Navigate 1 - Commercial vs. Open Source Virtual Classrooms
Open Source - This is a meeting space for two or more people that is free. There are just a few of
these. as with any open source software their use my be limited or only free for a few months so if
using it for your organization you have to be aware that 'free' can change. If this happens then your
organization will have to decide to move onto another product or put it in the budget.
these. as with any open source software their use my be limited or only free for a few months so if
using it for your organization you have to be aware that 'free' can change. If this happens then your
organization will have to decide to move onto another product or put it in the budget.
Google has made so many useful products it does not surprise me that they have a meeting software.
It is free, works with Chrome as an extension1 (Google hangouts app has been depreciated) and it
can be used in Firefox with Chrome extensions2 . It has the same help and support site as the other
Google products3 . It also works on a variety of devices, so if you are on the go, you will still be able
to 'hangout'.
It is free, works with Chrome as an extension1 (Google hangouts app has been depreciated) and it
can be used in Firefox with Chrome extensions2 . It has the same help and support site as the other
Google products3 . It also works on a variety of devices, so if you are on the go, you will still be able
to 'hangout'.
Big Blue Button is another free product. Their website targets education and teachers in particular4 .
The ratings are very good5 . It has a FAQ page6 and was released in 2016, making it time tested.
With no limit to how many users can join this one might be a great choice. You do have to install
software to use it.
The ratings are very good5 . It has a FAQ page6 and was released in 2016, making it time tested.
With no limit to how many users can join this one might be a great choice. You do have to install
software to use it.
Commercial - these are products that the individual or institution will pay for. Many start with a 30 trial.
That is great if the group of people that will use it is relatively small. They can dive right in, make a
point of using it for 30 days and then decide if they want to buy it. For the most part you will have to
download software and this means all users in your organization. Then there are updates and such
as time goes on.
When would commercial take precidence over free?
The tipping point would be when one of the tasks on the free was not robust enough to handle what
needs to be done. For instance, maybe the free can only work on certain operating systems, maybe
they do not update their software as must as needed. Maybe the free became a limited edition with
tasks being pay for only. So free is great until it cannot do all then tasks that the organization needs
it to do.
That is great if the group of people that will use it is relatively small. They can dive right in, make a
point of using it for 30 days and then decide if they want to buy it. For the most part you will have to
download software and this means all users in your organization. Then there are updates and such
as time goes on.
When would commercial take precidence over free?
The tipping point would be when one of the tasks on the free was not robust enough to handle what
needs to be done. For instance, maybe the free can only work on certain operating systems, maybe
they do not update their software as must as needed. Maybe the free became a limited edition with
tasks being pay for only. So free is great until it cannot do all then tasks that the organization needs
it to do.
I am always in favor of free. As web page developer and teacher I am always looking at products
that are free. Once we are using a free product there may come a time that we have to move on
but usually not for a long time.
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that are free. Once we are using a free product there may come a time that we have to move on
but usually not for a long time.
_____________________________________________________
[1] "Google Hangouts - Google Chrome."
14 Dec. 2018, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-hangouts/nckgahadagoaajjgafhacjanaoiihapd?hl=en.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.
[2] "Firefox is now supported by Google
Hangouts and Meet - Advancing ...." 22 May. 2018, https://blog.mozilla.org/webrtc/firefox-is-now-supported-by-google-hangouts-and-meet/.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.
[3] "Hangouts Help - Google Support." https://support.google.com/hangouts/?hl=en.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.
[4] "BigBlueButton." https://bigbluebutton.org/.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.
[5] "BigBlueButton Reviews - Ratings, Pros
& Cons, Analysis and more ...." 27 Dec. 2018, https://www.getapp.com/it-communications-software/a/bigbluebutton/reviews/.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.
[6] "BigBlueButton : FAQ." http://docs.bigbluebutton.org/support/faq.html.
Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.
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