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Ontario Schools License StarOffice

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gateway-drug-for-free-software dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Sun Microsystems has signed a contract with the Ontario Ministry of Education in one of the biggest deals yet for its StarOffice software. It covers 72 public and parochial school boards in Ontario. All will be licensed to use StarOffice 7 on all school-owned PCs. Financial details weren't disclosed but Ontario school officials said the cost is 'minimal.'" Reader Apostata adds that the move "will see the application suite used by 2.5 million students. No word on whether it ships with 'Canadian English' pack ;)"

17 of 536 comments (clear)

  1. Hosers by momerath2003 · · Score: 3, Funny

    'Canadian English'?

    Will StarOffice append '", eh?" to every sentence? Or does it simply replace "about" with "aboot"?

    --
    I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
    1. Re:Hosers by ErichTheWebGuy · · Score: 3, Funny

      Take off, eh!

      --
      bash: rtfm: command not found
    2. Re:Hosers by Pxtl · · Score: 4, Funny

      SCTV actually (where John Candy got his start) - it was a Canadian show, but aimed for the American mass market. There was a minute or two of extra time at the end of the show because of the difference between Canadian and American timeslot lengths, so they decided to add something "uniquely Canadian" and put in Bob and Doug in the "Great White North".

    3. Re:Hosers by bigdavex · · Score: 4, Funny

      I have never met anyone in Canada that pronounces "about" as "aboot".

      The Canadians I know say "aboot" but they don't know it. One of them asked us about the reference in South park. "What's all that aboot? We don't say aboooot."
      --
      -Dave
    4. Re:Hosers by MochaMan · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, I just come in the log cabin from hunting caribou whilst fending off grizzlies (and a couple o' vicious salmon) and I see some post on slashdot mocking Canadian English, eh. Well, as a born and bred Canadian, I feel it's aboot toime someone set the record straight on this whole sordid affair, 'fore a body ends up with a frozen mukluk to the arse.

      I'll give it to you straight -- we may wear toques, sit on chesterfields, and pay for our two-fours in loonies, and we may even say "aboot", but we get more beaver than anyone else on the planet.

  2. Canadian English by teklob · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just because I'm bored I'll post some canadian-american english translations
    American - Canadian
    Soda - Pop
    11th Grade- Grade 11
    well thats all i can think of, that sure killed 2 minutes

    1. Re:Canadian English by ForestGrump · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sadam Heussien- Prime minister
      The only road- Highway 1
      Dollar-1.25
      (ok, you had to see that ep of south park to get it)

      --
      Is it true that more people vote for the winner of American Idol, than vote for the president? -Ali G.
  3. Re:Backstory by fembots · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does that mean that the best way to lobby for OpenSource is to lobby for cutting funding in education?

    The ministry probably can't even get StarOffice if the budget is cut to $500mil, maybe then they'll start considering OpenOffice :)

    --
    Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
  4. 'Canadian English' pack? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    eh?

  5. Re:Licensed...? by antiMStroll · · Score: 5, Funny
    "My former slight thoughts of Canada's intelligence are withering."

    Given the tortured grammar of that sentence, Canada feels no loss.

  6. Re:Need OO.o to MS filters by jazman_777 · · Score: 5, Funny
    RTF.

    I had to think for a minute about rtf. My first reaction: RTF What? The Manual or the Article? It's a short step from RTF to RTFM or RTFA.

    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  7. Re:Canadian = British = English != American by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "elvator" is some sort of robotic Mexican gang member, right?

  8. You appear to be writing a letter! by Moonpie+Madness · · Score: 2, Funny

    OfficeStar assistance can help you. What is the letter aboot? ____________________________________ ( OK ) ( Cancel )

  9. Re:Cost? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Just vote NDP. They're CLEARLY the least evil of the bunch.

  10. Re:Those damn teachers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Screw the children if you can't keep a female"

    No wonder you're staying anonymous!

  11. Re:Cost? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    What are you talking aboot!? The conservatives will makes us all better, by turning us into USAians. We'll have no health care, lots of guns, 30% poverty, and education only for the rich. Don't you want the top 1% of the population to control 80% of the wealth!?
    Just look at what the Tories did for Ontario! We're dumber, sicker, and no one can afford electricity. But who needs electricity when we're all sick from bad water!
    I luvs Stephen Harper, I wants to have his babies!

  12. Re:Backstory by |<amikaze · · Score: 4, Funny

    Because the error messages are descriptive,

    Segmentation Fault.