Microsoft 'hoovers millions' from UK schools - update

The Register USA ^ | 8-9-2002 | Drew Cullen

[JameRetief]

Microsoft 'hoovers millions' from UK schools - update

By Drew Cullen

Posted: 08/09/2002 at 06:44 EST

Bob Blizzard, the Waveney, Suffolk MP who is campaigning against "unfair" Microsoft licence terms for schools, has published an email from the software giant, replying to his complaints.

David Burrows, education head at Microsoft UK, says the firm has no plans at present to alter licence terms, which see schools pay much more than colleges for their software.

"In response to your specific request, we have discussed this extensively with colleagues in Microsoft Corporation and conclude that we are not able, at this point, to commit to make a wholesale change to a licensing programme that applies consistently on a world wide basis without further detailed consultation. However, we have approached the DfES and proposed to incorporate the specifics of this request into the current, ongoing review of our licensing programmes in the UK education sector to see how we can ensure that all our education customers receive the best value."

Blizzard expresses "disappointment" with this response. In his own constituency, he notes that:

"a college with 500 computers pays £6900 a year ($10,560),
while a school with 152 computers pays £6300 p.a. ($9641)
and another school with 273 computers pays £11000 p.a. ($16,836)
Another school with 396 computers paid £31,700 ($48,522) last year to buy a licence outright".

And [Blizzard has] discovered Open Source, as this comical "note for editors" reveals.

Open Source Software is software whose source code is openly published. It is often developed by voluntary efforts and is usually available at no charge under a licence defined by a non profit corporation called the 'Open Source Initiative'. One of the best known such systems is called Linux, developed in Finland.

You can find Bob Blizzard's press release here

Related story
Microsoft 'hoovers millions' from UK schools - MP

[camle]

microsoft doesn't "Hoover" anything. no one is forcing these schools to use MS products.

[TheLooseThread]

The socialist (UK) mind just can't wrap itself around this can it?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

microsoft doesn't "Hoover" anything. no one is forcing these schools to use MS products.

And they won't be, for much longer.

Quick Tour of a Linux Classroom

[TopQuark]

Absolutely. It is alsoe clear that the stament is stupid: the schools have not paid different amounts for the same software. The numbers are purposefully misleading.

[discostu]

Well we don't know what software they have. All that's listed is the number of computers and license fee. Given the seemingly random dispersion I'd say it's pretty certain they don't have the same software selection in those licenses.

[Common Tator]

Linux has been around for over 10 years.

A free operating system that has been around for 10 years and still has less than 2 percent of the desktop market is not going to hurt Microsoft.

IF YOU WANT TO HURT MICROSOFT YOU NEED TO CLONE WINDOWS. IF YOU WANT TO HURT SUN MICROSYSTEMS CLONE UNIX.

You have to be real stupid to think that Gates can be hurt by cloning the operating system used by SUN.

It is like trying to hurt McDonalds by cloning Dairy Queen cones and giving them away.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The jury is still out, Dude. And Microsoft is starting to get worried. They no longer refer to Linux as a "toy" operating system.

[Publius6961]

microsoft doesn't "Hoover" anything. no one is forcing these schools to use MS products.

That's right.
They can all write their own OS, right?

that's getting old...

[camle]

actually there are other OS's available, Lindows is getting popular, especially since Wal-MArt announced it was selling it, Linuz itself is gaining ground too.

and yes, you are free to write your own, and if you can do a better job that MS, then you too can be Bill Gates. that's the beauty of this culture of ours.