Nigeria goes for Windows over Linux

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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:54 pm

Looks like Nigerians will continue to face the same blue screens of death for years to come after reading this on MaximumPC here:

Quote:

Mandriva Linux Gets an Education in Windows Hardball in Nigeria

Right now, the folks at Mandriva must be wondering what happened to a "deal is a deal." Last week, Mandriva announced a deal with the Nigerian government for 17,000 Intel Classmate PCs running Mandriva Linux. The PCs are for a national educational pilot program. However, by week's end, Mandriva's hopes for market penetration into the emerging Nigerian educational market had been dashed, as the Mandriva installations are being replaced with Windows XP Professional, which is also an approved operating system for the Classmate PC.

Given the modest specifications of the Classmate PC (Intel 900MHz ULV processor with 400MHz FSB and no L2 cache, 915GMS/ICH6 chipset, 256MB RAM, 1GB flash memory for Linux or 2GB flash memory for Windows), one has to wonder whether students are also going to get an education in waiting on the PC after the operating system swap.

So it looks like we can continue to use the Vista error method and now add that we use Linux for why they can't open our .dll files. Very Happy

Trophy Videos · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:25 pm

Microsoft will like that. (if they ever get paid, that is.)

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:37 pm

How the hell did Micro$oft wangle that one, especially considering Linux is free. And XP pro with 256 MB? Well at least it'll slow the lads down a bit.
As for payment...

Cavalry greetings Mr Gates
It is with heavy heart that I write to you following my accountants ghastly accident on.......

Trophy Videos · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:52 pm

^^ Yeah, they will probably put Microsoft's money in a trunkbox... Smile

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:56 pm

This is a real slap in the face for all the charitable organisations that are working on this project.

One of the main ideas was that that schoolrooms could have *one* good central computer running as a Linux server and lots of really old, cheap, simple PCs running as simple Linux workstations.

That will go out the window (no pun intended) now. Every single computer will have to be brand new with all the relatively expensive bells and whistles - just to be able to run the OS, i.e. large harddisks, USB, CD/DVD drives, etc., etc.

So, the next person who says that Bill Gates is a really great guy who gives soooo much to charities can go shove it. Evil or Very Mad

This is pure capitalism looking out for the market at all costs. This is like having the restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria close down a local poor people's soup kitchen, just to protect its market percentage.

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:02 pm

It would of been a massive benefit to the schools if they'd gone with Linux, no doubt they will now have to decrease the number of machines hugely so they can afford to run XP at an acceptable speed. Call me a cynical bastard but I've always thought Bill Gates' charitable donations were simply so he wouldn't be just known as the money grabbing sod who foisted off overpriced beta software on people.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:02 am

The only thing M$ is doing is trying to stop the flood of open source software from gaining ground in the world. They are sinking ALOT of money to do whatever it takes to stop it. I doubt they even will try to collect any money. The important thing is to not let any one find out that it is cheaper to run open source and continue to believe that Linux is too difficult for a normal person to use.

They tried to scare companies off with SCO v IBM and they lost. Then steve tried to bully companies away by threatening patent law suits. Most people laughed at him. Now they found another company they are financing to start an IP suit. They lost the vista race. M$ has already begun talking about the next version, 6 months after vista was released. Even M$ admits vista is a failure. The only thing they have left is weight.

I think the whole M$ charity thing is so Melinda doesn't have to feel guilty when she dies. I doubt billy-bob would think of that on his own.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

Anyone read "Stark" by Ben Elton? Wherein it is said that companies can be (in that case) environmentally aware, just so long as it doesn't impact profits.

I don't know if, these days, Bill is or is not, on average, charitable. It would be difficult to spend the amount of money he has and not be charitable to some extent. I don't like the bloke, and I would trust him about as far as I could comfortably spit a rat, but I don't think he has much say any more. The monster he created in his own image has a life all of its own.

Those machines are just not going to work. I hope the EFCC looks into this deal. I have a feeling they might find something.

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:47 pm

Interesting open letter from Mandriva's CEO
http://blog.mandriva.com/2007/10/31/an-open-letter-to-steve-ballmer/

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:54 pm

Well, seeing as how the "MICROSOFT INTL LOTTO" headquarters is based in Lagos, I dont find it all that odd.. Wink

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:56 pm

Ye gods! Lads and Bill in partnership Shocked

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