[Linux-aus] Microsoft Offer to Australian University Students

[Paul Wayper]

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David Lloyd wrote:
| David,
|
|>> I'm a student at Monash university, today I received an email from the
|>> University, regarding an offer made by Microsoft to all Australian Uni
|>> students for it's MSOffice 2007 suite.
|> I have not received that email.
|>
|> If nothing else, the name of the website makes it look very shifty
|> "http://www.itsnotcheating.com.au/". What, exactly, is not cheating?
|
| In context, not cheating is not installing software you have no license
| for. Seriously, the open source community chucks wobblies at people who
| break open source licenses and then spits the dummy when people who
| choose to license their software *differently* enforce their licenses.

I don't think that's the case - no-one's complaining about Microsoft wanting
to sell software or get people to pay for the software they use.

What I personally object to is the drug dealer "first time is free" attitude,
wrapped up in the "your options are what we'll tell you" phraseology.  Yes, it
isn't cheating to use legitimately paid-for proprietary software, but buying
Microsoft Office is hardly your only option.  And the most amusing thing to me
is the idea that they're saying, right up front, "you can pay this low low
price and make sure that we sting you for $1,100 in the future!".  It's
refreshingly honest, like a loan shark telling you that, as long as you borrow
from them now, you can be assured of them screwing every last dollar out of
you later.

Coincidentally I just received a .docx document from someone, and sent them a
link to
http://en.nothingisreal.com/wiki/Please_don't_send_me_Microsoft_Word_documents
in response.  I was polite - I didn't do what I originally thought of and
asked them to send me $549 for a version of Office Pro 2007; admittedly
because I actually don't want it even if someone else is paying for it.

Have fun,

Paul
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