Corel Draw, vien ici!
There is a folder on the desktop on school computers, called Graphics. You may check briefly if you don't believe me. In it there are several folders, which contain several different programs, all pertaining, unsurprisingly to graphics. This is fine. There is one folder labeled Corel Suite. Check now, if you are doubting. Inside this, there is a plethora of very powerful and useful programs. That is, there should be. What you see when you open the folder are the links to the programs which are on the main server. (I guess) When you click on the links, the computer tells you to go away, no can do. This irritates me, but I have come to expect it from the school. I first tried this up in the library.
The Corel Suite contains a high level drawing program, a high level photo-retouching program, a 3-D modeling and rendering program, vast amounts of clip art, vector, bitmap and dimensional. It contains an animation program, a bitmap conversion program, a text editor. These are things I would like to get my hands on. (I have a version at home, and it would be nice to work on the things I make at home in school.) However, they are not accessible from the library. This is fair enough: it is not a cheap program, and for every computer it is on an extra license is required, which costs more money. So, think I, it must be up in one of the art rooms, after all, these are art programs.
In room 110, I check both computers, and am unable to access the programs there. I go to room 105, but again, neither of the computers there have the programs on. How irksome think I. So, I go down to the computer room down the corridor. Still no luck. So finally I go down to IT club one lunchtime, sign in to the computers there. No. Not a scratch. This was beginning to annoy me, big time. So I finally find the time to go and ask Mr. Charman.
"Sir, I've been looking around the school network for somewhere to
access this program, Corel Draw from." say I.
"Oh," says he "Its up in the art room."
"No," say I, "It isn't. Neither of them have got it."
"Well," says he, "you can't access it from here, it must no longer be
available."
"Oh," say I. "Thanks." (walks away dejected.)
So, we have a program hidden on the school network, that is
available from nowhere. It cannot be reached from anywhere, and even
the IT staff can't get to it. This concerns me for two reasons:
1. This program is not cheap. The school must have bought it at some
point, and, it seems, never used it.
2. If it isn't available anymore, why is it on the network? The
program comes on 3 CDs, that's about one and a half gigabytes of disk
space just disappearing for no reward. Just by removing this
superfluous program they could give everyone in the school another
two megabytes of disk space.
What are they playing at? Is this program available anywhere? What's the deal? Email me now with any ideas.
Also, whilst you're here, have you noticed that all of the computers in the school have got CD ROM drives? And have you also noticed that you can't use them? Why don't the school get rid of all the disk drives you aren't supposed to use, and replace the ones you are supposed to use with some really fast ones? This would help them keep abreast of technology. Even better would be to use the money to replace all these shit text books we keep getting fobbed off with.
