Software Nazis Strike Against Schools

[caddmannq]

And you thought MS wanted to help our school kids?

(From The Oregonian)


Microsoft puts the squeeze on NW schools

At the busiest time of the year for those districts, Microsoft is demanding that they conduct an internal software audit to "certify licensing compliance." In a March letter, the software giant gave Portland Public Schools 60 days to inventory its 25,000 computers.

"Which," said Scott Robinson, the district's chief technology officer, "is a virtual impossibility."

...But school officials in both states are calling the audits "untimely," "outrageous" and "typical of Microsoft: not very bright."

"Given the fact that the letter came from their marketing department, and included a brochure about their school licensing agreement, this didn't seem terribly subtle to any of us...."

What would it cost Portland Public Schools, which is already facing a $36 million shortfall, to sign that Microsoft School Agreement?

"A rough number? $500,000..."

One of the options is Linux, open-source software schools can run on their desktops free of charge and without a license.

"Microsoft has made it known they're concerned about Linux invading their territory. They're doing a lot of strategy building about eliminating Linux as a threat. Some of the districts they targeted are some of the districts doing initiatives in Linux."

See the rest here

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Grrrrrr!!!

[Knothead]

Yeah, and the districts they're trying to put the squeeze on are the ones doing Linux initiatives?
About as subtle as a thin slice of lemon--wrapped around a BRICK!

I didn't understand why you and others were so anti-M$ when I first got here...Linux was a brand-new word to me...I believe it's this kind of arrogant (M$) greed that is gonna make Linux much better known.

[Agent_Embryo]

Yup. We had to do an audit too. Three weeks with 500+ computers.

M$ marketing tactics are what regularly get it into trouble, and that's why they have a bevy of lawyers - to bail them out of the strife the marketing people get them into!

Another good example of this here

I understand the business ethic of defending your market share, but enough is enough!

Cheers
Mick

[caddmannq]

Ya know, I don't miss the days when we wrote code with a pencil & made punch cards. Windows (when it works) and the GUI environment in general is a beautiful thing. And MicroSoft has made Billions off of this, and probably deserved most of it.

But it's arrogant, power-grabbing, self-humiliating, egotistical crap like this that makes me wish that Linux becomes the standard.

See, there was this time when geekdom was it's own reward, and the thrill of the chase exceeded the lure of the dollar. Bill Gates has long forgotten those days, but the Linux camp still remembers (or is re-discovering them in the case of some smart youngsters) and thus techiness for it's own sake lives on.

But greed for it's own sake has always been with us, and when Gates & Co. signed that pact with the devil, either their inevitable doom, or their iron-fisted domination over the entire industry was assured.

As the marines said about Osama Bin Laden:
"It's up to God to judge him. We're only here to arrange the meeting."

Or as I like to say:
"...and a little penguin shall lead them."

[DVNT1]

I had an MS audit that was due in Dec last year. Nothing unexpected though.

Just wait until you (they) see the new licensing spreadsheet to help "compare" costs of having upgrade insurance compared to not having it.

The $ forecast is based on upgrading every two years. They upgrade protection is actually only effective if you upgrade more often than every 3~4 years. Still, too much money for me.

[Richard Cranium]

Question, what gives MS the authority to "Demand" such action ?

Without a warrant, if I were the Supt of Schools I'd tell MS to stuff the audit where the sun don't shine. This really pisses me off.

Much like the EULA I wonder who enforcable this tactic is.

[SEALTEAMTHREE]

Kinda off topic, but...

As the marines said about Osama Bin Laden:
"It's up to God to judge him. We're only here to arrange the meeting."

There you guys go again, giving the Marines all the credit....

[cadetstimp]

Looks like a job for...... Lindows!

[CERuppel]

Sorry SealTeamThree, but in my family the Marine Corps is a fact of life.

Just for the record, three generations, eight marines, and one air force (NASA, what can I say?).

But really, regarding MS: Does anyone find thier actions fair and just?

They have repeatedly violated the law, been tried and found guilty, sentanced to restrictions, violated those restrictions, been tried and found guilty, sentanced...

You get the idea. Even in regard to software piracy MS has been guilty. And now they are trying to use the courts to beat concessions out of both the US goverment and the entire commercial sector.

Enough. In 1994 in the original MS anti-Trust case MS was prohibited from doing many things, including:

--Requiring licensees to purchase any other Microsoft
product as a condition for licensing a particular Microsoft
operating system.

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/J...94387.txt.html

So how did they ever think that binding all of those MS products (IE, Messenger, Windows Media Player just off the top of my head) into Windows was legal to begin with? Regardless of cost to the customer, it is still requiring the licensee to purchase other MS products to get Windows.

Sorry about the length of this one guys...

We now return you to your irregular forum...