On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 10:31:11 +0800, Bopolissimus Platypus Jr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 2. on microsoft PCs, people will install all sorts of > pirate games. a lot of those games will have viruses > on them (well, i've seen several games CDs that were > chock full of viruses, and these were CDs that were > used by computer stores to install games and apps > on computers. > > sure, DOE might lock down those computers, but they're > going to get cracked anyway. it is probably impossible > to have uncracked microsoft boxes installed at government > offices. and it'll remain impossible for the forseeable > future. people's need to play illegal games is just > too strong. it's an irresistible force meeting a rotting > plywood wall.
DepEd will definitely NOT lock down these computers. This is a sort of "computer loan" for the teachers and these computers will be used at home most of the time. > 3. what are the license terms on that 90% discount? is the > discount on the first version installed only? or on the first > version and all upgrades? if we pay 10% on the first > installation, and then pay 100%, or even 50% on longhorn, > and on all upgrades every 2 years after that, then we're > paying too much. Yes, how much for the upgrade? :D Remember also that the discounted versions have limited capabilities compared to the retail version. > are we going to be locked into paying for every upgrade? > or can we upgrade a la carte (i.e., only when we want to)? > if we're forced to upgrade on a subscription basis, then > we're going to be paying too much. 90% discount is just > the drug dealer getting us addicted. after that we pay full > price. I think the license is perpetual and you may opt to upgrade or not. > 4. now, i'm not sure if we'll pay the same amount in technical > support if we decided to go with open source. we might, > in the first five years, and then after that people would > get used to things and tech support costs would go down. I agree. > but even if we do pay the same amount or even more in > technical support, that's money paid to filipinos, and > spent (for the most part) in the philippines. unlike money > paid to microsoft which - apart from salaries paid to > microsoft marketing drones who, frankly, are no benefit > to anyone's economy but billg's - basically goes straight > to Redmond and does absolutely NO GOOD to the > philippine economy. Great! You're thinking along the same lines as some folks I spoke with from ADB. :) I mean, the programme is good IF they do not BUNDLE Microsoft products with these hardware. Let the teachers DECIDE which one to install. I propose the following: 1. Package A: PC with MS WinXP + MS Office 2. Package B: PC only 3. Package C: MS WinXP + MS Office only I am sure that Package B will be way cheaper than Package A. Package C will entice those who already have PCs but are using illegal copies of these software. It is all about choice. :D -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
