret
"load" more broadly then just "install" and that it includes "running"
software. So it may be a good idea to discuss things with the FHC
Director rather then just deal with this work-around.

I should note that the master computer image that comes from the
Family History Department does not include FireFox. So any decision
to install is a local decision, not something coming down from above.

Signed,

A fellow "old cantankerous ego-inflated persons who fancies himself to
be the "Network Administrator"".

[Slide]

Well, think what you will. I thought it was a well suited reply to the OP.

--
slide-o-blog
http://slide-o-blog.blogspot.com/

[Steven McCown]

I was wondering if this applied to the open source battles?

"Anything that prevents you from being friendly, a good neighbour, is a terror tactic."
    -- Richard Stallman

Sometimes it's good to advocate without being adversarial...

Just a thought...

Steve

[Jeoff Wilks]

Interesting points about not installing software. I sometimes like to ask myself, What procedural changes could be made so that there doesn't need to be as much policy?

The first thing that came to my mind when I thought about the problem of software being installed on the computer? The family history computers could run one of those Linux distros that boots and runs entirely off a CD, so that it's impossible to corrupt it.

Of course, that would make it harder to use IE...  :)

[Russell Hltn]

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 5:21 AM, indie <indi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>

> But one of the old cantankerous ego-inflated persons who fancies
> himself to be the "Network Administrator" of the library kept taking
> Firefox off the computer.

I wonder if that's accurate. Family History Centers have available to
them Deep Freeze. It's software that will return the computer to the
prior state upon reboot. Until you left the note, he may not have
been aware of what you were doing.

[Paul Penrod]

I was beginning to wonder if the list finally went dark.... :-)

Indie,

Here is a piece of advice I received many years ago and helps me each
week, when I show up at church:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The people in the Church - not
necessarily so.

You have to remember that church is not a hotel for saints (though some
might dispute that) but really a
hospital for sinners. Don't waste energy on people that you will not get
along with on this. As, someone
suggested, take portable FF with you and smile when the old guy gets
apoplectic - as you are in compliance
with policy - and just get your work done.

Fortunately, the church is moving in the direction of letting people
submit work from home or elsewhere
through family search. It will be a big help to those who have lots of
names to work on and it will help
remove the distraction of those who need to play "bossy".