The problem is that Microsoft's licensing requires the schools to decide NOW, and then locks them up for years. (Right in the middle of finals.) The same is true for their corporate licensing. They have to decide NOW and then are locked up for years.
Desktop Linux isn't quite ready. It's getting close. That's why Microsoft is forcing them to decide NOW. And it isn't really a decision now. Maybe even in a few months. But, of course, Microsoft is forcing them to decide NOW and commit to years.
So they have to choose between Office and Star Office NOW, (and that means 5.2, but even 6 isn't QUITE right.) Or gobeProductive, which is really great on Windows, but isn't QUITE ready on Linux yet, and there isn't enough time to do a proper evaluation anyway. So they have no choice, really, except to commit to Office.
So it's just another monopolistic extortion scam from the company with $40 billion cash in the bank. You'd think that the corporations that are the victims of this licensing scam would recognize what they have unleashed by putting Bush into ofice. Or you'd think that the municipalities with the school districts would be talking to their members of Congress. Education was suyppose dto be the big Republican thing, right? But the first thing Bush did was free up Microsoft do go after --- other corporations and school districts! Is this really the kind of country they wanted when they coughed up all that cash to put Bush in office?
It isn't a jury trial. It isn't even a trial. It's a hearing to determine the penalty for Microsoft now that they have been found guilty.
They are trying to determine whether ordering Microsoft to make available a version of Windows without "middleware' such as Media Player is feasible. If they have to release a modular version computer manufacturers can CHOOSE to include Real Player instead of Media Player, for example, and companies can compete for the business.
Not hardly. Microsot was lying, telling the judge that it is not possible to have WEindows without Media Player and other "middleware". This is about how long it would take Microsoft to come up with a response to the states demonstration that it CAN be done.
The point is made on the judge that it can be done, that Microsoft was lying.
Of course, what it will come down to is whether this judge is a member of the Federalist Society. It won't be about the law.
They already made their point to the judge. Microsoft said it can't be done. Now the judge knows that it can be done. That's all that the states were trying to get across.
This is obviously an illegal use of Microsoft's monopoly. Stopping these types of practices should be the Justice Department's primary goal.
Republicans collecting campaign contributions was the primary goal. The Bush people got into office (somehow) and immediately let MS off on the anti-trust suit.
This licensing cuts out Star Office and Gobe. If the schools are already paying for Office on every machine why would they ALSO buy Star Office or Gobe? This is how they kept other OSes off of computers for a long time.
They're doing something similar with their licensing to corporations - for the same reason. The company is already paying for Office so they aren't going to buy ANY copies of Star Office or Gobe. AND the company has to buy a multi-year contract, so every one else is locked out for good.
I seem to remember it was decided this was illegal when they did it to computer manufacturers so how come they are getting away with doing it to school districts and corporations? Is it because of the payoff\\\\\\\ agreement they made with the Bush administration, that they know they don't have anything to worry about?
Right after all the reports about the massive money pit that is AOL and how it is hurting Time Warner why do these companies rush into mergers?
The individuals who set up the mergers make tens or hundred of millions of dollars, Everyone else loses. But that's who set up these mergers. "The people" have no say in this way of doing "business."
What I think is funny is how all the/.s used to be libertarians, until the layoff started in the tech business. Now they're complaining about their unemployment checks being so small.
It's all where you sit. If you're going to GET the management bonuses at HP, it's a great thing. If your getting laid off to PAY FOR those bonuses, it's a bad thing.
Overall for the economy and the shareholders, I think it's pretty clearly a bad thing.
You mean the tax breaks that doubled the revenues to the government during the 80s?
After Reagan's tax cuts, revenue FELL. Then there was the "Deficit Reduction Act" - the largest tax increase in history - and the huge increase in Social Security taxes on working people. Only THEN did revenue start to climb.
You accidentally left that out.
No one ever said Clinton wasn't smart.
I know, the lack of any evidence of wrongdoing is proof of a massive cover-up. The standard Clinton-hater line.
I love this "didn't bail them out at the end." It's like they had to sit around and think up something that the Bush people DIDN'T do for Enron, so they could use that. They found ONE THING that the Bush people didn't do for them - with all the press in the country talking about Enron's criminal activities the Bush people didn't bail them out. Wow.
Jeeze, dude, don't you read the papers? The Bush people did EVERYTHING Enron wanted. Got rid of the laws, got rid of the oversight, gave them government contracts, took their money. How about the Army Secretary, who stole over 100 million, and then gave Army contracts to Enron, and he is STILL Army Secretary!
While Enron was running up energy prices in California by shutting off the supply of natural gas, the Bush administration FIRED the head of the federal energy regulation commission and put in a guy that the head of Enron (Ken Lay) told them to put in. Then Bush's new FERC head refused to look into what was going on in California. Even after California came up with internal Enron documents dicsussion their plans!
What about Bush firing the head of the Securities and Exchange commission for trying to look into Enron, and putting in a guy who was an Enron Lobbyist instead?!!
Read the book "Blinded by the Right." It's written by the main guy who wrote all the anti-Clinton stuff in the 90's. He talks about who paid for this stuff, how they made it up, who was involved - everything. Including all the top Republican politicians and who they were having affairs with while blasting Clinton for having an affair, and all the gay-bashing Republicans who turn out to be gay, etc...
It is not just a great book, but I think it is an important book, if you want to understand Republican politics.
The funny part is having read that book, how the Republicans boast about leading people around like sheep with their smear stories, and then seeing the sheep posting on forums like this, or hearing them on the radio...
Is there any who is so naive that they don't know that the Democrats are historically the party of corruption? Heck, just look at the historical rigging of elections. Even if you happen to like their policies, an honest person has to admit the PARTY itself is completely corrupt. Just look at Daschle. Is their no lie that man won't tell?
The Republicans are the party of Watergate and Iran/Contra. Serious crimes. Not to mention massive deficits from tax breaks for the rich.
After investigating Democrats for the last 8 years, the worst they came up with was a blow job!!
Daschle a liar? Can you come up with even ONE example of Daschle lying?
And talk about rigging elections - this Republican president LOST THE ELECTION!
Agreed. The Democrats have had one-party rule in California for too long, and this kind of corruption and incompetence is the inevitable result.
That is just a silly comment. The previous governor was a Republican. California became a solid Democratic state BECAUSE of the actions of that governor and his party - anti-immigrant stuff in a state that is only 48% white.
Yeah, being the governor at a time when Bush gets elected and allows the energy companies to manipulate the supplies and drive up prices. You think it is just a coincidence that energy prices spiked immediately after Bush is elected?
Remember, the same thing happened in the midwest with gas prices - until the Senate started looking into it. SUDDENLY gas prices plunged.
Same thing with California's energy crisis - prices plunged IMMEDIATELY after Enron went bankrupt.
TechTV's Screensavers show did a roundup of Office alternatives, last week. There's a summary of the show at http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/showtell/story/ 0,24330,3378739,00.html.
They picked gobeProductive over ThinkFree AND Star Office!
I think what we are seeing at Slashdot when the subject of global warming comes up is that the far right web sites are sending their readers here to leave comments and otherwise shout down the "locals." Regular readers might notice a certain kind of nasty post that we aren't used to, calling names and otherwise trying to intimidate people who post moderate opinions.
This practice is called being "Freep'd." The term comes from the site Free Republic. It is funded by far right organizations like the Moonies and the Heritage Foundation.
*The* most important thing with new Office suite, is compatibility. Near 100% compatibility.
The most important thing? I'd say there are a significant nuber of computer users who don't share documents electronically.
I think CHOICES are the most important thing. There is no other product marketplace that only has one choice. People work in different ways and have different needs, and it is a gross distortion of the marketplace to only have one choice. One-size-fits-all is just WRONG!
Can you think of another area where people only have one choice? In fact, the legal profession still prefers Word Perfect over Word because it has features that fit the way THEY work.
I'll bet there are a significant number of people who work the way gobeProductive was designed for.
Slashdot Mirror
The problem is that Microsoft's licensing requires the schools to decide NOW, and then locks them up for years. (Right in the middle of finals.) The same is true for their corporate licensing. They have to decide NOW and then are locked up for years.
Desktop Linux isn't quite ready. It's getting close. That's why Microsoft is forcing them to decide NOW. And it isn't really a decision now. Maybe even in a few months. But, of course, Microsoft is forcing them to decide NOW and commit to years.
So they have to choose between Office and Star Office NOW, (and that means 5.2, but even 6 isn't QUITE right.) Or gobeProductive, which is really great on Windows, but isn't QUITE ready on Linux yet, and there isn't enough time to do a proper evaluation anyway. So they have no choice, really, except to commit to Office.
So it's just another monopolistic extortion scam from the company with $40 billion cash in the bank. You'd think that the corporations that are the victims of this licensing scam would recognize what they have unleashed by putting Bush into ofice. Or you'd think that the municipalities with the school districts would be talking to their members of Congress. Education was suyppose dto be the big Republican thing, right? But the first thing Bush did was free up Microsoft do go after --- other corporations and school districts! Is this really the kind of country they wanted when they coughed up all that cash to put Bush in office?
Federalist Society Members include fine scholars such as Judge Bork who opposes Microsoft and has done so very effectively.
Bork is getting PAID by Microsoft. The Federalist Society approves.
It isn't a jury trial. It isn't even a trial. It's a hearing to determine the penalty for Microsoft now that they have been found guilty.
They are trying to determine whether ordering Microsoft to make available a version of Windows without "middleware' such as Media Player is feasible. If they have to release a modular version computer manufacturers can CHOOSE to include Real Player instead of Media Player, for example, and companies can compete for the business.
It sounds like Microsoft wins this round
Not hardly. Microsot was lying, telling the judge that it is not possible to have WEindows without Media Player and other "middleware". This is about how long it would take Microsoft to come up with a response to the states demonstration that it CAN be done.
The point is made on the judge that it can be done, that Microsoft was lying.
Of course, what it will come down to is whether this judge is a member of the Federalist Society. It won't be about the law.
They already made their point to the judge. Microsoft said it can't be done. Now the judge knows that it can be done. That's all that the states were trying to get across.
The HP/Compaq situation and the effect on the employees brings to mind one of my favorite questions:
Who is our economy for, anyway?
This is obviously an illegal use of Microsoft's monopoly. Stopping these types of practices should be the Justice Department's primary goal.
Republicans collecting campaign contributions was the primary goal. The Bush people got into office (somehow) and immediately let MS off on the anti-trust suit.
This licensing cuts out Star Office and Gobe. If the schools are already paying for Office on every machine why would they ALSO buy Star Office or Gobe? This is how they kept other OSes off of computers for a long time.
They're doing something similar with their licensing to corporations - for the same reason. The company is already paying for Office so they aren't going to buy ANY copies of Star Office or Gobe. AND the company has to buy a multi-year contract, so every one else is locked out for good.
I seem to remember it was decided this was illegal when they did it to computer manufacturers so how come they are getting away with doing it to school districts and corporations? Is it because of the payoff\\\\\\\ agreement they made with the Bush administration, that they know they don't have anything to worry about?
I think the judge allowing this indicates that maybe she's not in Microsoft's pocket after all.
Right after all the reports about the massive money pit that is AOL and how it is hurting Time Warner why do these companies rush into mergers?
The individuals who set up the mergers make tens or hundred of millions of dollars, Everyone else loses. But that's who set up these mergers. "The people" have no say in this way of doing "business."
AOL lost $54 BILLION !!!!!!
What I think is funny is how all the /.s used to be libertarians, until the layoff started in the tech business. Now they're complaining about their unemployment checks being so small.
It's all where you sit. If you're going to GET the management bonuses at HP, it's a great thing. If your getting laid off to PAY FOR those bonuses, it's a bad thing.
Overall for the economy and the shareholders, I think it's pretty clearly a bad thing.
I just heard from a friend at HP that he was told today that his position no longer exists. Sounds like there's a lot of that over at HP today.
Gotta pay those executive bonuses somehow.
You mean the tax breaks that doubled the revenues to the government during the 80s?
After Reagan's tax cuts, revenue FELL. Then there was the "Deficit Reduction Act" - the largest tax increase in history - and the huge increase in Social Security taxes on working people. Only THEN did revenue start to climb.
You accidentally left that out.
No one ever said Clinton wasn't smart.
I know, the lack of any evidence of wrongdoing is proof of a massive cover-up. The standard Clinton-hater line.
I love this "didn't bail them out at the end." It's like they had to sit around and think up something that the Bush people DIDN'T do for Enron, so they could use that. They found ONE THING that the Bush people didn't do for them - with all the press in the country talking about Enron's criminal activities the Bush people didn't bail them out. Wow.
