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Microsoft Tactics Push India Toward Linux

linux-watch.com — One of India's 28 states plans to distribute 100,000 Linux laptops to students there. It sounds like Tamil Nadu's volume purchasing agent decided to use Linux exclusively after being put off by Microsoft's bundling tactics for academic users.

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  • known, on 07/01/2008, -3/+65Open Source Software Promotes Competition in Businesses.
    Closed Source Software Promotes Collusion in Businesses.
    • RaulMuadDib, on 07/02/2008, -4/+7DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!
    • kahrytan, on 07/02/2008, -10/+1Just as long as that Open Source doesn't use GPL License. Then it just kills competition and eliminates trillions of dollars of revenue.


      BSD License FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Open Source and Business Friendly.
      • nixfu, on 07/02/2008, -1/+7>Business Friendly.

        But user and developer unfriendly....which IS WHY the GPL license will always be more popular and have more developers and user community attracted to it.

        And since businesses don't write much open source software, the independent developers and users do.....BSD will always be for loosers.


  • seanmx, on 07/02/2008, -22/+6by microsoft tactics, do you mean, producing product?
    • sfacets, on 07/02/2008, -1/+22um no, I think (and most people would agree) they mean their anti-competitive aggressive and anti-consumer behavior.
    • oderdigg, on 07/02/2008, -0/+15Did you even read the article? The answer is right there...
    • macewan, on 07/02/2008, -1/+4yeah numbnuts, that what we meant. care for another cup of Kool-aid?
  • slvrbullet87, on 07/02/2008, -6/+12India wont change from microsoft as they can get great american jobs as server and network admins by learning them
  • bumcheekcity, on 07/02/2008, -11/+21THIS JUST IN: Microsoft wants people to buy Microsoft products.
    • thephosphorbox, on 07/02/2008, -2/+6Those bastards!!!
    • SealandRes1, on 07/02/2008, -0/+15When you buy a car, do you also have to buy a vacuum even if you don't want it?

      India wanted choice, something that microsoft couldn't offer.
      • randumbusername, on 07/02/2008, -8/+2false analogy
      • DickBreath, on 07/02/2008, -0/+6@randumbusername

        How is the analogy false? Did you RTFA? India wants Windows. Microsoft wants to bundle Office for much more.

        The bundling and lack of choice seems clear. The analogy seems right on.
    • oderdigg, on 07/02/2008, -0/+14Another moron that didn't read the article.

      India wanted XP cheap ($12) for students. MS wouldn't give it to them as is unless they bundled it with Office at a higher price (57$). India said, "go ***** yourself M$."

      Sounds pretty unrealistic for M$ to expect an education group to 'just get office' instead of what they asked for.

      Imagine if a car dealer won't sell you the car you want unless you get the clear coat. Just watch Fargo, you'll know what I mean.
  • Stroggoth, on 07/02/2008, -20/+2Good, Linux will keep the India economy lagging the US economy for years. *nix has kept people occupied for 20 years, it should be good for 20 more.
    • SealandRes1, on 07/02/2008, -0/+13Linux has 75.6% percent share (windows has 1%) in the world's top 500 supercomputers, linux is scalable and is used for enterprise routers, and most enterprise level severs run linux and unix. If anything it's Vista's UAC that's setting people back from their work.
      • DickBreath, on 07/02/2008, -0/+8Don't forget Linux is used in tiny embedded systems. It's not just for supercomputers.
      • init100, on 07/03/2008, -0/+3"Linux has 75.6% percent share (windows has 1%) in the world's top 500 supercomputers"

        Don't you mean 85.4%?

        http://www.top500.org/stats/list/31/osfam
      • Stroggoth, on 07/05/2008, -2/+0Because Supercomputer share is the obvious indicator of success. LOL. UAC can be deactivated.

        For a little history lesson, the *nix paradigm has been around since 1969 and in modern form since 1975. Linux is a port of this original paradigm, and the problems with it are still there today.
  • FredFredrickson, on 07/02/2008, -5/+8I'm sure that 100,000 laptops are going to out to people in India just because one person didn't like the sales tactics of Microsoft. /sarcasm

    Or maybe it's just that the government doesn't have to pay for Linux, and they're taking the cheap way out?
    • iksu, on 07/02/2008, -1/+3Ahh...someone who understands the concept of "free as in free speech, not free beer".
      /sarcasm
    • oderdigg, on 07/02/2008, -0/+4Of course they are going the cheap route, they are giving them to students!
    • scamper22, on 07/02/2008, -1/+13I didn't see them denying that.

