Microsoft licence mess in Gauteng schools

Why cant they just install a free version of Office?, Microsoft is making a huge amount of money with these packages that some freeware packages can can preform equally as well.
In the firm I work for, our Microsoft licenses cost 37mil a year.
Maybe Gordon should put this in his public speech, government is not longer allowed to use Microsoft and only Kingsoft :p
 
Lament said:
Why cant they just install a free version of Office?, Microsoft is making a huge amount of money with these packages that some freeware packages can can preform equally as well.
In the firm I work for, our Microsoft licenses cost 37mil a year.
Maybe Gordon should put this in his public speech, government is not longer allowed to use Microsoft and only Kingsoft :p
Click to expand...

You mean the "Policy on Free and Open Source Software use for South African Government" that was initiated in 2003 ish?
 
Lament said:
Why cant they just install a free version of Office?, Microsoft is making a huge amount of money with these packages that some freeware packages can can preform equally as well.
In the firm I work for, our Microsoft licenses cost 37mil a year.
Maybe Gordon should put this in his public speech, government is not longer allowed to use Microsoft and only Kingsoft :p
Click to expand...

MS probably provides a discount and support. Then when students go out, they're familiar with MS Office leading to more sales in corporates?
 
Beachless said:
You mean the "Policy on Free and Open Source Software use for South African Government" that was initiated in 2003 ish?
Click to expand...

Its a shame Google has not developed a Android version for desktops yet. I can imagine the drivers will be a nightmare, But I believe there will be a very strong market since its free and People already know it and are relatively comfortable using it.

Installing Linux is not even a option, last year the "upper powers" decided lets give a few "high end" users Apple machine on request, at the end of the day we had to install Windows on each every single machine.
 
Or is it instead of Licensing problems, rather installing MS Office thats a problem... Who does the installations for gov?
 
I am sure there are "incentives" from MS for those decicion makers also...
 
Public schools should use Linux and LibreOffice

Microsoft can be for private schools
 
It's probably also because there are many teachers barely capable to use windows/office who would be lost with e.g. linux/libre office
 
v3gout said:
It's probably also because there are many teachers barely capable to use windows/office who would be lost with e.g. linux/libre office
Click to expand...

Teachers experienced in old MS Office versions (pre 2007) will be more familiar with Libre Office than new MS Office.
 
The biggest problem is that they can't even say how many licences they currently have because IT in the government departments is so poorly managed. They end up getting the licence resellers to 'audit' (guess) how many licences are required each year - obviously a conflict of interest because the reseller gets a cut of each licence sold.

To make things worse is that licences are paid for in dollars so with the rand being where it is at the moment, licence true-ups are going to be in billion ZARs.
 
Pravin wants to find money.

Open Source the Government and Public sector
 
In 2010 there where 30 586 Schools in SA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_South_Africa)

---Speculation---

If 10% of them have a computer room of 40 then it's

3058.6 Schools x 40 PCs = 122 344 PC's

Now take 122 344 x (Windows Licence + Office Licence)

That number is in the ~400 million range... that can be saved if we switch to linux
 
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