|::| Tuesday, November 05, 2002
- |::| What part of "the first one's always free" did you think we didn't understand? 7:49:42 AM
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"The real issue for schools is not the cost of proprietary software licensing, but the challenges and costs of deployment, maintenance and skilled human resources....Conventional Microsoft products have rapid product cycles and quick obsolescence, along with expensive long-term maintenance and support implications." -- Joris Kamen, founding executive director for SchoolNet Namibia, in a letter to Microsoft's East and South Africa regional manager. Quoted on ZDNet.
It's so good to see somebody finally lay it out in such lucid terms: The biggest cost of Microsoft products is the upgrade/obselescence cycle. Is it any surprise to see these frank and unvarnished evaluations coming from the developing world -- where they haven't yet drank the koolaid that makes the vicious (upgrade) cycle seem "natural" (or even "innovative")?
Of course, Microsoft can't be expected to go gently...
