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Since people don't read the article: "The Microsoft Alternatives project (MAlt) started a year ago to mitigate anticipated software license fee increases. MAlt

Since people don't read the article: "The Microsoft Alternatives project (MAlt) started a year ago to mitigate anticipated software license fee increases. MAlt’s objective is to put us back in control using open software." "A prime example is that CERN has enjoyed special conditions for the use of Microsoft products for the last 20 years, by virtue of its status as an “academic institution”. However, recently, the company has decided to revoke CERN’s academic status, a measure that took effect at the end of the previous contract in March 2019, replaced by a new contract based on user numbers, increasing the license costs by more than a factor of ten. Although CERN has negotiated a ramp-up profile over ten years to give the necessary time to adapt, such costs are not sustainable."

timbit42 7y ago
Microsoft operates like drug dealers.
ethbro 7y ago
Ouch. Foot meet gun. Nice to see some of the old guard is still alive and well within the Microsoft walls.
- C1sc0cat 7y ago
  Really CERN does not qualify !
  - amerine 7y ago
    Why & how?
    - dukwon 7y ago
      I believe Microsoft's main argument is that CERN doesn't teach or award degrees. Last time this was posted I saw someone say it's also due to them making a little bit of money licensing stuff to industry [1], but universities do the same thing [2] so I don't think that's a strong argument. [1] https://kt.cern/ https://kt.cern/ [2] e.g. https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/innovation-and-partnership https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/innovation-and-partnership
      - mhneu 7y ago
        You seem to be making an argument based on what Microsoft says. But of course, what Microsoft says is not the reason for its decision. Microsoft offers an academic discount because it thinks that getting students to use their products makes them more money as the students continue to use them later in life. Microsoft then SAYS they are offering that discount because students/degrees/training/teaching/whatever. What it SAYS doesn't matter. It's not the reason. Similarly, Microsoft wants CERN to pay because it thinks it can make more money in licensing fees from CERN than it can from getting people at CERN familiar with Microsoft products. (Microsoft may have gotten this wrong, if CERN pushes more non-Microsoft products into the spotlight; whether they are wrong or right isn't at issue, their reasoning is the issue.) Once deciding they can make more money if CERN pays, now Microsoft has to come up with some reasonable-sounding reason that keeps its existing academic and industry customers happy. So they came up with that reason. But don't think for a second the REAL reason has anything to do with anything but Microsoft's bottom line. Don't let them deceive you. This decision was made by executives at Microsoft by talking about profit.
        jjeaff 7y ago
        Seems short sided even from a bottom line perspective. For one, CERN is bound to employ plenty of experts that will familiarize themselves with the product and move on to other projects later and choose MSFT products. Additionally, CERN is such a high profile project that simply asking them to advertise the fact that they are "powered by Microsoft" would pay them more than any licensing fees. But maybe they thought they could charge 10x the fees AND still get all the benefits.
        fock 7y ago
        I guess "powered by Microsoft" is not what was happening at CERN as nearly all data analysis is "powered by Linux" (there's a reason, Scientific Linux existed) and iirc the ecad-software KiCAD is the only production focused CAD-tool which is good and free (mostly sponsored by CERN too)
        dukwon 7y ago
    - gnode 7y ago
      CERN is a (multi)government research institute, similar to the US Department of Energy's Office of Science for instance, rather than a teaching faculty.
budu3 7y ago
Wow. Heads will surely roll once this reaches Satya's desk.
- passer_byer 7y ago
  ...or the person gets promoted. I previously worked for an enterprise analytics software provider whose success hinged on low-cost license agreements to schools and universities. Once the company became more successful commercially, it took the same tact--substantially raising these fees in search of profitability. Today, the firm is under serious pressure from open source analytical libraries. The point being, what looks to be optimal in the short run may not be optimal in the long run, as future consequences could be anticipated but short term revenue growth was too tempting.
  - mkl 7y ago
    > same tact "Tack", from sailing: changing direction lets you use the wind differently. Two boats on the same tack are using the same wind strategy. My workplace currently teaches students several proprietary systems that are now old and clunky (and of course expensive). We want to switch to open source competitors, but the how and when are rather complicated to coordinate. It will happen eventually though.
    - slim 7y ago
      he meant tact
- OnlyRepliesToBS 7y ago
  lol sure
- mykkaj 7y ago
  Yeah right, "Satya" is literally Stallman.
hanniabu 7y ago
I'm surprised Gates would be for this
Animats 7y ago
"Ten years"? Come on.

timbit42 7y ago

Microsoft operates like drug dealers.

ethbro 7y ago

Ouch. Foot meet gun. Nice to see some of the old guard is still alive and well within the Microsoft walls.