      India said: "come on buddy. I want to give you the business. We are wholesaling to students. $12 for MS Windows."

      MS said: "come on buddy. I employ so much of your family. I can do $57 for Windows and Office. Think of it. We can wholesale both Office and Windows."

      India said: "I don't think so"

      MS said: "Don't be so cheap"

      India said: "Yeah. Don't you get enough money ripping off the white people in the West. What do you make them pay. $150 dollar a copy. White people don't know how to bargain eh buddy. Comeon, give us a deal. I want to give you the business"

      MS said: "I can't do it. Even the white people are now poor in the West."

      India said: "Just watch buddy. I wanted to give you the business. Now I have to give Linux the business"

      MS said: "Come on buddy. Let me ask uncle Balmer about it. We will get back to you"

      To be continued...

  • prisoner24601, on 07/02/2008, -1/+12$800 each for the laptops? Someone needs to order some eeePC's. Or wait and get the entry-level Dell E series for $299.
    • yertthedigger, on 07/02/2008, -3/+9I think someone overpaid for laptops and tried to cover it up by saving $12 by switching to Gieco... er, Linux.
    • HoratioHellpop, on 07/02/2008, -6/+1They want laptops that are worth a *****. Hence, no eePC's.
      • jay019, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Dont know why people are digging you down. The eeePC's may be cute, but ***** that I want a decent size keyboard.
  • FairDinkumMate, on 07/02/2008, -2/+21Why is it Americans deride the supposed 'monopolistic' tactics of oil companies whilst at the same time defending the anti-consumer & anti-competitive practices of Microsoft?
    • minorthreat, on 07/02/2008, -0/+7Because Microsoft doesn't bend them over every week at the pump. Microsoft merely sticks it's pinky in when your average consumer buys it and they are OK with this. Microsoft does bend over large corporations and since the average consumer doesn't see this, they don't care, all they know about was the pinky.... I personally like to keep all things away from that area and will just use the perfectly good free open source software.
      • HonoredMule, on 07/02/2008, -0/+3And, because the cost is mostly hidden from the consumer through bundling with the hardware.
    • oderdigg, on 07/02/2008, -2/+5Your answer is found in the forth word from the start.
    • nem0, on 07/02/2008, -0/+6Crikey mate. If by "Americans" you mean " bloody lawyers," then I see your point. Most Americans I know deride oil companies and Microsoft alike.
    • lagannt, on 07/02/2008, -7/+2Ahhh... Don't you just love sweeping conclusions on Americans? I'll just do what I usually do and ignore such crap judgments.
      • HonoredMule, on 07/02/2008, -1/+2Hmph. Typical American.
      • FairDinkumMate, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1lagannt that's a fair point. I did generalise but it was directed at the VAST majority of comments from Americans on THIS site.....
  • leerayIG88, on 07/02/2008, -11/+4....................../´¯/)
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  • alanr19, on 07/02/2008, -0/+15Its just a shakedown for a better deal. MS will send in the fixers and offer them an unbelievable deal (like $2 a copy of windows) just to shut out linux. They've always done it and they always will. It happens about 3 times a year.
  • bazigar, on 07/02/2008, -4/+4When did they start to buy software in India? 80-90% of the software is pirated. I am sure most of these laptops will end up with some volume licensed version of XP.
    • alanr19, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2Just like the rest of the world then. I hope you're writing this down.
  • YodaJones, on 07/02/2008, -11/+6Microsoft is going down no matter what you 13 year old WOW players think.
  • AsylumAleikum, on 07/02/2008, -9/+3In evaluating laptop hardware, ELCOT claims to have two primary tests. One is a "fire walk test" that requires laptops to survive being stood and walked upon by 175-pound people.
    ======================

    Why do Indian students stand and walk on their laptops? Are they retarded?
    • alanr19, on 07/02/2008, -0/+10Well if western laptops were tested to those seemingly ridiculous extremes they might actually last longer. just my $0.02
      • macewan, on 07/02/2008, -0/+5An accidental two and a half foot drop from a table shattered my laptop screen (Dell Inspiron 700m). alanr19 is right.

