Re: The Dark Ages etc - reply

[Doc <dlettvin -at- attbi -dot- com>]

Mark --
Sorry to get to you so late about this, but there is a solution to
this problem.

If your IT people do an internet search for "software metering" they
will find a wide selection of products available.

These products track the use of software licenses and let IT do some
useful stuff.

1. Track the use of licenses to determine future needs.
2. Manage licenses by quantity. This lets IT set the number of
purchased licenses in the software. It also allows several people to
use the same license at different times. Each time someone opens the
program they "check-out" a license. This is done a first come first
served basis.
3. Prioritize users. This lets IT rank users of a license by priority
to let people with critical jobs access the software consistently.
4. Allow license overruns. This lets IT permit users to check out the
license even if none is available. Many It departments use this in
conjunction with #1 to determine software purchasing.
5. Determine if there is software that is not being used.

Maybe that will help the situation. 
-Doc
David W Lettvin
VersaText
South Hamilton, MA
978-468-1105
"You cannot grow a beard in a moment of passion." - G.K. Chesterton 

On Wed, 19 Jun 2002 20:59:25 +0100, "Mark Emson"
<mt -dot- emson -at- ntlworld -dot- com> wrote:

>
>Thanks again for the comments.
>
>Registry foul ups were one of the topics of discusion and I agree, I doubt
>that the install, de-install plan will run for long. The considered opinion
>(guessing game) was that if the sofware is fully removed the registry will
>be fairly clean. If the softwre is then re-installed it will overwrite any
>remenants that it may have left. If worst come to the worst, all of our
>machines are of a standard base spec that is ghosted onto one of our servers
>and hence the whole system can be re-installed in very little time. All of
>our working files are remote on the servers and so, nothing will be lost by
>doing this.
>
>My personal feeling is that IT want to make a point to us and the software
>manufacturers, even if it entails work for them. Anyway, as soon as they
>'perfect' the system for quick fool proof :~) installs I can see that
>they'll hand it over for us to do ourselves. Eventually I think they'll
>buckle and we'll end up buying more licences but for now this seems to be
>the plan.
>
>As for slapping the boss with a load of e-mails and still being in
>employement, I was admit, carefull not to leave her with any of them and, at
>the end of the day it's only a job.
>
>Mark Emson
>
>
>


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