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nairaland.net • View topic - Microsoft swoops in to claim Nigeria Linux deal

Microsoft swoops in to claim Nigeria Linux deal

Microsoft swoops in to claim Nigeria Linux deal

Postby Richard Akindele » Fri Feb 20, 2009 4:38 am

Linux vendor Mandriva had a deal to equip Nigerian elementary schools with computers and software, but Microsoft convinced the government to install Windows instead

Linux vendor Mandriva thought it had signed a deal with Nigeria to equip elementary schools with computers and software.

Mandriva, based in France, had agreed to supply a customized Linux OS for 17,000 Intel Classmate PCs, which are rugged laptops aimed for educational use in developing countries. But in an unorthodox twist after the deal was completed about three weeks ago, Nigeria has since decided that it will strip the OS from the Classmate PCs and install Microsoft's Windows OS instead, said Francois Bancilhon, Mandriva's CEO, on Friday.

"It is clearly a disappointment," said Bancilhon, who wrote a seething blog entry to Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer. "We do feel the power of somebody much stronger than we are. We are a tiny company."

The soured deal is an interesting study in how Microsoft, with its vast resources and influence, can sweep in and snatch deals from smaller competitors. Microsoft views open-source software, which is usually free, as a huge threat to its businesses, particularly among governments in cash-strapped countries.

The public manner in which Bancilhon aired his frustrations, along with the question of why Nigeria would make a software deal and then change its course, make the situation all the more interesting, suggested Laurent Lachal, an analyst with Ovum.

"Microsoft is definitely using its muscle to undercut its opponent," Lachal said. "That's a standard practice, not just of Microsoft."

Mandriva knew it was battling the software giant in the weeks before the deal closed, even lowering its prices after counteroffers from Microsoft, Bancilhon said. The offers remain confidential.

Mandriva thought it had won the deal and issued a news release Tuesday on its Web site. But on Wednesday, Mandriva's partner in Nigeria, Microbyte International, received an e-mail saying that the news release was inaccurate because the deal had fallen through.

The e-mail came from an official with the Technology Support Center (TSC), a company that's helping the Nigerian government deploy the laptops, said Dele Ajisomo, who owns Microbyte International. The e-mail, shared with IDG News Service, says that TSC, which is deploying the PCs, had reached an understanding with Microsoft to convert the Classmate PCs to Windows XP.

"The CMPCs (Classmate PCs) shipped to us with Mandriva Linux installed will be loaded with Windows and Office prior to shipment to the recipient schools," the e-mail said. "We acknowledge that we did issue a purchase order for 17,000 Mandriva licenses, and we have paid for part of that number."

Ajisomo said between 1,500 to 5,000 of the Classmate laptops have already been deployed, and so far, the recipients of those laptops have been happy with them.

"There is something fishy going on," Ajisomo said by phone from Chicago on Friday. "I was really, really very surprised."

The switch comes as Microsoft and TSC appear close to completing a marketing agreement. According to documents shared with IDG News Service, Microsoft would give TSC $400,000 for a three-month program to produce a marketing campaign around the deployment of the Classmate PCs, which now would have Microsoft's OS.

Microsoft also saw the deal as a way to create "marketing collateral." The marketing agreement, dated Thursday, noted that access to some schools in Nigeria is possible only by "hours-long canoe rides and the fording of rivers."

"Capturing these momentous changes in pictures and in video will create compelling evidence of the efficacy of these interventions and convince policy makers, budget holders and government officials on the utility of these investments," it said.

The agreement goes on to say that TSC will ship some 100,000 Classmate PCs in 2007, making it "the biggest supplier of the platform in Africa in 2007." TSC is a subsidiary of Alteq.ict, an IT consulting business in Nigeria.

In a statement, Microsoft did not address specifics of the deal. "Microsoft operates its business in accordance with both the laws of the countries in which it operates and with international law," the company said.

Bancilhon, who implied in his blog entry that bribery may have been involved in the deal, said he does not believe anything was illegal.

Mandriva is not going to take legal action, although he said he is still gathering facts. "It's way too early to make any kind of decision," he said in an interview.

But a researcher based in the Netherlands who studies software in developing countries said Africa has been prone to deals that might be ethically questionable elsewhere.

"At the very least, this is a waste of public resources," said the researcher, who did not want to be identified.
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Nigeria favors Linux vendor Mandriva over Microsoft

Postby Richard Akindele » Fri Feb 20, 2009 4:40 am

Nigerian government overrules PC supplier's decision install Windows XP in place of Mandriva Linux on Classmate PCs intended for students

Microsoft may not have beaten French Linux vendor Mandriva in a large deal to supply Nigerian elementary schools with laptop computers and software after all.