C1sc0cat 7y ago
Really CERN does not qualify !
- amerine 7y ago
  Why & how?
  - dukwon 7y ago
    I believe Microsoft's main argument is that CERN doesn't teach or award degrees. Last time this was posted I saw someone say it's also due to them making a little bit of money licensing stuff to industry [1], but universities do the same thing [2] so I don't think that's a strong argument. [1] https://kt.cern/ https://kt.cern/ [2] e.g. https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/innovation-and-partnership https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/innovation-and-partnership
    - mhneu 7y ago
      You seem to be making an argument based on what Microsoft says. But of course, what Microsoft says is not the reason for its decision. Microsoft offers an academic discount because it thinks that getting students to use their products makes them more money as the students continue to use them later in life. Microsoft then SAYS they are offering that discount because students/degrees/training/teaching/whatever. What it SAYS doesn't matter. It's not the reason. Similarly, Microsoft wants CERN to pay because it thinks it can make more money in licensing fees from CERN than it can from getting people at CERN familiar with Microsoft products. (Microsoft may have gotten this wrong, if CERN pushes more non-Microsoft products into the spotlight; whether they are wrong or right isn't at issue, their reasoning is the issue.) Once deciding they can make more money if CERN pays, now Microsoft has to come up with some reasonable-sounding reason that keeps its existing academic and industry customers happy. So they came up with that reason. But don't think for a second the REAL reason has anything to do with anything but Microsoft's bottom line. Don't let them deceive you. This decision was made by executives at Microsoft by talking about profit.
      - jjeaff 7y ago
        Seems short sided even from a bottom line perspective. For one, CERN is bound to employ plenty of experts that will familiarize themselves with the product and move on to other projects later and choose MSFT products. Additionally, CERN is such a high profile project that simply asking them to advertise the fact that they are "powered by Microsoft" would pay them more than any licensing fees. But maybe they thought they could charge 10x the fees AND still get all the benefits.
        fock 7y ago
        I guess "powered by Microsoft" is not what was happening at CERN as nearly all data analysis is "powered by Linux" (there's a reason, Scientific Linux existed) and iirc the ecad-software KiCAD is the only production focused CAD-tool which is good and free (mostly sponsored by CERN too)
      - dukwon 7y ago
  - gnode 7y ago
    CERN is a (multi)government research institute, similar to the US Department of Energy's Office of Science for instance, rather than a teaching faculty.

budu3 7y ago

Wow. Heads will surely roll once this reaches Satya's desk.

passer_byer 7y ago
...or the person gets promoted. I previously worked for an enterprise analytics software provider whose success hinged on low-cost license agreements to schools and universities. Once the company became more successful commercially, it took the same tact--substantially raising these fees in search of profitability. Today, the firm is under serious pressure from open source analytical libraries. The point being, what looks to be optimal in the short run may not be optimal in the long run, as future consequences could be anticipated but short term revenue growth was too tempting.
- mkl 7y ago
  > same tact "Tack", from sailing: changing direction lets you use the wind differently. Two boats on the same tack are using the same wind strategy. My workplace currently teaches students several proprietary systems that are now old and clunky (and of course expensive). We want to switch to open source competitors, but the how and when are rather complicated to coordinate. It will happen eventually though.
  - slim 7y ago
    he meant tact
OnlyRepliesToBS 7y ago
lol sure
mykkaj 7y ago
Yeah right, "Satya" is literally Stallman.

hanniabu 7y ago

I'm surprised Gates would be for this

Animats 7y ago

"Ten years"? Come on.