Jeeze, dude, don't you read the papers? The Bush people did EVERYTHING Enron wanted. Got rid of the laws, got rid of the oversight, gave them government contracts, took their money. How about the Army Secretary, who stole over 100 million, and then gave Army contracts to Enron, and he is STILL Army Secretary!
While Enron was running up energy prices in California by shutting off the supply of natural gas, the Bush administration FIRED the head of the federal energy regulation commission and put in a guy that the head of Enron (Ken Lay) told them to put in. Then Bush's new FERC head refused to look into what was going on in California. Even after California came up with internal Enron documents dicsussion their plans!
What about Bush firing the head of the Securities and Exchange commission for trying to look into Enron, and putting in a guy who was an Enron Lobbyist instead?!!
Read the book "Blinded by the Right." It's written by the main guy who wrote all the anti-Clinton stuff in the 90's. He talks about who paid for this stuff, how they made it up, who was involved - everything. Including all the top Republican politicians and who they were having affairs with while blasting Clinton for having an affair, and all the gay-bashing Republicans who turn out to be gay, etc...
It is not just a great book, but I think it is an important book, if you want to understand Republican politics.
The funny part is having read that book, how the Republicans boast about leading people around like sheep with their smear stories, and then seeing the sheep posting on forums like this, or hearing them on the radio...
Clinton a "commie"? You see what I mean?
Is there any who is so naive that they don't know that the Democrats are historically the party of corruption? Heck, just look at the historical rigging of elections. Even if you happen to like their policies, an honest person has to admit the PARTY itself is completely corrupt. Just look at Daschle. Is their no lie that man won't tell?
The Republicans are the party of Watergate and Iran/Contra. Serious crimes. Not to mention massive deficits from tax breaks for the rich.
After investigating Democrats for the last 8 years, the worst they came up with was a blow job!!
Daschle a liar? Can you come up with even ONE example of Daschle lying?
And talk about rigging elections - this Republican president LOST THE ELECTION!
So give us a break, please.
Agreed. The Democrats have had one-party rule in California for too long, and this kind of corruption and incompetence is the inevitable result.
That is just a silly comment. The previous governor was a Republican. California became a solid Democratic state BECAUSE of the actions of that governor and his party - anti-immigrant stuff in a state that is only 48% white.
his role in the energy crisis
Yeah, being the governor at a time when Bush gets elected and allows the energy companies to manipulate the supplies and drive up prices. You think it is just a coincidence that energy prices spiked immediately after Bush is elected?
Remember, the same thing happened in the midwest with gas prices - until the Senate started looking into it. SUDDENLY gas prices plunged.
Same thing with California's energy crisis - prices plunged IMMEDIATELY after Enron went bankrupt.
TechTV's Screensavers show did a roundup of Office alternatives, last week. There's a summary of the show at http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/showtell/story/ 0,24330,3378739,00.html.
They picked gobeProductive over ThinkFree AND Star Office!
I rest my case.
I think what we are seeing at Slashdot when the subject of global warming comes up is that the far right web sites are sending their readers here to leave comments and otherwise shout down the "locals." Regular readers might notice a certain kind of nasty post that we aren't used to, calling names and otherwise trying to intimidate people who post moderate opinions.
This practice is called being "Freep'd." The term comes from the site Free Republic. It is funded by far right organizations like the Moonies and the Heritage Foundation.
I was replying to the following:
The review doesn't mention compatibility, but Gobe's Web site does - it has limited compatibility with Word and Excel.
*The* most important thing with new Office suite, is compatibility. Near 100% compatibility.
The most important thing? I'd say there are a significant nuber of computer users who don't share documents electronically.
I think CHOICES are the most important thing. There is no other product marketplace that only has one choice. People work in different ways and have different needs, and it is a gross distortion of the marketplace to only have one choice. One-size-fits-all is just WRONG!
Can you think of another area where people only have one choice? In fact, the legal profession still prefers Word Perfect over Word because it has features that fit the way THEY work.
I'll bet there are a significant number of people who work the way gobeProductive was designed for.
We pay about $43 a copy for OfficeXP Pro.
Per year?
I just went through their website and I don't see anywhere where they say they have "limited" compatibility!
Where did that come rom?