Re: Re: [seul-edu] MS targeting schools for software audits...

[Christopher Hill <minkus@ntlworld.com>]

> > Along with the letter from MS came an invitation to lease software from
> > MS as part of a school agreement that requires MS licenses for every
> > Pentium and PPC computer, even those running Linux or Mac OS.
> 
> Who signs such agreements? Surely you should only pay for the number of MS 
> licences you use/have? If a company had, say, 200 computers all running Linux 
> (no MS software), and Microsoft decided to audit them, there's absolutely 
> nothing they could do about said company not paying them any money for 
> software.
> 
> I understand that it is in Microsoft's interest to ensure licence compliance, 
> and I can't blame them for doing audits - they are, after all, looking after 
> their own business interests. What I can't understand is what sort of person 
> signs agreements that says that every computer *must* have a Microsoft 
> licence, even if it doesn't have a Microsoft OS.

In the case of the school that I work for, 99% of computers run Microsoft software anyway. In that situation, the School Agreement makes a lot of sense because it means you can use any version of Windows, Office, Works or Visual Studio, along with Encarta, and includes Client Access Licenses for most MS servers, for all of your computers, at a far reduced price (in the UK we've been quoted £40 per computer per annum).

Seeing as Microsoft release new copies of Windows or Office nearly every year, and upgrading will cost more than £40 in a single year, if you want to keep up to date it makes sense.

You can also use the School Agreement as a Terminal Services license so that even older computers can use a Win2K environment, a la K12LTSP.

Of course, the fact that you have to pay for computers whether they use the agreement or not is very clever, but not really an issue in most schools - for example, our school has a total of 2 Linux boxen (both servers) compared to 159 or so Windows. What is quite generous on Microsoft's part is that staff can also use the software on home computers at no extra charge, and any new computers do not have to be paid for until the scheme is renewed.

So that's why the School Agreement makes sense. Schools want Microsoft, parents and pupils want latest versions. The School Agreement provides both, but of course at a significantly higher cost than free solutions!

But if the school wants to be able to administer computers without learning extra skills, wants to use the platform that students use at home, and needs software like Publisher working 100% perfectly, it's the only choice at the moment.

This is just my opinion, please don't flame it. I'm just giving the rationale behind why my school is currently looking for funds for the School Agreement. I'd like to use Linux / K12LTSP, and I've given it a test drive, but at the moment it's not an option for wide scale deployment in our situation.

--

'Ore stabit fortis a fine placet ore stat'
- found on a park bench
minkus@ntlworld.com
ICQ: 18705430
GeForce FAQ: http://www.geforcefaq.com/