Slashdot Mirror


How Microsoft Beats GNU/Linux In Schools

twitter writes "Ever wonder why schools still use Windows? Boycott Novell has extracted the details from 2002 Microsoft email presented in the Comes vrs Microsoft case and other leaks. What emerges is Microsoft's desperate battle to 'never lose to Linux.' At stake for Microsoft is more than a billion dollars of annual revenue, vital user conditioning and governmental lock in that excludes competition, and software freedom for the rest of us. Education and Government Incentives [EDGI] and "Microsoft Unlimited Potential" are programs that allows vendors to sell Windows at zero cost. Microsoft's nightmare scenario has already been realized in Indiana and other places. Windows is not really competitive and schools that switch save tens of millions of dollars. Because software is about as expensive as the hardware in these deals, the world could save up to $500 million each year by dumping Microsoft. Now that the cat is out of the bag, it's hard to see what Microsoft can do other than what they did to Peter Quinn."

7 of 476 comments (clear)

  1. office suite by mehtars · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe its because office suite is simple, easy to use and works very well with graphics embedded within documents.

  2. Re:Den of paranoia? by drsmithy · · Score: 3, Funny

    And kudos to ScuttleMonkey, who had to remove all the creative spelling and grammar errors from the submission.

    Whoa, back up there. Are you saying a Slashdot Editor actually edited something ? That's crazy talk.

  3. Treat Microsoft like the Cable company then. by AppleOSuX · · Score: 5, Funny

    When your contract with Microsoft is about to run out, just tell them you're switching to Linux. Then you can get more Microsoft products for free.

    When Microsoft stops offering freebies, then switch to Linux.

    Problem solved.

  4. Re:Product dumping by Mozk · · Score: 2, Funny

    we're not comparing apples to apples

    First Red Hat and Microsoft, and now you're bringing Apple into this?

    --
    No existe.
  5. Re:Product dumping by etnoy · · Score: 2, Funny

    The teacher got upset when the students came to me [...] and asked for Linux, so I handed them Ubuntu's live cd's...

    OMG! It's YOU!

    --
    Quantum hacker.
  6. Re:Product dumping by robot_love · · Score: 3, Funny

    And if you are into making hand crafted woodcuts, it's entirely optional. If you narrow the specification enough, you can support just about any premise.

    You have been warned, John. Unless you bring your MacBook Pro to the next Woodcutting meeting, your membership will be revoked. I think we've been very lenient until now, but enough is enough. Get a Mac or get out.

    --
    .there is enough of everything for everyone.
  7. Re:Product dumping by mikael · · Score: 2, Funny

    On a bannser seen outside a Silicon Valley conference center:

    "Objective objectives objectify objectivity".

    --
    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads