FC: Microsoft threatens children's charities over Windows fees

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[I invite Microsoft, copied above, to reply. --Declan]

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Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 14:58:59 +1000
From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochrane () theage fairfax com au>
Organization: The Age newspaper
To: declan () well com
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




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