Posts made by Visvanath Ratnaweera

Moodle in English -> Installing and upgrading help -> [4.4.2]PDF conversion not working -> Re: [4.4.2] PDF conversion not working [CONCLUDED]

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators

CONCLUDED per OP's reply.

Ken, you don't have to justify, we are expressing our opinions and thankfully not vindicated for that.

Now, your post was not addressed directly to me but assuming that the 'someone else' who "has been known to" come along and "started taking this thread off into other" was me, on to:

> you both need to convince Moodle HQ to remove it from core ...

Do you mean the interface to convert documents by using the service Google PDF Convert? Simple. For that Moodle doesn't run Google code. Moodle makes use of a service Google has opened to the public. Denying the fact that such a service exists on the Net would be a deception and hindering the users to practice their freedom. I don't think, if a person chooses to be a slave on his free will, the law can stop that person. The only place to interfere would be if there's proof that the master abuses the slave.

> including these forums login.

Honestly, the Google login is a thorn in my eyes. But it is the same thing. If moodle.org takes that login out, how many will quit Google? Close to zero, right? It is again the same thing about Freedom as above.

> We 'agree to disagree' ... I'll agree to that!

It was never otherwise. Free speech is free, nobody says we should agree!

Average of ratings: -

Moodle in English -> Installing and upgrading help -> [4.4.2]PDF conversion not working -> Re: [4.4.2] PDF conversion not working [CONCLUDED]

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators

Hi Richard

You wrote:
> I have had plenty of alternate solutions to get PDF conversion working. We are currently researching and testing them.
> ..
> So forget about the PDF conversions, we will fix that with information available/received in this topic and elsewhere.

That is good news. Based on that I declare the original topic, "PDF conversion not working", CONCLUDED. Of course we'll be happy to hear which solution finally won. wink

> The spin off of this thread had to do, for me, with how easy people just said 'use the free Google service'. It kinda shocked me.

Me too! Google in K12 - that is schooling in the US from Kindergarten to the 12th grade - that was a nightmare. sad

> I tried to explain that it was not free and that you pay with data that is not yours to pay with (student data).
> 
> I then was surprised about the answer that Big Tech is not interested in the work of our students...

Appreciate it. In fact I will quote your posts in other occasions, giving the links to your corr. posts where ever possible.

Believe it or not, I already had that occasion yesterday a'noon. I was supposed to share my experience with Linux newcomers in a small gathering. I was amazed by the privacy questions they've raised. To many of them I couldn't give technically substenciated answers even if I had the time. Mildly formulated, there are great cultural differences between the two banks of the pond, with or without the channel, among even among the techies. A more daring statement would be, I saw another confirmation of why William Tell is their folks hero.

> I thought we took the time off of programming and servers to talk about the privacy and Big Tech. Which was fine with me smile

Same here. This off-topic happen to be my topic. Still, since not everybody appreciate the , here is a "YouTube" channel for the techies here to dive deeper: https://odysee.com/@RobBraxmanTech:6.

Average of ratings: -

Moodle in English -> Installing and upgrading help -> [4.4.2]PDF conversion not working -> Re: [4.4.2] PDF conversion not working

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators
Hi Ken

You wrote:
> Heck, let's turn back the clock way back ... 'unplug' meant just that ... go back to pen and paper! No Moodle at all! Problem solved!
 
Our nostalgia towards the good old analog days aside, why the issue of "PDF conversion not working" makes such a drastic change necessary?

>> An institution forcing all its members to sacrifice date to Google is a crime.
>
> Show me the 'international law' that makes using Google or any BIG Tech a crime!
 
You have a too high opinion on my understanding of law, let alone _international_ law. I used the term crime loosely - to mean _wrong_. You see, why IANAL.
wink
 
For my layman understanding, once a court imposes a fine you'll find the crime in the court order. By paying the fine, the culprit accepts his guilt.
 
I'm aware that the BIG have big lawyers and they can keep on appealing forever.  I am not going to wait my whole life to see the outcomes. I go through the court order and the evidence presented therein and make my own judgment (which has no value to the outside world other than when people argue with me).
 
Talking of court orders Google has a very long history of fines of all sorts. I thought the world knew. See the post Will the US government break Google's monopoly? for two massive recent fines in duo-pack.
 
> I'd dare to say that much of what might be submitted by K12 students isn't worth BIG Tech time.
 
Wrong. Whether you stole 1 buck or 1 grand, it is the same crime, provided that the circumstances are the same.
 
> For that matter, much of what is submitted by higher ed students is also not worth the time.
 
Wrong. The OP has explained in detail the value of the documents his students submit. Forget that, has it ever occurred to you why Google does spend hoards of money to "help" the world?

>> "... you need good IT staff ..." Agreed there! So where are the IT people for the OP in this thread?

You're at the heart of the problem why this thread is going bizarre. The OP has received plenty of alternative solutions in this thread. Rather than "diving deep" he prefers to play the ball back to our court asking whether this is good or the other is good. We can only repeat ourselves. Maybe realizing that we add a side-comment or two which then "fire up unrelated conversations again".
Average of ratings: -