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Why I’m So Desperate for the Return of Microsoft Word to Our Prison Library

Non-paywalled Ghostarchive link.

On a recent trip to the law library, I opened LexisNexis and typed “AI” in the search field: 1,777 results popped up in the New York Law Journal. Pro se litigants are up against district attorneys equipped with A.I.– enhanced research and motion drafting tools at their fingertips. We don’t even have Microsoft Word.

jordanlund ,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

Libre Office too ironic for a prison library?

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Does Libre Office run on Swintec typewriters?

Because the issue is they’re not even allowed a PC, the budget only allows typewriters.

They even point out in the article that a new Swintec technically costs more than a new, crummy laptop.

They’re promoting new legislation to allow the libraries to allow modern equipment and not just typewriters.

Further, since it’s a Correctional Facility library, there’s gonna be strict controls and even if they wanted Libre Office instead of Microsoft Office they would have to put in a formal request for it and then have various security teams deciding whether it was safe to use or not, even though it is technically free. I mean, that goes for pretty much any government job or corporate job, too. They don’t usually let people install whatever they want on government or corporate networks.

teft ,
@teft@lemmy.world avatar

the budget only allows typewriters.

I see them online for ~$350. You could build a decent budget pc for the same price. Or you could buy a few single board computers for the same price.

I’m betting the budget isn’t the problem.

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

I’m betting the budget isn’t the problem.

Jesus ya think? Is today “everyone painfully obviously didn’t read the article and commented anyway” day?

Just quoting myself here:

They’re promoting new legislation to allow the libraries to allow modern equipment and not just typewriters.

conciselyverbose ,

The issue seems to be how the money is designated, not the amount of money. Even if you have a million bucks budgeted for typewriters for one facility, it’s not automatically fungible.

FiskFisk33 ,

probably still the budget, but not as in amount, but as in how it is specified in the actual budget.

n2burns , (edited )

The thin clients should be capable of running LibreOffice, or at least running it remotely.

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Have you ever worked in a corporation or in government? Even moreso, have you ever worked at a secured facility of any type?

You don’t just get to install whatever the fuck you want on machines, you know? They have to go through a process, and since this is a government organization, if the law doesn’t allow them to install something like that on a thin client, it’s kind of pointless to reference.

I’ve worked a shitty corporate job where I basically had no power and I had to get approval from a couple different teams for something like Microsoft PowerToys, which is free and made by Microsoft.

n2burns , (edited )

Yes, I literally am a government employee, and formerly worked in the military in Radio Comms and IT, often with Top Secret communications and infrastructure . I am intimately familiar with government procedures and limitations.

I never said that end-users would be setting up LibreOffice. I’m just pointing out there’s a low/no-cost solution, and it isn’t a hardware limitation.

Aatube ,

Will they approve installing it on the remoted machine?

n2burns ,

Almost certainly not, but I’m just trying to point out it’s not a hardware limitation. Though, if it was installed remotely, they would probably have issues printing locally.

hahattpro ,

Oh the article mentioned JPay, and the tablet.

andrew_bidlaw , (edited )
@andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works avatar

While I get that security certifications (and existing contracts with the right people!), the slowness of such laws ans disdain for prisoners, especially doing their law research, are big factors, I see a point that even prison admins shall consider. Besides big cuts in spending on capable clients, opening the ability for inmates to write whatever they want in a word processor as easily as it can be is a plus to the surveiliance. Authocracies of today don’t ban their own social medias because an illusion of privacy makes people snitch on themselves.

recursive_recursion , (edited )

even in the place closest to hell on Earth it looks like FOSS prevails yet again🌻

behold OnlyOffice installable on Linux, Windows, and macOS

rip, check thread below

SnotFlickerman ,
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Does OnlyOffice run on Swintec typewriters? How many people are going all-in on not reading the article today?

recursive_recursion ,

Last, he wipes down the Swintec typewriter bolted to the table.

you’re right and that’s real cursed

n2burns ,

You’re not completely wrong, as they also have thin clients which should be technically capable of running a word processor. It’s just a question of whether the prison is going to implement that no/low-cost solution.

recursive_recursion ,

reading the article, I had a thought/question: wouldn’t the Swintec typewriter solely act as the typing implement and not as a stream blocker in a sense?

The typewriter obviously wouldn’t have functions such as n-key-rollover, macros and whatnot but would it restrict what application can interpret the user’s input?

If so then maybe someone could agrue that this is yet another case of IBM’s Bundling

mark3748 ,

There is no application. It’s a literal typewriter. It takes a key press and stamps it on the paper.

https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/6d81e381-091e-4fdb-b2ad-6dab64c44e19.jpeg

recursive_recursion , (edited )

gods

I thought at worst it’d be a typewriter with a vga or ps2 hookup but this is worse than I thought

having to use that and only that means you’re gigafucked💀

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