Bill MacKenty

The Destiny of OPAL?

Our school is considering 2 new systems for our library. We had used Spectrum for several years, but Spectrum is no longer supported.

We are considering 2 systems:  Destiny and OPALS.  Opals is open-source, Destiny is commercial. They are functionally equal, each having slight differences. Destiny costs a lot more compared with OPALS. Destiny is a more “polished” product.

Which solution will our school choose?

I am an open source advocate, and when all things are equal, I push for open source solutions. I also really like the idea of hosted solutions - less work for our overworked IT staff, and ubiquitous availability.  Our school uses naviance for our guidance / counseling department, and it has worked very well. Both Destiny and Opals offer hosted solutions. Both offer technical support for a yearly fee (destiny is a bit more expensive).

The discussion amongst our technology team eventually settled into the classic FUD I’ve heard for years about open source software.

“Will it be supported?”
“Is it stable?”
“Is it compatible with our data?”
“What if we want to change something in the program? Can we?”
“How will it work with older browsers?”

Fortunately, unlike in the past, I had an excellent rebuttal to their concerns. One word, and the room was silenced.

Vista.

Thanks, Microsoft.