Becta refers Microsoft to the UK Office of Fair Trading
Becta, the UK government's education technology agency, has today made a complaint to the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for alleged anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in the schools software marketplace and in relation to Microsoft's approach to document interoperability.
An interim report published by Becta in January 2007 into Microsoft's Academic Licensing arrangements highlighted a number of fundamental concerns impacting on choice, competition in the marketplace and value for money for schools. Since the publication, Becta has been in discussions with Microsoft to secure the changes necessary to address the issues identified in both reports. Some progress has been made, though a number of fundamental issues remain unresolved. These centre around the limitations Microsoft places on schools using its subscription licensing arrangements and the potential interoperability difficulties for schools, pupils and parents who wish to use alternatives to Microsoft's Office suite, including 'free to use' alternatives.
Becta is determined to get the best deal it can for schools and for the wider educational system, and to make it as cost-effective and convenient as possible for educational customers to acquire the ICT products and services they choose. This demands an effective educational ICT marketplace and the avoidance of impediments to effective competition and choice.
As no agreement has been reached with Microsoft in a number of key areas, and after reviewing detailed legal advice, Becta has taken the decision to make a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading. It is hoped that by taking this step Microsoft will move promptly to address the issues raised.
In the interim, Becta's advice to schools considering moving to Microsoft's School Agreement subscription licensing model is that they should not do so. Schools must be legally licensed for all the software they are using, and if licensing Microsoft products is an imperative they should consider using a perpetual agreement such as 'Select' until such time as the OFT have responded to the complaint.
Microsoft is currently attempting to promote its proprietary OOXML format as an international document standard parallel to the free ODF standard. After failing to do so in the first round of voting by international standards organizations, Microsoft has until February to make changes (see the separate Linux Magazine news item here).
Issue 261/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
KaOS 2022.06 Now Available With KDE Plasma 5.25
The newest iteration of KaOS Linux not only adds the latest KDE Plasma desktop but sets LibreOffice as the default.
-
Manjaro 21.3.0 Is Now Available
Manjaro “Ruah” has been released and includes the latest Calamares installer, GNOME 42, and much more.
-
SpiralLinux is a New Linux Distribution Focused on Simplicity
A new Linux distribution, from the creator of GeckoLinux, is a Debian-based operating system with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
-
HP Dev One Linux Laptop is Now Available for Pre-Order
The System76/HP collaboration Dev One laptop, geared toward developers, is now available for pre-order.
-
NixOS 22.5 Is Now Available
The latest release of NixOS with a much-improved package manager and a user-friendly graphical installer.
-
System76 Teams up with HP to Create the Dev One Laptop
HP and System76 have come together to develop a new laptop, powered by Pop!_OS and aimed toward developers.
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.