Databases and Collaborative Spaces for Composition

Microsoft Sharepoint: Sharepoint Conclusion

Matt Barton | May 2006

• Introduction
• Open Source CMS's
• What Is an Open Source Content Management System?
• Why Not an Open Source Learning Management System?
• What Does This Mean for Teaching?
• Open Source CMS Conclusion
• Microsoft Sharepoint
• Why Sharepoint?
• Sharepoint and Writing Program Administration
• Sharepoint and First Year Writing
• Sharepoint Conclusion
• Final Thoughts

Sharepoint is a powerful web portal with much to offer writing programs and instructors, particularly those where the servers run Microsoft's server software and Microsoft Office. Sharepoint is a powerful application that is mercifully easy for novice computer users to learn. However, we should note that most of the functionality of Sharepoint is lost on users who do not have Microsoft Office on their PC. Furthermore, only servers with Microsoft's pricey server software can run Sharepoint. As one might expect given Microsoft's "vendor lock-in" marketing strategies, Sharepoint works best when users are running the latest versions of all relevant Microsoft software (XP and Office). Firefox users will be disappointed to see that many of Sharepoint's features (such as the “check-out” features of the document libraries) are only usable in Internet Explorer. In short, selecting Sharepoint is a decision to embrace all of Microsoft's software, for good or ill.

Sharepoint is a powerful web portal with much to offer writing programs and instructors, particularly those where the servers run Microsoft's server software and Microsoft Office. Sharepoint is a powerful application that is mercifully easy for novice computer users to learn. However, we should note that most of the functionality of Sharepoint is lost on users who do not have Microsoft Office on their PC. Furthermore, only servers with Microsoft's pricey server software can run Sharepoint. As one might expect given Microsoft's "vendor lock-in" marketing strategies, Sharepoint works best when users are running the latest versions of all relevant Microsoft software (XP and Office). Students or teachers running older versions (or Microsoft Works) can have some puzzling difficulties, especially when it comes to accessing or working with files on the site. For instance, older versions of Word and Works will not allow users to view the tracked changes and comments that make Word attractive as a tool for peer reviewing documents. Firefox users will be disappointed to see that many of Sharepoint's features (such as the "check-out" features of the document libraries) are only usable in Internet Explorer. Finally, as the world's largest software manufacturer, Microsoft is the most widely targeted by viruses and other malicious software. In short, selecting Sharepoint is a decision to embrace all of Microsoft's software, for good or ill.

Please feel free to browse our own Sharepoint site and see for yourself what Sharepoint has to offer a writing program.

All content copyright © 2006 by the authors. Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

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