thelinuxlink.net

I have yet to go researching this but it came to my attention last week that MS makes available licenses for older versions of windows (2000 on down) to non-profit organizations refurbishing computers for "needy" families and the like. I was told the license per machine is like $5.00. Anyone else ever heard of this?

I think this is done through the TechSoup program:

http://www.microsoft.com/industry/publi ... rants.mspx

http://www.techsoup.org/stock/microsoftprogram.asp

A year has elapsed since I ordered Microsoft products. Can I place a new order?
Yes! You may now fulfill the balance of your two-year allotment of Microsoft software: Six software titles and 50 licenses per title.

Can I order additional licenses for software titles my organization already received through TechSoup Stock?
Yes! You can order more licenses for titles that were part of your previous order within the two-year ordering cycle — even if the current title is an upgraded version of the original software. Such orders will not count against the six-title limit.

I received notice that my Software Assurance is expiring. What does this mean?
Don't worry — your software won't cease to work and your licenses won't evaporate into thin air.

why even mess with licenses - I wonder how much the computer teachers at these schools worry about licenses and keeping them up to date.

it is school - learn how a computer really works and install linux.

I just don't get it. I want my daughter to know more about computers than word processing and spreadsheets. there is no way that a school can justify to me paying for microsoft office when there is open office - just no way. regardless of how many grants they get. you can't beat $0.00.

jsusanka wrote:why even mess with licenses - I wonder how much the computer teachers at these schools worry about licenses and keeping them up to date.

Yeah, this whole licensing thing is so messed up that it's beyond belief!
The GPL makes life so much simpler.

jsusanka wrote:it is school - learn how a computer really works and install linux.

You don't even need to understand how a computer works to install Linux, you just pop in the CD and read the instructions on screen!

jsusanka wrote:I just don't get it. I want my daughter to know more about computers than word processing and spreadsheets. there is no way that a school can justify to me paying for microsoft office when there is open office - just no way. regardless of how many grants they get. you can't beat $0.00.

Yeah no kidding, the only thing girls know about computers these days is how to go to MySpace or Xanga!

Also, if a kid comes to school and says he doesn't have a spreadsheet or word processor, the teacher can just give him a disc with OpenOffice, which probably will help him study![/list][/list]

jsusanka wrote: why even mess with licenses

Licenses are cheaper than the fines you pay if you get caught? Getting busted with illegal software on a computer is grounds for losing your job a lot of places.

jsusanka wrote:I just don't get it. I want my daughter to know more about computers than word processing and spreadsheets. there is no way that a school can justify to me paying for microsoft office when there is open office - just no way. regardless of how many grants they get. you can't beat $0.00.

Microsoft Office is the standard in business (like it or not). If you're wanting an office job, you need to know it.

Microsoft Office is the standard in business (like it or not). If you're wanting an office job, you need to know it.

I just don't buy that excuse. - If someone knows how to operate open office they would have no trouble using microsoft word if their work happened to use it.

this is just an excuse. there still no need for office in schools. the price is ridiculous. having office in schools is just lazy - it is suppose to broaden the students horizons - not limit them - you know help the creativity and imagination.

how do we know all the students are going to be working with office when they get jobs - if some don't then they are screwed and have to learn on the job. it is better to stick with someone that is free and the students can take home and learn and not have to worry about the BSMA come knocking at their door.

we have got to change our thinking like these excuses if we want open source to spread. this excuse is nothing but pure FUD.

As Jim McQuillan said in the interview with him on episode 97: "What the schools need to be doing is teaching their students word processing not Word, they need to teach them spreadsheet not Excel, that way the kids can sit down and use and word processor or spreadsheet program".

jsusanka wrote:

Microsoft Office is the standard in business (like it or not). If you're wanting an office job, you need to know it.

I just don't buy that excuse. - If someone knows how to operate open office they would have no trouble using microsoft word if their work happened to use it.

I'm speaking from personal experience. "I know Microsoft Word" is a much better asset than "I know word processing and can learn to use Word." If things are different in the office where you work, great. I'd love to hear about your success using OpenOffice in a corporate environment.

There are plenty of differences between Open Office and Microsoft Office. I know, I use both every day. That's really irrelevant, because the point is employers want to hear "I know Office." That's the reality of the corporate world, at least in the US. Teaching kids Open Office does not change that.

I'm speaking from personal experience. "I know Microsoft Word" is a much better asset than "I know word processing and can learn to use Word." If things are different in the office where you work, great. I'd love to hear about your success using OpenOffice in a corporate environment.

There are plenty of differences between Open Office and Microsoft Office. I know, I use both every day. That's really irrelevant, because the point is employers want to hear "I know Office." That's the reality of the corporate world, at least in the US. Teaching kids Open Office does not change that.

I know in the corporation where I work the we use microsoft office but I hear through the grapevine that may/will change in the future. anyway - I know (at least a few years ago and that may of changed) but they used to ask the typical office worker/secretary if they did know word processing (and words typed a minute)and which ones have they used with no specific reference to any product - just years used was more important than anything because the company felt if they used a number of word processors they would be able to learn any product the company chooses to standardize on now and in the future. I agree with this policy - you want people to be able to adapt because contracts expire and don't get renewed.

I use both openoffice and word and I really don't see a difference - but I use mostly open office and don't delve too deep into word.

Gomer_X wrote:I'm speaking from personal experience. "I know Microsoft Word" is a much better asset than "I know word processing and can learn to use Word." If things are different in the office where you work, great. I'd love to hear about your success using OpenOffice in a corporate environment.

There are plenty of differences between Open Office and Microsoft Office. I know, I use both every day. That's really irrelevant, because the point is employers want to hear "I know Office." That's the reality of the corporate world, at least in the US. Teaching kids Open Office does not change that.

So what you're basically saying is "Microsoft has conquered the world and we may just accept it as it is, period."

Tsuroerusu wrote:So what you're basically saying is "Microsoft has conquered the world and we may just accept it as it is, period."

No, I'm saying you can't bash the schools for doing their best to equip kids for the real world. It's not their fault Office is so dominant, and it's not their job to change that.

Working against Microsoft dominance will help. Denying reality will not. Teaching kids something that won't help them get a job because you want to spread your ideology won't help them.

Working against Microsoft dominance will help. Denying reality will not. Teaching kids something that won't help them get a job because you want to spread your ideology won't help them.

The reality is we need to broaden their skills and not just learn microsoft stuff - they need to know there are better free alternatives out there and just plain educate them about open source.

broadening skills should be the main goal of every school and when they standardize on software they aren't achieving that goal. also giving out laptops and telling them they can't install linux or other open source software is also not achieving that goal. if we are giving them laptops then let them use it to their fullest. or are we giving the laptops to them so we can train them to be brain dead office workers.

I guess there are two realities here - teaching kids to be brain dead office workers - or teaching them to be adaptive alert and curious learners so they can be the next Linus Torvalds - who knows there might be one or two of them out there. I guess with the reality you talk about Linus would be the wrong reality and he should of just gone along with his windows installs so he could be prepared for the real busines world.

http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/56466/index.html


here is are some unemployed future citizens of the world.

the U.S. students are gonna be second fiddle to the rest of the world pretty soon if they aren't already.

just because we have to teach them microsoft office so they can get a job.

jsusanka wrote: just because we have to teach them microsoft office so they can get a job.

That is not the fault of the schools. It's the fault of our society. That's my point.

It's not the job of the schools to dictate morality. We can't expect the schools to do our jobs for us.