Mandriva had closed a deal in mid-August to provide a customized Linux operating system and support for 17,000 Intel Classmate PCs intended for Nigerian schools, but found out last week that the company deploying the computers for the government, Technology Support Center (TSC), planned to wipe the computers' disks and install Windows XP instead.

Now, however, a government agency funding 11,000 of the PCs has overruled the supplier: Nigeria's Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) wants to keep Mandriva Linux on the Classmate PCs, said an official who identified himself as the program manager for USPF's Classmate PCs project.

"We are sticking with that platform," said the official, who would not give his name.

The organization reserves the right to choose whichever platform is best for Nigerian students, which could also include Microsoft's software in the future, said the official.

Last week, Mandriva heard that TSC planned to pay Mandriva for its customization work -- but then abruptly change the OS on the computers to Windows XP. TSC had placed an order with a local Microsoft supplier for Windows XP and Office productivity software. The switch raised the question of why TSC would commit public money to buy computers with Mandriva, and then absorb the cost of buying Windows and installing it on the computers.

Which operating system ultimately prevails is important since TSC is the biggest supplier of Intel Classmate PCs in West Africa, and is expected to eventually ship more than 100,000 of the computers. It also highlights the battle Microsoft is waging in developing countries against Linux, which appeals to governments looking for software with lower licensing costs.

Microsoft claims Nigeria is still demanding Windows. Microsoft's country manager in Nigeria, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, provided a statement to IDG News Service on Thursday that said the company was informed by TSC that there was "a preference for a tested platform," meaning Windows, without elaborating further.

In fact, Intel has tested and certified three operating systems for the Classmate PC: Mandriva Linux, Metasys Linux, and Microsoft Windows XP Pro.

Mba-Uzoukwu wrote that Microsoft is still negotiating an agreement that would give TSC US$400,000 for marketing activities around the Classmate PCs when those computers are converted to Windows.

"Microsoft is able to offer a comprehensive education solution -- including software, training and support -- on the 17,000 Classmate PCs for 200 schools across Nigeria," the statement said.

After public statements from Mandriva officials implied the marketing deal is legally questionable, Microsoft said last week that it complies with international law and the law of the countries in which it operates.

It's not clear how much TSC would pay for each Windows XP license. Efforts to reach senior managers at TSC, which is a subsidiary of Alteq.ict, an IT consulting business in Nigeria, were unsuccessful.

However, details on Mandriva's deal with TSC have emerged. Mandriva is providing a customized OS for Nigeria for under $10 per license, including support, according to its local partner.
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The Age of LInux is here

Postby Richard Akindele » Fri Feb 20, 2009 5:08 am

Why is there even a debate about this?

Microsoft Windows XP running on low power laptops? What a joke! It'd be slower than molasses in January.

Linux on the other hand is lean, secure, immune or at least less prone to becoming infected with viruses/spyware, very stable, and best of all, it's FREE. There are tens of thousands of free software available for Linux. No software licenses required ever.

This sort of thing does not even require a special supplier like Mandriva. All we need is to place an order for as many Laptops as we need, with nothing installed on them. We then download a top Desktop Linux distribution like Ubuntu, or SimplyMEPIS free of charge.

Ubuntu is then installed on just one of the Laptops, and fully configured to our liking. Once that is done, we can then use something like SystemImager to clone the installation onto all the other laptops.

Microsoft Windows is a dying operating system. The only reason it's still around is because of these kinds of underhanded tactics the company uses to keep better OS's out. Eventually though, Darvin's Survival of the fittest theory will prevail.

Today, I run LInux exclusively on all my networks, as well as at home. I threw Microsoft Windows out the window years ago.

In addition to running Linux on all my desktops/Laptops, it's also my OS of choice for my servers, where I employ Suse, Fedora, CentOS, or RHEL.

Furthermore, Russia adopted LInux in its schools years ago. Today, Russian schools run Russian language versions of Linux.

It's the age of Linux. So don't look back Nigeira.
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Postby Richard Akindele » Fri Feb 20, 2009 7:26 am

When you have installed Linux, be sure to check out these incredible applications:

virtualbox
synergy
VLC
Gimpshop
MythTV
compiz fusion
Audacity
xfce/lxde
samba/ntfs
recordMyDesktop
Asterisk
Pidgin
Remote Desktop
zoneminder
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All of Vietnam's Government Computers To Use Linux

Postby Richard Akindele » Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:37 am

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications has issued an administrative ruling increasing the use of Free Open Source Software products at state agencies, increasing the software's use both in the back office and on the desktop.

