[I invite Microsoft, copied above, to reply. --Declan] ********* Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 14:58:59 +1000 From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private> Organization: The Age newspaper To: declanat_private Subject: Microsoft suing free PC programs Hi Declan I checked the term "rapacious blood suckers" in the dictionary and Microsoft wasn't mentioned. Not surprising; it was the Encarta desk reference. We've just heard that a Victorian charity, PCs for Kids, has this week received threatening telephone calls late at night from Microsoft's Australian legal counsel. Apparently PCs for Kids has been distributing PCs to the poor and disadvantaged without paying the Microsoft tax (Windows licence); about $200 a machine, I am told. I also heard MS told the charity not to speak to the media. Background news reports on the charities: http://it.mycareer.com.au/networking/19991130/A5409-1999Nov29.html http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=1999-03-15-002-09-PS NOIE charity site: http://www.onlineaustralia.net.au/projects/access/online_access/subsidised_comp.htm Our reporters are looking into this now, but if it is true, it shows the depths this rapacious company is willing to dredge. It's all the more surprising given how MS in the US is trying to appear warm and fuzzy. Most Australian PC distribution charities, such as Computerbank, use Linux and open source to get away from this problem. I don't know why PCs for Kids doesn't. You may recall that Windows Refund Day started when Adelaide man, Geoffrey Bennett, had the temerity to demand that Toshiba Australia Pty Ltd honor the terms of its software license and refund the cost for an unwanted MS Windows. http://hugin.imat.com/refund/coverage.html http://it.mycareer.com.au/breaking/916904790.html Even the state and territory education departments are starting to see the benefits of steering clear of Microsoft. The Northern Territory education department has awarded a local business and IBM the lion's share of a five-year $A30 million contract to supply 4000 desktop PCs and 200 xSeries servers running Red Hat Linux, Samba and other Free Software apps. The desktops will use Windows, but run Sun Microsystems' Star Office. No final decision has been made but MS Office looks likely at this stage to be relegated to an interchange player. http://www.latis.nt.edu.au/ Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, uses Free Software almost exclusively. http://it.mycareer.com.au/news/2001/06/05/FFX9ZT7UENC.html cheers Nathan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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