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Windows on an iMac (says the invoice); Red Hat's Alternative

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the two-sides-to-every-story dept.

A user writes "According to a story at The Register, schools who want to take advantage of educational bulk licensing agreements with Microsoft have to count all PCs (and Macs!), even those not running Windows." One package of software applies to all installed PCs and Macs, including those running Linux or BSD, so schools end up paying for stations that Windows (and other programs) cannot or do not run on. Microsoft's justification is that the agreement requires an "institution-wide commitment." Coincidentally, bc90021 points out that "RedHat announced its Linux Pilot Program for schools today. Designed to improve the overall learning experience for children, seven North Carolina school districts have already joined. One county director is quoted as saying: 'With the money we saved from not buying proprietary licenses, the school district purchased additional resources that directly [a]ffected the learning experience of our students and brought us into the 21st century.'"

7 of 580 comments (clear)

  1. Fish Bowl? by Niles_Stonne · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would that include the old Mac case that the network admin changed into a fish bowl too?

    --
    Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but copyright will always protect me.
  2. Oracle and California explained! by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny
    If Microsoft can require an iMac to have a Windows license, maybe that's why California "needed" to buy 250,000 Oracle licenses, even though that's more than one Oracle license per state employee!

    "Look, just because you can't even install or use the software doesn't mean you don't have to pay for it! I paid $25,000 to your campaign, and I want my $95M in revenues, dammit!"

    1. Re:Oracle and California explained! by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Ya know, it doesn't suprise me that much that politicians are for sale. But I never cease to be amazed at how low their prices seem to be."

      Yeah, but pretty soon if you buy American politicians in the UK you will have to pay 17.5% VAT on them.

      graspee

  3. MS haiku by Sarlok · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft license
    Squeezing money from our schools
    Linux saves the day

  4. Grade 1? by schon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't give them ideas!

    I mean, how far do you go? Slide rule? Abacus? They are all computing devices.

    BSA Rep: "I'm afraid you're not in compliance with your license agreement, because each of those children has ten fingers, which they use to compute basic mathematics. For your class of 20 first grade students, you will need to purchase an additional 200 licenses."

  5. Must be... by macdaddy · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...that new-fangled Oracle License.

  6. Re:How much money can be saved . . . by colmore · · Score: 3, Funny

    yep a computer lab sure is a lot cheaper than elementary school quality science equipment.

    a computer lab can cost as much as 10 new teachers.

    i'm not saying computers can't help eductation, i just think there are better things that our schools could spend their (scarce) cash on.

    --
    In Capitalist America, bank robs you!