On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:47:55 +0000, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
> Microsoft Battles Low-Cost Rival for Africa
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | In Nigeria, Microsoft proposed paying $400,000 last year under a |
> joint-marketing agreement to a government contractor it was trying to |
> persuade to replace Linux with Windows on thousands of school laptops.
> The | contractor's former chief executive describes the proposal as an
> incentive to | make the switch -- an interpretation Microsoft denies. In
> Namibia and | Nigeria, where it has sought government contracts, the
> company hired family | members of government officials. Microsoft says
> they were qualified. |
> | [...]
> |
> | On Oct. 30, Mandriva announced it had won the contract to provide
> Linux | software for the Classmates. Microsoft didn't give up. The next
> day, it | delivered TSC a revised draft agreement with an "effective
> date" of Nov. 1, | documents show. It offered to pay $400,000 to TSC. In
> the revised agreement, | there no longer was any mention of TSC having
> to comply with Microsoft's code | of conduct.
> |
> | In an Oct. 31 email, TSC told Mandriva that there had been a "change
> in | circumstances," and that it "has recently reached an understanding
> with | Microsoft to convert" the Classmates from Linux to Windows. |
> | Mandriva's chief executive, Francois Bancilhon, responded by posting
> "an open | letter to Steve Ballmer," Microsoft's CEO, on Mandriva's Web
> site. "What have | you done to these guys to make them change their mind
> like this?" he | wrote. "It's quite clear to me, and it will be to
> everyone. How do you call | what you just did, Steve? There are various
> names for it, I'm sure you know | them." Mr. Bancilhon declined to
> elaborate on his letter. |
> | In the end, the joint-marketing agreement was never signed, and the
> Microsoft | deal unraveled. Microsoft says it gave up after "it became
> clear" that the | Nigerian government wanted Linux.
> |
> | The laptops were delivered with Linux. `----
Excellent, its nice to see that MS can be outed and their unethical,
backhand bribes stopped.
Go Mandriva!
--
If we wish to reduce our ignorance, there are people we will
indeed listen to. Trolls are not among those people, as trolls, more or
less by definition, *promote* ignorance.
Kelsey Bjarnason, C.O.L.A. 2008
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