Pakistan government may replace pirated Windows-based systems with Linux
September 6, 2002 12:46 PM Subscribe
Pakistan government may replace pirated Windows-based systems with Linux "The Microsoft Corporation has already offered over 90 per cent discount to the government but we want to press for more cuts in prices." Is the Linux announcement a bargaining strategy or a serious sign? This June O'Reilly story provides some context, noting a sudden spiking popularity of open source software within the U.S. government, which "actually lags behind other major governments" who are "gravitating toward open source software for a variety of reasons."
Didn't some European government recently make similar (and presumably bigger) waves?
Incidentally, Julie O'Reilly is SO much hotter than June O'Reilly.
posted by donkeyschlong at 1:26 PM on September 6, 2002
Incidentally, Julie O'Reilly is SO much hotter than June O'Reilly.
posted by donkeyschlong at 1:26 PM on September 6, 2002
Didn't some European government recently make similar (and presumably bigger) waves?
You might be thinking of the deal Germany signed in June. IBM will be providing Linux-based systems to the German public sector.
posted by hilker at 1:44 PM on September 6, 2002
You might be thinking of the deal Germany signed in June. IBM will be providing Linux-based systems to the German public sector.
posted by hilker at 1:44 PM on September 6, 2002
All I can say is, I'm glad Bill Gates owns Microsoft, and not Dick Cheney or the Bush Clan. Otherwise these "evil-doers" would definitely be on the "Axis of Evil" list, and would probably be getting their sorry asses invaded soon...
posted by zekinskia at 2:37 PM on September 6, 2002
posted by zekinskia at 2:37 PM on September 6, 2002
Wow, talk about a win-win situation. Pakistan gets a superior OS and the losses from the proposed 90% discount won't be made up by the average Microsoft user.
I once heard a story that what made Pablo Picasso really unique was that he reached a point where he could mint himself a million dollars just by scribbling on a bar napkin. Pablo Picasso having a monopoly on something that everyone interested in art wanted could charge what he wanted.
So by comparison we have a company that can can jack up the price of exenden contracts just to become the only company to report earnings. There is a lot of fuzzy math involved in these %90 cuts. %90 compared to the retail price (that very few people pay)?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 2:48 PM on September 6, 2002
I once heard a story that what made Pablo Picasso really unique was that he reached a point where he could mint himself a million dollars just by scribbling on a bar napkin. Pablo Picasso having a monopoly on something that everyone interested in art wanted could charge what he wanted.
So by comparison we have a company that can can jack up the price of exenden contracts just to become the only company to report earnings. There is a lot of fuzzy math involved in these %90 cuts. %90 compared to the retail price (that very few people pay)?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 2:48 PM on September 6, 2002
Well, seems I'm the first to say it:
It must suck pretty bad when *free* isn't even a good enough reason to use it.
What a horrible insult to Microsoft this must be -- even thinking about replacing free (as in pirated) windows with Linux.
All I can say is: >:-D
posted by shepd at 8:35 PM on September 6, 2002
It must suck pretty bad when *free* isn't even a good enough reason to use it.
What a horrible insult to Microsoft this must be -- even thinking about replacing free (as in pirated) windows with Linux.
All I can say is: >:-D
posted by shepd at 8:35 PM on September 6, 2002
Microsoft sounds like a drug addict. Sure, this one is 90% off, but are all the forced upgrades going to be that price? Who in Pakistan is going support these new legal installations? MCSE is not a cheap "certification" to get.
(I know, I used to have a job trying to push the courses on anybody with a couple of grand to blow. The content was such a joke. I give credit to my friends who passed the course, but so many MCSEs just amaze me.)
posted by Tystnaden at 8:35 PM on September 6, 2002
(I know, I used to have a job trying to push the courses on anybody with a couple of grand to blow. The content was such a joke. I give credit to my friends who passed the course, but so many MCSEs just amaze me.)
posted by Tystnaden at 8:35 PM on September 6, 2002
All I can say is, I'm glad Bill Gates owns Microsoft, and not Dick Cheney or the Bush Clan. Otherwise these "evil-doers" would definitely be on the "Axis of Evil" list, and would probably be getting their sorry asses invaded soon...
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Far from clever.
posted by Witty at 5:24 AM on September 7, 2002
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Far from clever.
posted by Witty at 5:24 AM on September 7, 2002
More from late July: Microsoft enlists U.S. ambassador to stop open source bill in Peru:
Not all the pressure come from the U.S. government. Bill Gates was in Peru recently, too, making a donation of $550,000 to the national school system. It seems unlikely that Gates would be contributing money to anything that cuts Microsoft out of the picture, Peruvian critics say.
Microsoft's investment in Peru is estimated at $50 million...
posted by mediareport at 10:49 AM on September 8, 2002
Not all the pressure come from the U.S. government. Bill Gates was in Peru recently, too, making a donation of $550,000 to the national school system. It seems unlikely that Gates would be contributing money to anything that cuts Microsoft out of the picture, Peruvian critics say.
Microsoft's investment in Peru is estimated at $50 million...
posted by mediareport at 10:49 AM on September 8, 2002
« Older Help Jack Welch buy a newspaper | The Iraq Daily Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by mediareport at 12:56 PM on September 6, 2002