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Question of the Day: Did you buy your last car with cash or on a finance plan?
This is nothing new. My dad is a teacher, and MS have been providing schools with free software for a few years now.
Quite a good strategy if you ask me. If students learn to use MS products at school level, guess what most of them are going to purchase.
Quite a good strategy if you ask me. If students learn to use MS products at school level, guess what most of them are going to purchase.
Do you have any idea how many pupils at school pirate Windows and everything else? Not because they can't afford it, but because they don't want to buy Windows. I grew up with Windows and moved to Linux as soon as I possibly could. Because of "efficiency"...
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
If M$ wants to give away their profits, I am totally OK with that! 
ld13
Honorary Master
Same this side, Remember it from looong ago. Looking for link...
Got it, back in 2002 already: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=ct20020208212507770G320799
Asha'man X
Expert Member
Open source saves cash, no mistake about it. That is, at least upfront.
The reason I say this is that I use Squid+Dansguardian to filter internet content at my school. Free, so it saves cash. However, everything else is Windows based. Why? Because we know it, and also because we have a ton of brilliant educational software packages that only work with Windows and Apple, designed by Shertson Software. I don't know if they would run under WINE, but even if they did, it would be too much of a hassle to try and get students to use it properly. Same goes for Dreamweaver and Studio MX.
Also, when it comes to networking, I love the power of Active Directory, and being able to lock the computers down fairly well. I don't quite know if there's something similar on Linux.
In the end, we each use what's best for us. I've been a few of the Tux labs facilities, and I think it's a grest concept. It gives computers to schools who never would have had the chance to own them. Unfortunately it's also rather basic, and once you get past a certain point, you have to be more open minded and use what is available.
The reason I say this is that I use Squid+Dansguardian to filter internet content at my school. Free, so it saves cash. However, everything else is Windows based. Why? Because we know it, and also because we have a ton of brilliant educational software packages that only work with Windows and Apple, designed by Shertson Software. I don't know if they would run under WINE, but even if they did, it would be too much of a hassle to try and get students to use it properly. Same goes for Dreamweaver and Studio MX.
Also, when it comes to networking, I love the power of Active Directory, and being able to lock the computers down fairly well. I don't quite know if there's something similar on Linux.
In the end, we each use what's best for us. I've been a few of the Tux labs facilities, and I think it's a grest concept. It gives computers to schools who never would have had the chance to own them. Unfortunately it's also rather basic, and once you get past a certain point, you have to be more open minded and use what is available.