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Internet Allows LRC to Expand Office Space, But SDPB Needs New Software to Webcast Legislature

Technology giveth, and technology taketh away.

The good news is that technological progress is allowing the Legislative Research Council to clear some shelves of old books and make more office space for its diligent workers. According to Bob Mercer, LRC exec Jason Hancock told the Legislature’s Executive Board yesterday that “not all of those shelves and files contain things we use on an every-day basis in the Internet age.”

Cool! The LRC is running just like my blog office: drop the paper and do everything online!

The bad news is that the merciless advance of innovation imperils our access to live audio from the Legislature. South Dakota Public Broadcasting, bless their hearts, is still using software based on Windows XP to stream audio from the Legislature and the Public Utilities Commission:

The root problem is the present system relies on the Windows XP operating system that isn’t being supported any longer. [SDPB exec Julie] Overgaard said SDPB’s system “probably” could last through the 2016 legislative session, but she couldn’t guarantee it.

“Should we run into a hiccup, there’s not necessarily anybody to call for a spare part or to fix it,” she said.

Overgaard said the new system would come from Haivision, an international firm based in Montreal and Chicago.

She said there would be an $80,000 cost up-front to install new equipment and write new software, followed by a monthly lease fee of $10,950 for five years [Bob Mercer, “Outdated Software Could Risk Streaming of South Dakota Legislative Session,” Aberdeen American News, 2015.08.25].

South Dakota State Capitol, with telecom upgradeA hiccup in audio from Pierre during Session? Noooooo!

Heck, I say we just use eminent domain to acquire the rights to Windows XP and the existing software and pay some techies to keep it running forever. (I’ll bet there are some geeks out there who would revel in that challenge.)

Or instead of spending $10,950 a month on new software, perhaps we should just recruit a few more pages and interns, hand them juiced up smartphones, and stream audio and video via Periscope or Google Hangouts.

But whatever it takes, the Legislature should take immediate action to ensure that South Dakotans across the state can still listen live to their Legislature at work and review the audio archive online at any time.

22 Comments

  1. leslie 2015-08-25 10:15

    how is $80k hardware plus $10k monthly for the publisher and $1k consumer hardware (good computer) plus $50 a month internet access for the subscriber a workable business model?

    bill gates seems to have us between a rock and a hard “space”

  2. Douglas Wiken 2015-08-25 10:56

    WXP still works. Microsoft may no longer be updating it, but with existing software that runs now, it should not automatically mean it will fail anytime soon.

    The costs for streaming software seem rather outrageous when it seems to be already done all over. Hiring a company which has not done it and suggesting they might sell it after SDPB pays for the development also seems a bit strange.

    As you indicate, Cory, it seems hiring some South Dakotans for the task makes more sense than finding another way to export SD money to Texas or wherever.

  3. MC 2015-08-25 12:09

    First, Windows XP, Really?

    There are plenty of other platforms and software that are less expensive and do the job just as well if not better.

  4. 96Tears 2015-08-25 15:16

    If they’ve been stuck with Windows XP all this time, it means they got their money out of the old system and then some. Kind of like driving a car past 200,000 miles. The cheap miles.

    And it’s not like Microsoft snuck up on anybody with a surprise here. This is just plain refusing to plan ahead and adjust with the rest of the modern world. And it looks like fishy excuse to make South Dakota’s public all the more ignorant about what those rocket scientists in Pierre are doing to screw things up even worse.

  5. leslie 2015-08-25 15:21

    wow 96, hope u r not right. not like koch’s haven’t thought of these kinds of forward strategies in their aim at taking over the podunk states.

  6. Roger Elgersma 2015-08-25 17:18

    I thought we had a first rate computer tech university in Madison or somewhere. When I started in engineering we were given assignments of making machines to do recycling since that was the new thing in those days. For the $780,000 we would have to spend, why not let the kids do it for an engineering project. What a great thing to put on the resume. University education with hands on experience in the real world. Spend a little on upgrading the department and everyone wins, oh except the company in Canada.

  7. grudznick 2015-08-25 20:01

    I am told that Public Broadcasting, or Mr. Janklow’s version of it according to Mr. kurtz, is part of the Computer Department under Governor Daugaard. You would think the Computer Department would know that Windows was going to go away and would have planned for this and asked for money a while ago. Perhaps this was just an oversight of some sort.

  8. larry kurtz 2015-08-25 20:44

    It’s important to remember that although Bill Janklow is dead his legacy is still circling the drain.

  9. larry kurtz 2015-08-25 21:21

    janklow is still dead…init?

  10. Wade Brandis 2015-08-25 21:37

    It’s not clear what exact software SDPB uses to stream the Legislature, but with my own experience of working with PCs and their components, their current system can possibly be upgraded for less than $1,000. Depending on how old the system is, spare parts and compatible upgrades can be readily be found on TigerDirect, Best Buy, or eBay. I currently upgraded a PC made in 2008 with a new graphics card, 1TB hard drive, and Windows 8.1 and the speed is amazing. I have an additional 8gb RAM upgrade on order.

