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Microsoft Unbundles Software For NY City
doishmere writes "Microsoft has agreed to sell individual pieces of software to NY City workers, rather than forcing each seat to buy a full suite of software. The city has created three classes of users based on which pieces of software they need to perform their job, and Microsoft will sell software packages tailored to each class at a reduced price."
I think this perfectly shows the change Microsoft has been going thru in recent years. In early 2000's they seemed to be stuck with 90's thinking, but now they are back to the game again. That is bad news for Google, which has been heavily investing in developing online versions of similar applications that Microsoft offers. But the truth is, none of those come even close what MS Office offers. And after 20 years, there still isn't anything that comes even close to Visual Studio as a development environment.
Recently our company looked at upgrading all our computers and applications and the truth is, there is no competition for Microsoft. It would be great to see Open Source versions for such online tools, but there are none. Even the Google's products are proprietary and storing company data "in the cloud" is not a good idea. I made the decision to upgrade all computers with Windows 7 and the newest Office tools and Visual Studios. Frankly, they all work great.
Microsoft has been having a slow change, but the huge investment in new technologies like Xbox360, the huge support for developers, Windows Mobile 7, online versions of their one-of-a-kind Office tools and Bing show this. We even saw their prototype Courier tablet, which was the first product in a long time that made me horny over a computer equipment. It really was that great, and it was a sad day when it didn't finish as a product. I do, however, hope that Microsoft will use its ideas in future tablets they release.
I think government, cities and companies all see it the same way - Microsoft makes finished enterprise quality software and services that work. Their support for corporations is great and they usually work out good deals on bulk buys. If you're one of those that appreciate quality, you go with Microsoft.
I would like to apologize to the slashdot community. I have been off my meds and it makes me do odd stuff like shout "YOU ARE NOTHING". Rest assured I will attempt to continue to take my medicine at the regular intervals assigned by my physician. I also apologize for any threats I may have made, for some reason I though that threats of bodily harm on the Internet are not real and would not be reported to the police as such.
Does this include niggers, chinks, and jews?
Getting money for something someone else has done. The NYC employees uses a Mac or LibreOffice, it matters not, Microsoft still collects.
Quicker to read learn more about this from a simple search or two:
http://www.google.com/search?sclient=psy&hl=en&tbs=nws%3A1&source=hp&q=Microsoft+new+york+city&btnG=Search
http://www.bing.com/news/search?q=microsoft+new+york+city&go=&form=QBNR&qs=n&sk=&sc=5-19
because they have to get really hard. believe me, if you've ever been trying to have anal with your skanky girlfriend that trying to breach her colon is tougher than shoe leather if you have a semi. gay guys have been bred to have high blood pressure making it necessary for them to attempt impregnating men to have more gay babies who are born priapic and eager to please any tom, dick or harry who crosses their path. you can tell by the mustache since straight men have beards but gays always have mustaches.
I grew up there and it turned into shit. It was great in the old days. Now it's shit. I live in New Jerzey now it's worse! I have to get the fuck out of here to the west coast !!!!
It looks like you're shilling for Microsoft. Would you like to:
* Talk about how Microsoft solutions are enterprise ready
* Bash Google and/or Apple for no apparent reason
* Mention the hidden costs of open source
* Cleverly forget to mention Microsoft disasters such as Bob, the Zune, Windows Mobile, or Vista
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
Who modded that post "insightful?"
Palm trees and 8
In the first place?
I mean, the fact that Microsoft was forcing software bundles on the city seems very sneaky and underhanded. Usually when you're dealing with that big of a client, you're cutting them the deal, not the other way around.
Also, as much as I love Windows, there is no reason that organizations looking to save money should not be using OpenOffice or one of its variants.
Maybe free hot dogs from NY street vendors for their employees. This would definitely be a mission for these guys: http://improveverywhere.com/
Armies of folks converge somewhere in NYC, wearing Microsoft T-Shirts, and demand their free hot dogs. And then disappear.
Actually, the trick would probably work better if the folks had iPhone / IPad / iWhatever T-Shirts . . .
An old NYC saying says, "A hot dog vendor, and his hot dog, are not easily parted . . . without a cash payment, or a bare knuckles fist fight."
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Wait... so they "unbundled" the Office Suite and recreated 3 new bundles costing on average $500 per person? That's the same price as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access, and Publisher bundled together as Office Professional 2010 without a bulk institutional discount!
What a deal!
... is an explanation of why apparently no city employee in any function whatsoever could so much as even consider using OpenOffice for anything at all.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
They will slowly be strangled by those closed [proprietary] Microsoft Office formats.
It's document editing and email...for now. What Microsoft will do is to wait for another administration then 'sweeten' the deal. Slowly, Powerpoint, Excel, and all the rest will come into the fold. Then...
Guess what! They will be hooked to the extent that thinking of another alternative will be too expensive a proposition.
Time will tell...but I am almost sure New Yorkers have not seen nothing yet.
Over the years I have seen many pro-MS posters accused of being shills for MS.
I think this is the first time I actually agree with the others that you are indeed a shill.
