[Wolves] BBC Technology poll - vote now :-)

[Mark Harrison]

As I understand the MS licencing scheme, it's more about "Windows only", 
vs. "Windows + Office", vs. "Windows + Office + Email" etc... than "This 
PC runs Linux, but I want a Windows licence fee anyway."

I used to run an IT support function in the mid-90s, and frankly, I'd 
have happily spent £500 a year to avoid the overhead of running software 
usage audits to ensure we stayed legal. (OK, it wasn't a school, but a 
company with a similar type scheme.)

I understand that MS offers massive discounts to schools, presumably on 
the basis it really wants a generation of kids brought up familiar with 
MS software.


To my mind, the biggest problem is the lack of companies looking to 
provide IT services to schools based around Linux. Chances are that the 
job is done by a teacher or an office support person, who "knows a bit 
about computers", and anything more complex than that is referred to the 
LEA, who have a standard recommendation :-(


OpenOffice have (for all their faults in other areas) done good things 
in promoting companies who want to target the educational sector. The 
Linux community has, in my view, never really taken on the sector seriously.


M.





Chris Maggs wrote:
> Never thought of it like that, but I suppose it depends on the cost
> per PC. For example, if they have 10 PCs that have something other
> than Windows on them, then that totals £500 a year wasted (assuming
> £50 per PC)
>
> Chris
>
>
> On 26/10/2007, Mark Harrison <Mark at yourpropertyexpert.com> wrote:
>   
>> Chris Maggs wrote:
>>     
>>> Just after I voted, this story popped up!
>>>
>>> http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7063716.stm
>>>
>>> Great read, and I was outraged by the following section :
>>>
>>> [QUOTE]
>>> But a spokesman for Becta said the problem was that Microsoft required
>>> schools to have licences for every PC in a school that might use its
>>> software, whether they were actually doing so or running something
>>> else.
>>> [END QUOTE]
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>>       
>> Out of interest, why were you outraged? It's not an unreasonable offer
>> for MS to make:
>>
>> "Look, Mr. IT Manager, either you keep accurate records of which PCs
>> have which applications, and work out the bill, or you just pay us £50
>> [1] per PC per year and you can install any applications you want".
>>
>> [1] I've no idea what the figure actually is - the £50 is plucked out of
>> thin air.
>>
>>
>> I don't use Linux because I have some "moral horror" at MS - I use it
>> because it's cheaper, faster and better.
>>
>>
>> Mark
>>
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>>     
>
>
>