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How Microsoft Inadvertently Helps To Fund FOSS
Posted by
kdawson
on Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:16 AM
from the i-has-ur-monies-kthxbye dept.
from the i-has-ur-monies-kthxbye dept.
christian.einfeldt writes "The State of California sued Microsoft for anti-trust violations, and now the proceeds of the settlement of that case are being used to fund the acquisition of computers for any school district in California. The terms of the settlement allow every school district in California to be reimbursed a set dollar amount for the purchase of computers with the software of their choice. Microsoft probably anticipated that school districts would mainly use the settlement to buy more Microsoft products, with a few Apple purchases sprinkled in here and there. But now that Free Open Source Software is being commercialized by hardware vendors such as Dell, System76, EmperorLinux, Zareason.com, and TechCollective.com, acquiring computers powered by FOSS is straightforward. I'm a volunteer sysadmin at a northern California public charter school and in my Slashdot journal I detail the step-by-step process for using Microsoft's money to pay for the Linux purchases of your school's choice." And then there's the Ubuntu team in Belgium that is raising funds by auctioning off a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate that a Microsoft rep gave them at a trade show. So far the bidding is up to 101.76 Euros, about $144.
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How Microsoft Inadvertently Helps To Fund FOSS
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In Soviet Russia... (Score:1)
Wow. (Score:2)
Re:Wow. (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, I really like the initiative. If done properly (that's a big if), the auctioned price could give an indication what people perceive the value of Vista to be. My guess is that it will be significantly lower than the price Microsoft set for is. Which, in itself, is an indication of the market power of MS.
Re:Wow. (Score:4, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Tuesday February 06 2007, @09:13AM)
Double-edged-sword, that.
Ubuntu team in danger of liability action ... (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.phcomp.co.uk/)
Re:Ubuntu team in danger of liability action ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ubuntu team in danger of liability action ... (Score:5, Funny)
(Last Journal: Monday August 22 2005, @11:02AM)
I imagine the support call to go something like this:
Vista User: Hi! I got a problem with Vista.
MS rep: Only one?
VU: Yep.. I can't activate
MS: Where did you get it? Or is it pirated?
VU: I bought it from Ubuntu
MS: Those guys haven't paid us protection money... like the good folks at Novell, Xandros..
VU: But it is still Microsoft Vista on the package... It's got this shticker as well... can I have a license key?
MS: Okay here you go... 54524524087698032413243064087513243404353040453204753047340873453207.
VU: I didn't ask for Ballmer's bank balance; just a license key!
MS: That's what I gave you...
VU: Okay... I typed it all in.. still won't go forward...
MS: Okay do this. Put that number in Excel 2007 and divide it by 345.43521; enter the first 128 digits, and then..
VU:
MS: Status: Waiting for customer. Next call please!
I wonder (Score:3, Funny)
(Last Journal: Wednesday November 07, @10:09AM)
Do you think there are people at Microsoft who go home and secretly work Linux by night?
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Funny)
(http://ofteninspired.com/ | Last Journal: Sunday April 01 2007, @05:49PM)
Tell me more.
Re:I wonder (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://www.ev4.org/)
N: Raymond Chen
E: raymondc@microsoft.com
D: Author of Configure script
S: 14509 NE 39th Street #1096
S: Bellevue, Washington 98007
S: USA
So yes, at least some do or have done.
Huh? (Score:2)
(http://www.eq2cataclysm.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday November 07, @10:03AM)
Isn't that conflicting with the definition of "FOSS?"
using Microsoft's money (Score:5, Informative)
This isnt Microsofts money. This is the money Microsoft extorted from you and is now being forced to give back a tiny amount of this. Any cent that is not going to Microsoft (or even worse, to Apple), but to someone distributing Free Software is great, though.
Cool! (Score:5, Interesting)
(Last Journal: Friday March 26 2004, @02:46PM)
I've seen (at least in Utah when I lived there) schools transitioning from NetWare servers to Linux-based ones, but the classroom pretty much was all Windows, all the time.
Now when will we see OpenOffice being taught in the High School and collegiate business courses, instead of you-know-who?
But they own linux (Score:5, Funny)
And! (Score:1, Redundant)
(Last Journal: Thursday November 08, @06:00PM)
Don't forget the teaching-mental-patients-to-install-Ubuntu-on-old-computers-and-that's-much-more-important-than-saving-the-gorillas guy!
Libraries can do this too... (Score:4, Informative)
Uhh... (Score:2)
What Microsoft thought doesn't really matter (Score:2, Interesting)
-- Julie
Microsoft Subnet [networkworld.com]: the independent voice of Microsoft customers
Kind of Misleading (Score:2)
(http://picknit.com/ | Last Journal: Saturday July 29 2006, @03:58PM)
Which is not to devalue Christian's hard work bringing FOSS to his charter school students. He's not only saving his school money, he's bringing the kids technology with a greater educational impact. But his story is really a How To item, not news item about Microsoft being hoisted by its own petard.
Re:Who exactly do I pay? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Still not funding (Score:4, Funny)
(http://nzruss.blogspot.com/)
Re:Why Is this Important?!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who exactly do I pay? (Score:2)
Re:$64bn dollars (Score:2)
(http://www.llabmik.net/ | Last Journal: Monday March 21 2005, @04:31PM)
Re:Why Is this Important?!! (Score:3, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Wednesday October 24, @03:50AM)
Are you insane?
Do you know how many copies of Ubuntu that'd buy you?
Re:Charter Schools (Score:1)
You make the standard mistake in this sort of discussion, assuming that money or facilities is the overriding factor, it is not. Far more important is the attitude of the people who surround you. Forget looser regulation allowing them to more efficiently spend money, the key factor is by putting the top 10% together that section will improve greatly just by being placed together (without any real, absolute, hindrance to the average I might add though there may be a relative disadvantage because the best suddenly got better).
Anyway the mental environment is vastly more important than the physical reality. A well motivated person will do far more with less than a unconcerned person would manage with brilliant equipment.