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Nylink shutting down 2010 May 17

I just read a press release that says that Nylink will wind down its operations over the next 12 months. Nylink, like other regional OCLC Networks had to look for different revenue streams due to changes at OCLC and the economy in general. However, unlike most (all?) of the other regional networks, it was tied to a state institution, in this case, the State University of New York. This restricted Nylink’s options, such as merging with other regional networks. I have only been in New York for two years so I don’t have a lot of experience with Nylink, but they seem like good people that were trying to do a good job for the libraries in the State of New York, and I am sure that they will be missed. I wish the employees of Nylink a good final 12 months and good luck in the future.

3G Netbook vs. 3G iPad pricing 2010 May 3

As some of you may know, I’ve been wanting to get an iPad. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, but probably will soon. Everyone I know that has one seems to likes their iPad (at least according to their blog posts). Yes, it may not be everything to everyone, but it apparently fills a niche for many early adopters. As part of my investigations into buying one, I am trying to decide if I want a iPad 3G or a regular one. Since AT&T does not require a contract, I think I am going to buy a 3G whether or not I activate it. Apparently the 3G also comes with GPS, which may make the extra $130 worthwhile even without the cell service (depending on what apps are designed to take advantage of it).

In order to look at all my options, however, I also looked at data service via a USB modem, MiFi, and the Netbook deals many cell phone providers are offering. Most wireless providers charge about $60 for 5 GB of data (although Sprint has unlimited if you are in a 4G area – which obviously Bingo is not). The deal with the iPad is unlimited data for $30 a month. So doing some simple math, I compared the costs of an iPad vs. a Netbook with data plan. I am using $80 for a Netbook since that is what most of them cost when bought with a plan from AT&T. Pricing from other wireless vendors seems to vary greatly depending on model/particular deal you can find. I also included pricing for the MiFi from Verizon, which would be my third option.

So what are the total costs (numbers rounded, pre-tax)?

Apple iPad: $630 (iPad) + $720 (2 yr unlimited data) = $1350
Netbooks: $80 (Netbook) + $1440 (2 yr 5G data) = $1520
MiFi: $50 (MiFi 2200) + $1440 (2 yr 5G data) = $1490

Add into the fact with Apple iPad you can cancel wireless any time without a termination fee, and you can see that it is the least expensive option. Even if the Netbook was free it still would be. Does that mean it is the best value? I’m not sure, it depends on what you want to do I guess, but I think so. With the MiFi, you can connect multiple devices (including your iPad), which may be useful, but you are also limited to 5G. 5G of mobile data might be a lot, but if you try streaming some Netflix or downloading music/videos, you can use that up pretty quickly.

For my money this comparison has eliminated a 3G Netbook from my list of options since the iPad is cheaper overall. I’m still a bit intrigued with the MiFi. However, since if I bought it I’d also want a non-3G iPad, it is an almost $1000 a year option.

Koha – LibLime keruffle continues 2010 May 1

There was some hope by me and others that LibLime being acquired by PTFS would lead to an improvement in the strained relations between LibLime and a large number of other Koha community members. For a brief while it looked like that was going to happen – maybe not completely, but at least it looked like an improvement in the situation was possible. However currently there has been a major set back.

To some degree it has been a bit of a he said-she said situation and since I wasn’t involved in the discussions, I don’t know all the details. While on principle I support the Koha community committee members position, I am not sure what really happened and I think it was a mistake to call off the meeting with PTFS. I can sympathize with the committee members stated reasons for doing so (as described in their blog post), but closing communication isn’t going to get anyone anywhere. Yes, an open e-mail or IRC discussion would be better than a closed phone call, but a closed phone call is better than no communication at all. And the excuse that one committee member made about the call being at 6:00 AM his time as a reason for it not practical to participate is disappointing to say the least. If this is an important issue for the world-wide Koha community, you need to make time and adjust your schedule. After all, it is going to be 6:00 AM (or worse) somewhere around the world.

PTFS has also made a post about there position on this situation. To read more views on this, check out the Koha E-Mail list archives.