_
I guess now I can convince MS to sell me their uninstall utility. That's all I want to use.
TL;DR
Writing long crap and repeating it all over doesn't make it more right.
For your information, in my university, almost everyone uses a Mac - students and teachers. Most of them dual boot or virtualize fedora or ubuntu. I can count with my fingers the number of people running windows. Another interesting fact is that the worst students are the ones running *only* Microsoft Windows.
Oh, and by the way - I run another special flavor of Linux which probably doesn't mean anything to you.
I am constantly surprised when I see figures like this. I love OpenOffice/LibreOffice its incredible and Microsoft Office is simply not worth the money to me. I cannot think how many Developers NewYork could add to its workforce with its own Bespoke Extensions that it cannot be worth the money. I keep seeing all these large migrations from Office. When will there be a move with real Developer power behind it.
GAO contracts usually have a "most favored customer" clause, meaning that any better offer to another customer is automatically offered to the federal government. I wonder that such terms apply in this case.
yes
Microsoft is a corporation, a technology corporation but a corporation nevertheless. The mentality behind this move is very clear: whatever it takes for the dog to bite. If they scoffed and tried to force the entire suite of products at full price on a cash-strapped city on the heels of an election they would get no business whatsoever, and some PHB who finally listened to the greyhair running the servers would find out exactly how good microsofts competition is. business operating is a recession is still business, it just becomes slightly less encumbered.
Good people go to bed earlier.
Now they're trying to foist the idea of a caste system on the rest of the poor sods out there stuck using Windows (not just the ones working at Microsoft) because of idiotic decisions on workplace IT policies made by people who don't end up having to support and implement what ends up being purchased. Or those IT heads incompetent enough to still keep continuing to promote using any Microsoft software.
I've maintained for several years now that the above point is the main reason that Windows, Office and Server are pretty much the only thing keeping Microsoft solvent, as those three divisions' continuing success mainly hinges on the applied wisdom of decision making by the heads of educational, corporate and government institutions regarding technical matters (or rather the complete lack thereof) rather than Microsoft making any discernable effort regarding the quality of the products and services they provide...
I'm honest enough to admit I lie to myself.
I wish Linux and openoffice had been the motivator. Google Apps and gmail
is to be given credit for this one. Microsoft is scared s--tless of google apps because
its catching on in the enterprise where Microsoft's bread and butter is. If
lower tier workers can use google and google apps for 90% of their work then their bosses
will figure out how to shift the other 10% on to others. It also deprives them of revenue
from Outlook when google hosts email on their servers.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
It would... but that would also depend on Microsoft being a Direct GAO Vendor.
Not saying that they aren't... but my gut tells me that some distributor(s) that is(are) able to resell volume licences is more likely the one on a GAO Contract.
#1 tech news site and it doesn't have a Microsoft section
Please bury this comment I think it might be borderline heresy.
Why is Mr. Efficient City Bloomberg using Microsoft Office at all?
Using OpenOffice throughout NYC would save tens of dollars per employee if not hundreds of dollars per employee.
For sufficiently large customers or groups of customers, it has always been possible to get special offers from Microsoft. I think the city of New York qualifies for this category.
For comparison:
In the early 90s, Microsoft created the XP Corporate edition that does not need activation, to appease large customers who were worried about losing the ability to install their copies of XP.
Later, Microsoft shared source code with some universities and government agencies to counter the advantage of Open Source in being more accessible for security audits.
C - the footgun of programming languages
For your information, in my university, almost everyone uses a Mac - students and teachers. Most of them dual boot or virtualize fedora or ubuntu.
For your information, in my current workplace (and in every other previous workplace) everyone uses Windows and the words "dual boot" and "virtualize" would mean precisely nothing to them.
I assume you are some sort of computer science student? You are not a typical user, and a university is not the real world.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
"virtualize" would mean precisely nothing to them.
Then your are working with a bunch of dumb people. Apple made so simple software virtualization in their OS that everyone can install crap there without realizing what they are doing.
I assume you are some sort of computer science student? You are not a typical user, and a university is not the real world.
Yes I am. University is not real world? What is it then? Imagination from my head?
Seriously though, I was just telling that in my department people is quickly moving to OSX. Did you really need to come with all of that weaponry?
Oh and by the way.. It's not only in my department, girls in Chemistry and Biology also found out they look sexy with Macbooks.
"New York City has put the squeeze on Microsoft, negotiating a bulk software purchase that should lower technology costs for the city and give government workers access to more modern applications .. But Microsoft’s agreement with New York covers a broader set of applications beyond office software that Google has yet to match" link
What `broader set of applications' does MS offer that NYC needs to do its work?
He's not an astroturfer, he's a troll.
First of all look at the misnamed product:
Windows Mobile 7,
It's Windows Phone 7 (and a big step backwards from any WinMo products, but that's beside the point)
Next, he disses "cloud computing:"
storing company data "in the cloud" is not a good idea.
Not what a company selling cloud computing products (such as a "cloud" email server off the top of my head, IIRC they also have a Google Apps clone) would do.
And finally, he winks at anyone who knows how to recognize a troll post:
made me horny over a computer equipment.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel