on Sun, Jul 25, 2004 at 01:24:23AM -0400, Silvan ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
>
> > *my* rep for shooting it down. I wonder if she realizes that Portland
> > Public Schools wouldn't have to have the teachers work for four weeks
> > for free to keep the schools open if it weren't for her idiocy.
>
> Going further off the topic here, that sparked a thought of my own.
>
> My local school system has a pretty snazzy county-wide network. All
> the schools are wired to some obscenely gigantic pipe, and all the
> networking guts stuff (router/firewall/proxy/filter) is done with
> Linux (RH probably). Yet all the end user machines (several per
> classroom) are running expensive copies of Windows with expensive
> copies of all manner of expensive software.
It's highly likely that the _aquisition_ cost of that kit wasn't too
high, particularly the software.
Microsoft is doing a very thorough job of ensuring that all manner of
educational and non-profit organizations can aquire a basic client OS +
office suite for ~$75-$100 US. While I've got no particular proof, I
suspect that the spam floating around may be some sort of marketing
price-point assessment project. But color me paranoid. Educational
discounts have routinely run about $45/seat for both OS and office suite
for the past year or so, as can be verified at a number of educational
SW pricing sites.
Additionally, MSFT will take advantage of opportunities to coopt various
grant programs to get its software out. A nationwide youth organization
are recipients of a $100m, 5 year grant ($88m software, $12m cash -- and
guess what the cost to MSFT of that software is....), for example,
through which 300 clubs a year are being outfitted with ten-seat
computer centers, and I'm sure this is only a small part of MSFT's
outreach. Similar projects aimed at universities (IIRC: Edmunton,
Canida) have been reported at Slashdot and elsewhere.
The point is that when it comes to competing with Microsoft on
_aquisition_ price, most commercial Linux distros do have a tough time.
Of course, it's the maintenance costs and capability where GNU/Linux
really shines. Spending days untangling virus and spyware-infested
cesspits of Win${RANWORD} systems at billable rates sufficient to
replace them entirely is _not_ cost-effective.
> It just burns my ass really. No, I'm not going to argue the kids
> shouldn't have Sponge Bob Teaches Calculus or whatever, but most of
> those boxes are used for web browsing, and maybe some web authoring.
> Why pay several hundred dollars a pop for Windows + software for those
> things when A) the software isn't even needed on most of the boxes,
> and B) the county already uses Linux, and employs people who know how
> to admin it? It just doesn't make sense.
Largely: they're not. Wouldn't hurt to ask some pointed questions at a
board meeting though.
Peace.
--
Karsten M. Self <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://linuxmafia.com/~karsten
Ceterum censeo, Caldera delenda est.
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