        @AsylumAleikum, blah
  • ezran, on 07/02/2008, -7/+2India ??
    Did you mean the whole world??
  • nem0, on 07/02/2008, -2/+3Admit it -- it's hard not to like Steve Ballmer. He's such a sweet, down-to-earth guy.
    • fuzzlog, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2He's a cool dude. You can't get bored with this guy.

      Developers, developers, developers, developers.
      Developers, developers, developers, developers.
      Developers, developers, developers, developers.
      Developers, developers, developers, developers.
      Developers, developers, developers, developers.
      • init100, on 07/03/2008, -0/+2"He's a cool dude. You can't get bored with this guy."

        Especially if you throw in a few chairs in the equation.
  • sx66gns, on 07/02/2008, -0/+11Congratulations India! , good move that they will not regret , I love the international community moving towards rejecting software mediocrity.
  • Arkonnan, on 07/02/2008, -0/+4Every once in a while some large corporation or government institution threatens to make the switch to Linux. And not long after that, Microsoft reps cut them a deal and it's business as usual.

    It has become a bit of a running joke that if you want Microsoft to give you a discount, all you have to do is threaten to switch. Most of these institutions have no intention of actually following through, though.
    • init100, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1"Most of these institutions have no intention of actually following through, though."

      Even if they don't, they cut into Microsoft's wide profit margin. I really don't understand why not more companies and other organizations do this. Why give Microsoft more money than you need to give them?
  • unknownsoldierX, on 07/02/2008, -11/+4This article is nothing more than a Linux circle-jerk.
  • DickBreath, on 07/02/2008, -0/+3This video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_g72GcaIdc
    suggests that India is already embracing open source.

    Bring Linux to every segment of the government?

    Way cold!
  • copperas, on 07/02/2008, -5/+1there are only 1.2 billion indians......what is a 100,000? gates will win in the end, he always does!
    • daftman, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2100000 are the educated one. You know the one that will control the economy, the direction of technology.
      Kinda like the educated one that is currently controlling what sheeps like you are using?
  • fuzzlog, on 07/02/2008, -0/+8At last, an organization showing it has a spine.
  • asus2000, on 07/02/2008, -4/+3Never gonna happen... India I.T. is completely and utterly Microsoft centric. They would return to the stone age if they dropped it like a hot potato. As much as I like Ubuntu like the rest of you, India relies on I.T. jobs, Microsoft put them on the map!
    • deadbaby, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Who better to judge a product than the people who have to support it?
    • jay019, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1Phone company call centers put them on the map.
  • twigboy, on 07/02/2008, -1/+2wow not even the indians, who are notorious for haggling, do not want Vista
  • compy386, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2Wait... how will "Steve" help me fix my Dell if he's using Linux?

    -ah silly boy, "Steve" will use a script!

    doh!
  • EEdesigner, on 07/03/2008, -0/+2Microsoft tactics push everyone away from windows. Period. It still upsets my stomach to get to work and see that XP junkpile staring me in the face.
  • lvshankar, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1I agree with all this reaching to the students....good work...

    but, coming from an IT company in India, I know..the corporates' life blood is M$ products.
    I use Thunderbird at office, I know how many joke mails get forwarded with JJJJJ at the end!
    Besides, the clients..US or Indian..they stick to M$ products, so we just have to...I try my best to lean away from M$. But I don't think I can impress upon anyone to start using Ubuntu. (I did a lot of that in college)...
  • esc27, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1This seems pretty cut and dried. The Indian state asked Microsoft for a product at a price it doesn't offer. Microsoft suggested a similar product that is available. The Indian state refused the offer and went with another vendor. Simple, ordinary business.

    If I go to a store to buy a Wii at a set price,all they have are bundles at a higher price, and I just leave and buy it somewhere else, that doesn't mean that the store was a failure, that its business model sucks, that it is out of touch with its customers, that capitalism is a failure, or any other such nonsense. Especially if a vast number of other people like buying the bundle, and do shop at that store.
  • diggbabu, on 08/06/2008, -0/+0download Tamil-English & English-Tamil Dictionary from this site. This iswill be very useful for all Tamilan.

    http://getitfreely.co.cc/content/tamil-e-dictionar ...
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