Re: [school-discuss] Re: BSA Software audit

[Dave Prentice <dprentice@uno.edu>]

     Regarding audits: the head of networking in my area used to be in 
charge in a nearby city. He said MS told him to do an audit there a 
few years ago. His response was that his people were too busy but MS 
was welcome to send their own team down. They didn't.

     I haven't read the EULA, but he had. MS can do an audit, but 
according to him, they can't force school districts to do their work 
for them.

Dave Prentice
prentice@instruction.com

-----Original Message-----
From: TJ Miller <tjmiller@datc.tec.ut.us>
To: schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net
<schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Date: Thursday, May 30, 2002 8:33 AM
Subject: Re: [school-discuss] Re: BSA Software audit


 >
 >
 >Leon Brooks wrote:
 >
 >> On Wednesday 29 May 2002 22:43, TJ Miller wrote:
 >>
 >>>If installed software has not been legitimately
 >>>purchased, they can fine up to $100,000 per incident and possible
 >>>federal prison time for the guilty party(ies).
 >>>
 >>
 >>>IT will be in contact with every department and Instructional Program
 >>>this week, Thursday and Friday, to ensure proper software licensing
 >>>procedures have been followed.
 >>>
 >>
 >> Did you remember to tell them that they're dreaming? And that even 
if they
 >> make lab supervisors, students, the janitor or the archchancellor
responsible
 >> for properly following the rules, inconsistencies will still be found?
 >
 >
 >After working as a sysadmin for quite a few years, it's a no-brainer
 >that we're out of compliance; my own classroom (40 machines or so) is
 >way out WRT MS Office. It's one of the things we teach here, so I'm sort
 >of stuck with it... meanwhile, the budget request has gone in; they can
 >either spend a couple of thousand bucks to get compliant with licensing,
 >or they can let me teach Open Office... I gave them the choice. The
 >school decided to go with the MSDNAA charade, which gives us site
 >license for everything (and I do mean everything) but Office... go 
figure.
 >
 >
 >> No organisation with more than about 20 MS desktops can seriously 
hope to be
 >> 100% compliant. When it comes down to the wire, the BSA is a rort.
 >>
 >> You might also do well to remind them that the BSA is disinclined 
to further
 >> irritate organisations which are obviously investigating products that
 >> compete with their supporters' (the rationale apparently being 
that the BSA
 >> looks bad when they're openly blamed for driving away sizeable
customers).
 >
 >
 >Yep... already passed word up the chain. If they ever show up in this
 >classroom they will be greeted with my RH 7.2 laptop (a Dell Inspiron
 >8100; I bought it myself so I can get some work done at home) and
 >numerous Linux machines running on our Internet workstations.
 >
 >
 >
 >> In other words, they should at least have OOo and/or StarOffice 
obviously
 >> under trial before the BSA arrives. A few Linux desktops scattered 
around
 >> would do no harm either.
 >
 >
 >
 >Already got 'em (we also teach Linux here, after all :)
 >
 >
 >
 >--
 >TJ Miller jr
 >OS/Networking Instructor
 >Utah College of Applied Technology - Davis Campus
 >http://ww2.datc.tec.ut.us
 >
 >