According to the new rule, 100% of government servers must run Linux by June 30, 2009, and 70% of agencies must use OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox, and Mozilla Thunderbird by the end of 2009.

The regulation also sets benchmarks for training and proficiency in the software. Vietnam has a population of 86 million, 4 million larger than that of Germany, and is one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
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UK, French, Swiss, Norwegian, and S. African governments

Postby Richard Akindele » Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:43 am

Linux desktops continue to weave their way into the top echelons of European government, according to reports on the web this week. Two recent examples include the Birmingham, U.K. City Council and the French Parliament.

Birmingham

Techworld.com reported today that the Birmingham, U.K. City Council has completed its year-long trial of desktop Linux and declared it a success -- despite a report showing it might have been less expensive to install Windows.

In today's Techworld report, Birmingham City Council IT manager Glyn Evans said that the higher cost resulted from the council having to experiment with the new technology and build up a depth of technical understanding, as well as fit it with the complex system already in place.

Nonetheless, Techworld reported, "The £105,000 saving that the report says would have resulted from going with Windows XP has also come under question as it was calculated using the special discounted licence rate that Microsoft offers councils -- something critics argue is a calculated effort to prevent public bodies from building up technical knowledge of open source offerings."

France

Earlier this week, a number of press reports noted that starting in June of next year, the French government plans to install Linux on 1,154 desktop computers in its Parliament.

According to the reports, the French National Assembly decided to make the move because it saw opportunity for significant cost savings -- even after factoring in migration and training expenses.

The French Parliament plan, also described in an Linux email newsletter from IBM, calls for the installation of Linux on nearly 1,200 desktop workstations, which will also run the Open Office productivity suite and Firefox web browser.

While other public agencies and ministries in France run Linux on servers, this announcement represents the French government's most visible embrace of the operating system on desktops.

The specific Linux distribution the government will use has not yet been determined, the IBM newsletter said.

Elsewhere

During the past year, the Swiss, Norwegian, and South African governments have made the move to Linux-based desktops. Additionally, a number of school districts all over the world have already made the jump.
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Brazilian government launch Linux effort

Postby Richard Akindele » Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:09 am

Brazil has become the latest country this week to show its support for Linux. Following moves by the U.K. and Russia, the government of Brazil announced Friday that it has signed a letter of intent with IBM pledging to develop initiatives that will promote the use of Linux in the Latin American country.

Brazil's government already has a number of Linux pilot projects in progress, said Mocorrea. For example, the country's Ministry of Science and Technology is converting its print servers to the free operating system. But Friday's agreement involves all government agencies, he said. "It's an overall commitment, across the board," he said.

On Wednesday, the British government's Office of Government Commerce announced plans to launch nine trial projects to study the cost-effectiveness of Linux and open source software. The trials are expected to take six months to complete.

Also this week, the Russian Ministry of Communications and Computerization announced plans to launch a Linux Competency Center in Moscow. This center will be similar to centers already established in a number of other cities, including New York, Beijing and Sydney.
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Japanese Government to Embrace Linux

Postby Richard Akindele » Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:17 am

A consortium of major IT firms including IBM (IBM), NEC (NIPNY) and Oracle (ORCL) plan to sell servers and systems running Linux in Japan, following a measure by the government to promote use of the open-source OS within agencies from July.

The Japanese government has earmarked ¥1.25 trillion ($10.4b) for spending on information systems in its fiscal '07 budget. The amount could reach a reported ¥2 trillion ($16.7b) when local governments are included.

Microsoft currently runs 78% of servers in Japan, versus only 14% using Linux, according to the Nikkei.

The Japanese government regards the high penetration of Microsoft OS as excessive and is concerned about having less freedom in system's development.

Other companies expected to join the consortium include: Hitachi (HIT), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Dell (DELL) and NTT Data (JP: 9613).

Oracle Japan (JP: 4716) is said to be leading the effort, which could launch as early as next month.
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Postby lexdino » Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:28 am

I dont think it was the right decision for Nigeria to reverse an already signed deal with the Linux vendor, Mandriva.
That is how it is when you have a strong and aggressive competitor.
I haven't tested Linux OS but i will, someday.
If its the truth that Linux OS has more features than Microsoft Windows, it will definitely overpower Windows.
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