MS Tweaks Ill-Received Licensing Plan

ahooton writes "C|Net is reporting that Microsoft has updated it's Software Assurance licensing program. The company has admitted that it's initial approach angered a large number of customers. No huge difference in pricing or terms -- changes are comprised of bundling some training and support. The one interesting concession is that corporate licensees of Microsoft Office can now use that suite on a home computer as well." What a concession. (Paddo points to this similar article on Australian IT via News.com.au.)

Comments

Love-hate relationship

[FearUncertaintyDoubt]

As a DBA in a pure-MS shop with dozens of servers and about 1000 desktops, I can say that we are probably typical of the corporate customer who lives by MS but also resents the cost and control they exert over our enterprise. It sometimes feels like being a colony ruled by the king. Life can be good, but taxes are high and you are pretty much under the thumb of the big guy. When he says pay up, it ain't cheap, and you don't get much say in the process; it's pay up, or else starve. I think in general, the natives are getting restless, and it will not be long before we see open revolt against microsoft and their expensive licensing model.

Microsoft seems to be getting the picture. While it looks like they are making just a couple of strategic concessions to try to maintain their stranglehold on the market. However, I don't think that they can stem the tide so easily. Eventually, they will have to make concessions to just about everyone -- i.e., they have to reduce their price pretty much across the board, because the market, having real competition, won't sustain their artificially high prices anymore (how do you think they got their $40 billion, not to mention Gates' 40?).

No crap

[mao che minh]

My boss asked me to take home some work that was all compiled in various Word, Excel, and whatever that PDF-like Microsoft format is (Visio I think). I lied and said that I only have Linux installed at home and use Star Office (which is 2/3 true). He asked me how I could afford to pay for a Unix workstation and not Windows, which he thought was "free" with each PC. When I showed him Redhat.com and explained what Linux was to him, he was truly puzzled. He had no idea that there were any other operating systems other then Windows, Unix, and Apple/Mac. This is coming from a guy that has been in a management position within a rather large tech company for 6 years.

Did anyone else read this and think...

[JudgeFurious]

...of Johnny Cochran in the South Park episode where he's talking to the jury and then pulls out a monkey?

"Look at the monkey. See the monkey? Look at the monkey."

None of this addresses any of the things that people really had a problem with regarding their licensing scheme. None of this is going to make a bit of difference to our shop. We're getting open source alternatives lined up and mapping out our "Escape from Redmond" plan with the idea of getting it done by the end of 2003. This simply couldn't be less relevant to us.