    The only hurdle I can see is the streaming software itself. It’s possible it may run fine under Windows 7 with compatibility settings applied, but there is also a chance it might not. For that purpose, why not switch to a free open source alternative like VideoLan Server? There is no cost, and there may be a learning curve, but if it works in the end, they won’t need to pay for a commercial streaming program.

    On a slightly off topic note, I saw a bit of Montana PBS on a recent road trip to the Pacific Northwest. The Montana Legistlature has a 24/7 network called Television Montana which is a local variation of C-Span, broadcasting nothing but legistlature related programming. It’s rebroadcast over the signals of Montana PBS as well as being on various cable systems.

    SDPB should try out a 24/7 Legislature channel, or at least let the state operate a similar channel and have it rebroadcast over SDPB’s transmitters.

  11. Douglas Wiken 2015-08-25 22:32

    Why not test their software on a W8 computer and see if it runs? I have a number of WXP programs running on a W8 computer with no problems.

    Is any streaming software available for Linux?

  12. grudznick 2015-08-25 23:50

    It seems like there are several people here who, as terrible to you as this may seem, could be fiscal conservatives and could probably help the SDPB save and us taxpayers save tens of thousands of dollars. You could even get a reasonable payment for your services of $100 an hour or $8.50 or whatever the going rate is for libbie labor.

    So why don’t you fellows please fix this, because it seems like the computer department really dropped the ball here and needs a hand. Mr. PP kind of fancies himself a computer fellow and maybe he has cheaper fixes. I hope he posts about it soon.

  13. grudznick 2015-08-25 23:53

    I have my own ideas about the DSU part of this problem. I think the DSU computer skill is overrated and they can’t fix this or they already would have. Send 10 kids out there with a project and you’d think they could fix this. Doesn’t University in Vermillion have some computer kids who work with the PBS? What has our teaching come to?

    It is another symptom of low teacher pay for good teachers, and bad teachers instead sending these drone kids with no imagination to DSU.

  14. leslie 2015-08-25 23:58

    grudz the teacher pay issue is K-12, not college. it appears your blind hatred, rage, obstinancy and annoying, cloying “cuteness” has caused a misread here. i for one however salute your “wisdom” of age despite experience.

  15. grudznick 2015-08-26 00:03

    Oh. Sorry then. But I think DSU still really dropped the ball here and open movies of the legislatures are going to suffer. Maybe the DSU teachers are paid fine. But that is probably as you say a different obstinancy from the issue at hand.

    So leslie, why didn’t the educrats at DSU see this coming or the computer people who work for the Governor? Why are they springing this on the legislatures at the last minute? It is not because of low teacher pay.

  16. leslie 2015-08-26 00:23

    Joop is not talking:)

  17. Joe K. 2015-08-26 01:17

    This needs to be fixed now. Applying band aids and limping this system along based on XP is just asking for trouble. Who is responsible for this? If they think running on XP is “okay” through 2016, someone is not doing their job. In this day and age, the strength of a network is only as strong as its weakest link. I know that is a cliche’ saying, but it really holds true here. Running XP, especially on a very visible website – well, that is just asking for problems.
    XP is not patched anymore, and there has been several vulnerabilities published since the EOL (end of life) notice from Microsoft, which was offically on April 8th, 2014. Anyone concerned with security who is still running XP is a fool, at best.
    To allow this, especially on a state supported website shows several flaws in the system. To have this problem a full year plus, after XP was retired shows ignorance, or laziness, or a bad combo of both.
    I guess whoever is ultimately responsible is okay with some foreign country gaining a foothold on the State of SD’s network. I really hope the guys/gals at BIT take notice on this… Bunch of good people up there.

  18. Douglas Wiken 2015-08-26 16:39

    The sky is falling.

  19. Bill Dithmero 2015-08-26 16:42

    Ok, I admit that I’m a little computer challenged. I just have to ask, what is so special about this program? So far thats all that has been said. What does this thing “program” do?

    Is it a modulator?
    Does it control frequently separation on a continuous wave?
    Is it something to do with compression?
    Or is it about converting one format to another?

    I dont really know what any of those things mean. I read them in Science Digest way back in the sixties while fulfilling a detention obligation, but my point is this. Why not ask them what is special about the program. Then offer fifty grand to a person or persons that can write such a program instate payable only when SDPB runs the diagnostics on it.

    Personally, I think their blowing smoke up your skirts and this money is headed to someones poket that hasn’t done a damn thing.

    But like I said before I’m computer stupid. Audacity is a cheap program, its free, and it does all those doohickies I said before and much more. Ya, that might not be the one, but you never know until you’ve asked.

    The Blindman

  20. grudznick 2015-08-26 21:27

    Mr. K, have you looked at the charts that show that the Public Broadcasting is part of the Bit? The same fine folks who run the Bit are the ones who run the Public Broadcasting. They are the people who dropped the ball here. Do we blame the Bit people or do we blame the Friends of PBS for not seeing this or do we blame the Governor for not making the Bit people do the right jobs?

  21. grudznick 2015-08-26 21:31

    Mr. Dithmer is probably right here. Where does this money go and was the failure to plan planned as part of the pocket lining?

Comments are closed.