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Are Colleges Helping to Maintain the Microsoft Monopoly?
lexus99 asks: "Recently, while attending college and wanting to take tests in order to avoid taking basic computer courses, I have signed up for a few SAM (Skills Assessment Manager) tests. What really surprised me is that these tests are entirely based upon Microsoft products (Windows XP and Office XP). Note that this course is -required- before taking any any of the more advanced courses. Is this not a clear cut case of U.S. Colleges forcing its students to exclusively use Microsoft's software? Does Microsoft pay for this 'privledge', or do the schools get some type of M$ discounts? I don't believe that I will have any problem passing these tests, as I frequently use M$ software in my workplace, but I cannot help but feel insulted that I have to take them in order to take more advanced UNIX courses." This issue is a lot more complex than it sounds. Many colleges fall into Microsoft's software because they do get decent volume discounts and Microsoft provides them with decent service, so why change what works? However, with the new licensing schemes that Microsoft is beginning to push, maybe we'll see some change in this area in the near future. Have any of you seen evidence of Microsoft worming it's way into your college courses?
You pay for what you get.
"...but feel insulted that I have to take them in order to take more advanced UNIX courses."
Bah ha ha! So you see, Unix truly is better than Windows. They save the best for last. Windows is like the crappy job you take and keep for a reference before going onto the really good one.
On a side note, my university gave out copies of WinXP for free to computer science/computer engineering majors. Microsoft PAID groupd of students who headed a group called MSUG (MicroSoft Users Group) to brainwash people into being Microsoft junkies. They got an assist by handing out free copies of Win2K, Office, Visual Studio, etc. Digital crack.
Trolls make great pets. Adopt one today!
Windows for $6? How did it get so cheap? Your tuition that could have been spent elsewhere...
So... let me get this straight. You're suggesting that the OP choose a different university because the one in question offers deep student discounts on Microsoft software?
I think you might've left your sense of proportion in your other pants.
I write in my journal
The only computer science classes you're going to get on Windows at Carnegie Mellon University is if you're a non-CS major taking intro CS classes. These are done using Metrowerks' suite (as opposed to MS's).
Everything else is done on Linux or Solaris. I'm taking a *video games* course that is taught on Linux.
Couldn't be a better place if you like doing your work in a UNIX environment.
Students are told in their third CS course that while they can turn in proofs written in Microsoft Equation Editor, that it will be harder, and that they are strongly recommended to learn LaTeX.
I still remember a philosophy professor that handed out an assignment in Word format.
I thought about complaining, but thought that it wasn't worth it, so I just printed it out at one of the clusters that have Windows installed.
The next day, in class, the professor said "due to overwhelming demand, future assignments will be given in PDF format..."
There's no reliance within the university on Microsoft file formats, and serious animosity to moving to anything that's available only from Microsoft.
If you want a good CS curriculum that isn't a bunch of regurgitated "how to design foo in Visual Studio", and you like UNIX...you're likely to like CMU.
May we never see th
Thanks to Balmer and our good Linux-friendly friend news.com, we have more wonderful Microsoft quotes.
.Net is obviously XML): Well, the benefit of .Net is XML...We take the XML connection and we extended it across both client and server -- while other guys are only server-focused. It's about connecting people to people, people to information, businesses to businesses, businesses to information, and so on. That is the benefit....it's a set of code we ship that...people use to help build applications that process XML information....it's getting to be conventional wisdom that the future of IT is around XML. But I'd like conventional wisdom to be that XML brings benefits today, and the best way to participate in the XML revolution -- in terms of user benefits and productivity -- is Visual Studio.Net.
...next major Windows release, called Longhorn. I'm sure we will have some service packs in between.
Balmer Quote 1: The truth is, we probably made (.Net) a little harder to understand than we (should) have.
Balmer Quote 2 (in which Balmer makes it quite plain that he's going to drive home the point that the marketroids prepped him with -- that XML is Good, money should be spent on XML, and
Balmer Quote 3 (in which Balmer shows himself happily living in his own world): A Yankee Group study says 40 percent of corporations surveyed were looking at operating system alternatives such as Linux, in part because of the Microsoft licensing program. But I think they are okay with where they are.
Balmer Quote 4: The Linux [platform] hardly runs any applications, except a bunch of shareware stuff that's not very good.
Balmer Quote 5: There has yet to be any innovation, new features or new capabilities out of the Linux platform. [Me -- so how the hell has *Microsoft* pushed technology forward?] But I don't think anyone should expect anything innovative coming out of that [Linux] world.
Balmer Quote 6: And we are going to have as or more a community as Linux does. [Me -- in your wet dreams, Balmer]
Balmer Quote 7 (in which Balmer discusses the buggy nature of Windows):
May we never see th
WTF?
Are you gonna stand there all day and talk about intellecual fancy shemanzy
CRAP, or are you gonna join us and propogate the "M$ taking over education system"
conspiracy?
A really sneaky way to go about solving the problem follows:
E
Marxist evolution is just N generations away!