Save money for schools -- start with an open source embrace

I figure that at least some of you have already seen the article entitled "Software Piracy Fight Makes Enemies" ... snip to another author ...

IMHO, schools are going to play a big part in bringing about a real world digital tipping point. At least that is the point that we are going to be making in the Digital Tipping Point film.

I am a volunteer supporting a public middle school in San Francisco with Free Open Source Software, and we have filmed our work there as part of the DTP film. We are giving away all of our footage on-line under a Creative Commons Attribute ShareAlike license (cc by-SA).

We interviewed the superintendent of the Portland Public School District, who talked about Microsoft's dirty deeds there. Basically, the BSA demanded an audit pursuant to the Microsoft EULA. The audit alone would have cost the Portland District $100, 000.00. Microsoft just *happened* to send out its sales rep at the same time and offered to make the whole thing go away if the school district would just pony up for new licenses.

The PPSD told Microsoft no, and it became such a press issue, that Microsoft backed off, and as a result, the PPSD increased its FOSS usage to the point where many schools in the PPSD have no Microsoft products at all.

Source: Christian Einfeldt, Producer, The Digital Tipping Point.