|
Citing concerns over Microsoft's Office 2007 and Windows Vista licensing terms, Becta, the UK government's agency for education technology has reportedly warned schools against signing licensing agreements, and filed a complaint with the UK's Office of Fair Trading, alleging that Microsoft engages in anticompetitive practices in the academic software license marketplace.
ArsTechnica is reporting that Becta and Microsoft have been in talks over the issue but have not reached an agreement. In the meantime, Becta is recommending that schools avoid Microsoft's School Agreement subscription licensing program, which covers the licensing for an educational establishment's PCs. According to Becta, there are some downsides to the Microsoft School Agreement program; Microsoft doesn't provide enough clarity into the buy-out costs if a school decides to get out of the program, concerns that Microsoft's academic subscription setup doesn't allow schools to obtain a perpetual license unless they make a buy-out payment and Becta would like to see Microsoft get rid of its all-or-nothing licensing agreement since all PCs on campus must be part of the program, even those not capable of running Windows Vista or Office 2007. Becta also cites concerns regarding Windows Vista and Office 2007, believing that Vista's feature set isn't enough to currently justify updating to it and believing that Office 2007 needs stronger support for the ODF format used by OpenOffice.org, as well as better interoperability with Microsoft Works. Microsoft receives a steady stream of revenue over a product's lifecycle from their subscription licensing programs. With the elongated release schedule between Windows XP and Windows Vista, some licensees have been doubting the value of Microsoft's licensing programs. Becta has been encouraging schools already signed up for Microsoft's School Agreement program to consider their renewal and buyout options. Last summer Forrester Research released a report questioning the value of Microsoft's Software Assurance subscription licensing program that found that it may cost companies significantly more money over a four-year period. It took over five years after Windows XP was released before Microsoft released Windows Vista. As I've said a few times in the past, Microsoft needs to take a long hard look at their licensing agreements, which have grown exceeding egregious since the release of Windows Vista.
Visit Bill's Links and More for more great tips, just like this one!
-- Related newsletter articles:
2007/09/04 Symantec Boss Blasts OneCare Pricing (microsoft)
2007/09/04 Windows Server 2008 Delayed (microsoft)
2007/10/03 Microsoft Quadruples Search Power (microsoft)
2007/09/06 Microsoft Hoping To "Cloud" The Competition (microsoft)
2007/10/29 Maybe Bill Gates Will Be Your Facebook Friend (microsoft)
2007/09/11 Study: Vista More Cost-Effective than XP (microsoft)
2007/10/11 Microsoft Patches Itself Up (microsoft)
2007/10/30 Microsoft Morbid about Multiplying Malware (microsoft)
2007/09/07 Zune Price Zapped (microsoft)
2007/09/19 Security Bug leads to Messenger Upgrades (microsoft)
2007/10/31 Microsoft, RIM, Infusing Facebook with New Abilities (microsoft)
2007/10/10 Microsoft's "Rock n' Chat" Revolution! (microsoft)
2007/09/28 Microsoft and Google Battle for Facebook (microsoft)
2007/10/15 Console Price Wars Hot, But Not So Heavy (microsoft)
-- Recent articles (from all channels): 2008/05/12 Today in History: for Monday, May 12, 2008
2008/05/12 [ShellX 20080512]: 'Remote Manager', and 'Cyber Bandwidth ...
2008/05/12 Video Gaming Trade Group Struggling
2008/05/12 T-Mobile Finally Joins 3G Phone Race
2008/05/12 Apple Slammed by Environment Watchdog
2008/05/09 [ShellX 20080509]: 'Advanced Run', and 'Diver Windows Manager'
2008/05/09 Texas Refuses Facebook Friend Request
2008/05/09 Photo-Enforcement Technology Replaces Officers On Patrol
2008/05/09 Cuban Government Says 'Ok Computer'
2008/05/09 Excel Can E-Mail Your Weekly Reports For You!
2008/05/08 [ShellX 20080508]: 'Shell Enhancer', and 'Lansweeper'
2008/05/08 Xobni: MS Outlook Social Networking Technology for your Inbox
2008/05/08 Music Companies Jump on GTA IV Bandwagon
2008/05/08 Fascinating: Memristor to replace Binary
2008/05/08 Adobe Hopes To Make Flash Master Of The (Mobile) Universe
2008/05/08 Spiffy Envelopes and Labels in MS Word
2008/05/07 [ShellX 20080507]: 'Winbin2iso', and 'Loop Typer'
2008/05/07 Yahoo Adds Security Warnings To Search Results
2008/05/07 Apple to Lose Money on iTunes Movie Releases
2008/05/07 Amazon.com takes New York Tax to Court
2008/05/07 Need Glasses for the Slide Sorter View in MS PowerPoint?
2008/05/07 After Winning The DVD Format War, Blu-Ray Sales Tank
2008/05/06 [ShellX 20080506]: 'Visual Basic 6.0 Portable', and 'Double-...
2008/05/06 Yahoo Outsources to Jajah
2008/05/06 New HP Circuit Could Change Technology Forever
2008/05/06 Movie Downloads To Match DVD Release Dates
2008/05/06 Microsoft Ends Yahoo Bid
2008/05/05 [ShellX 20080505]: 'Ie7 Pro', and 'Desktop Ok'
2008/05/05 The WB Network Hops Online
2008/05/05 Microsoft Slashes Price of Xbox 360 Overseas
2008/05/05 Google CEO Wants YouTube to Take More of Your Money
|
