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g. olson · Jun 30, 2003, 07:52 PM

I need to say somthing good about Microsoft. MS virtually gives away software to non-profits! If you work at a 501(c)3 organization, you can get MS software at an incredible low price. I just got 5 licenses for Office OSX for $75. I wish Apple had a similar program for non-profits. As far as I know, unless you are a government or educational institution, you get no break from Apple. Non-governmental organizations do much of the nasty work in our society and Microsoft recognizes that. I never thought I'd say it, but "Thanks, Bill." We will be using Powerpoint to present our new work in substance abuse treatment to the uneducated.

:XI: · Jun 30, 2003, 07:59 PM

Why would a non-profit pay even $75 for office, when there are free alternatives. Surely $75 can be better spent than giving it to Microsoft?

So, yey! for Microsoft, even making it look good that they take money from charities.

Oh, god. I sound like a 'Mac Zealot' ignore me.

+1 (I think this might be 800, 200 and I get my green stars

)

faragbre967 · Jun 30, 2003, 09:11 PM

Originally posted by :XI::
Why would a non-profit pay even $75 for office, when there are free alternatives. Surely $75 can be better spent than giving it to Microsoft?

So, yey! for Microsoft, even making it look good that they take money from charities.

Oh, god. I sound like a 'Mac Zealot' ignore me.

+1 (I think this might be 800, 200 and I get my green stars )

I think that's good of Microsoft. Usually they're blood-sucking bastards.

lawgeek · Jun 30, 2003, 09:29 PM

Yeah it's great that Microsoft can give away something that costs pennys to manufacture and claimdeductions of hundereds of dollars for each copy given away on its taxes.

mdc · Jun 30, 2003, 09:31 PM

microsoft has that college thing where students get office for something crazy like $25. but to bad it was nowhere where i could get it from though

Zimphire · Jun 30, 2003, 10:20 PM

MS can do this because they can AFFORD to. They don't do it out of the kindness of their hearts. Their main concern is getting as many people to use their software as they can.

This is how they are trying to compete with Linux. They charge for their stuff, but can also afford to give it away on occasion.

How did MS get all this wealth? It made money off of every PC sold, regardless if it had ANY MS products on it. Through licensing deals. Which also made it hard for anyone to compete. The gov made them stop this in 91. And since then, MS has been in and out of the courtroom for highly questionable business practices.

istallion · Jun 30, 2003, 11:32 PM

Originally posted by lawgeek:
Yeah it's great that Microsoft can give away something that costs pennys to manufacture and claimdeductions of hundereds of dollars for each copy given away on its taxes.

Yeah, all those companies that make donations and don't take the tax deduction are saints. Oh wait, there aren't any(well there may be a handful, who knows). Once again, software doesn't grow on magic trees, it takes money to develop, test, maintain and support it.

lawgeek · Jul 1, 2003, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by istallion:
Yeah, all those companies that make donations and don't take the tax deduction are saints. Oh wait, there aren't any(well there may be a handful, who knows). Once again, software doesn't grow on magic trees, it takes money to develop, test, maintain and support it.

You miss the point. Once you've made back your investment in software, it basically costs you almost nothing to manufacture and give away. Compare that again automakers, for example. Every car they give away, their losing at the very least the raw materials they paid for it. Software doesn't have that problem.

Second, I have no problems with companies claiming a tax deduction on charity. However, it is very unethical IMHO to claim full retail credit on something that costs you almost nothing to give away.

willed · Jul 1, 2003, 06:18 AM

Originally posted by lawgeek:
You miss the point. Once you've made back your investment in software, it basically costs you almost nothing to manufacture and give away. Compare that again automakers, for example. Every car they give away, their losing at the very least the raw materials they paid for it. Software doesn't have that problem.

Second, I have no problems with companies claiming a tax deduction on charity. However, it is very unethical IMHO to claim full retail credit on something that costs you almost nothing to give away.

Yeah, but let's face it, they're not Robin Hood are they? $75 for five licenses? That's $15 for a suite of apps which usually costs, I dunno, over $200? The payment is simply nominal I'd say. So quit complaining and give MS a break for once. I like Apple as much as the next guy, but it doesn't mean you have to be obtuse.

sideus · Jul 1, 2003, 07:01 AM

Something good about Micro$oft? Never.

mitchell_pgh · Jul 1, 2003, 09:59 AM

I have said it in the past and will continue to say:

Apple should rename AppleWorks (Free Office, iOffice or eOffice...) and open source the application. They CAN'T be making any money on the application!

-OR-

Apple should port Open Office to OS X (I'm talking about everything as a native application without X11)

Back on topic... Apple gives this software away to college students, schools and non-profits because 1) They can afford to do so 2) It will (in the long run) give them more customers 3) doesn't cost them much

g. olson · Jul 1, 2003, 11:17 AM

I should clarify that the $75 went to the outfit that acts as a broker for non-profits and dozens of software companies. The money doesn't go to Microsoft. The software was shipped directly to us from Microsoft.

Again, my point is that Apple does not have a similar program. Only government and education qualify under their program.

gerbnl · Jul 1, 2003, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by istallion:
Yeah, all those companies that make donations and don't take the tax deduction are saints. Oh wait, there aren't any(well there may be a handful, who knows). Once again, software doesn't grow on magic trees, it takes money to develop, test, maintain and support it.

You forgot the exorbitant profitmargin...

sniffer · Jul 1, 2003, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by sideus:
Something good about Micro$oft? Never.

Heh. Some of us really like to fool their OS into doing things it isn't meant for. There is always a way around to get it working. At work we have several hundred different applications to service. And all of them have its own installation procedure. Confusing? Yes! But it gives work places to the people. It's not like on the mac like "drag this app to your harddrive" and you are good to go. That's just mean and silly. WE NEED MS TO GET PAID!
-Sincerely, a big crowd of PC support team people.

..

gerbnl · Jul 1, 2003, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by g. olson:
I should clarify that the $75 went to the outfit that acts as a broker for non-profits and dozens of software companies. The money doesn't go to Microsoft. The software was shipped directly to us from Microsoft.

Ok, so they are giving it away. Wonder why bother with a broker then as they don't even handle the shipping? And what happens when it is time to upgrade?

Originally posted by g. olson:
Again, my point is that Apple does not have a similar program. Only government and education qualify under their program.

True enough...

thunderous_funker · Jul 1, 2003, 02:40 PM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
I have said it in the past and will continue to say:

Apple should rename AppleWorks (Free Office, iOffice or eOffice...) and open source the application. They CAN'T be making any money on the application!

-OR-

Apple should port Open Office to OS X (I'm talking about everything as a native application without X11)

From your lips to Jobs' ears. I've been saying that for a while too.

I used to think Apple could team up with Sun to get StarOffice ported over beautifully. I doubt that will happen now with G5s threatening Sun workstation market share.

All that wasted brainpower and money on Appleworks...

The MS monopoly is based on Office, not Windows. Its about time competitors started to realize that and offer a challenge. Office is bloated, overpriced, buggy and lacks substantial innovation. Someone needs to offer a serious challenge.

mitchell_pgh · Jul 1, 2003, 03:04 PM

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:
From your lips to Jobs' ears. I've been saying that for a while too.

I used to think Apple could team up with Sun to get StarOffice ported over beautifully. I doubt that will happen now with G5s threatening Sun workstation market share.

All that wasted brainpower and money on Appleworks...

The MS monopoly is based on Office, not Windows. Its about time competitors started to realize that and offer a challenge. Office is bloated, overpriced, buggy and lacks substantial innovation. Someone needs to offer a serious challenge.

I honestly think if Apple teamed up with Adobe, Sun and IBM and developed an open source office application and pitched it as a $400 application for FREE it could be an interesting union.

Word is so entrenched in business that it would be hard to overtake it, but throwing a nice clean FREE open source application out there with BIG names behind it could destabilize M$ Office.

Like many have said, people go to MS Windows NOT because of the OS, but because of the cheap hardware (OK, we are getting there, but we aren't 100% there) and MS Office.

Surfing the web is rather trivial, email is a joke (I could do both on my color classic)...

Phanguye · Jul 1, 2003, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:
From your lips to Jobs' ears. I've been saying that for a while too.

I used to think Apple could team up with Sun to get StarOffice ported over beautifully. I doubt that will happen now with G5s threatening Sun workstation market share.

All that wasted brainpower and money on Appleworks...

The MS monopoly is based on Office, not Windows. Its about time competitors started to realize that and offer a challenge. Office is bloated, overpriced, buggy and lacks substantial innovation. Someone needs to offer a serious challenge.

all they have to do is make an automatic report writer and I am in

tooki · Jul 1, 2003, 03:06 PM

MS doesn't give away software out of the goodness of its heart. They do it so that when you leave the nonprofit, you'll be familiar with their product, and want to use it later on in life.

They also give it to college kids whose schools have site licenses (at my school, you can install from the IT dept's CD for free, or buy your own CD for $10) so that when you graduate, you'll continue to use their now-familiar product.

It's all marketing to expand their installed base.

tooki

Phanguye · Jul 1, 2003, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
They also give it to college kids whose schools have site licenses (at my school, you can install from the IT dept's CD for free, or buy your own CD for $10) so that when you graduate, you'll continue to use their now-familiar product.

they are $5 at my school... i figure that since they are giving it to me to try to brainwash me, they wont mind if i help them out and give it to 5 or 100 close friends to install also