[school-discuss] FW: Microsoft Upgrade Advantage, Select Agreements (fwd)

["Doug Loss" <drloss@suscom.net>]

I'm forwarding this from Les Richardson for discussion.  I know little about
Microsoft licensing requirements, having removed all MS software from my
systems years ago.

----------
From: Les Richardson <richl@mail.tfsd.sk.ca>
To: dloss@seul.org
Subject: RE: Microsoft Upgrade Advantage,  Select Agreements (fwd)
Date: Wed, Jun 19, 2002, 5:35 PM


Hi Doug,

Are the statements below about the MS Licensing correct?
(by Daryl Koroluk)

Please forward to appropriate list if you're not sure. (I'm not sure is
best one....)(grin)

Thanks,

Les Richardson


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(from Daryl Koroluk)

Here is my understanding of the Select Licensing as outlined by our
re-seller (Softchoice).

I am not sure which particular agreement (it sounds like MS School
Agreement) is being referenced by Les, but general Select pricing refers to
MS product that you buy, own and deploy. Not how many "other" PCs you have.

So if you used Star Office on 100 old PCs and then bought 100 new PCs and
wanted to run Office XP on the new ones only, then you would "buy under
Select" 100 copies of it.  No more no less. Then you can run that product on
those new machines ...

Later if you decide that the new machines are getting old and that you want
to buy more new machines and run the latest MS Office product, you leverage
the "Upgrade advantage" to buy the Upgrade for the 100 Licenses to the
latest version of Office. Then you put the latest version on the
"New" machines and if you want to go and use Star Office on the "Old" ones
then fine... You just can't run 200 copies versus the original 100 license
bought and subsequently upgraded.
 
The Select pricing is not the same as the "School Agreements" which are in
effect like a lease to deploy a spectrum of MS product over time.

Daryl Koroluk
Manager, Information Systems
Saskatoon Public School Division
310 - 21st St. East
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 1M7
email: korolukd@spsd.sk.ca
Phone: 306-683-8338
Fax: 306-683-8207


***********************************************
Subject: Re: Microsoft Upgrade Advantage, Select Agreements


One subtle point about the agreements.

The agreement is based on numbers of PC based computers in your
school/division. 

Thus, if you are using labs of computers running alternative OS's like Linux
or using them with a terminal server setup like LTSP, you still have to pay
the "Microsoft tax", as of old.  This is, of course, an attempt to freeze
out this growing  OS. 

So make sure you realize the computer count includes ALL PC computers even
if you aren't running windows on them...

As well the agreement period has increased to 3 years, probably due to
issues over schools using Star Office 6 or Open Office (SO6 is free to
education). Again, look before leaping.


Les Richardson
H. Hardcastle School