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| Thread ID: 127550 | 2012-10-30 04:52:00 | Techsoup.net.nz | Paul.Cov (425) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1309656 | 2012-10-30 08:11:00 | I have heard of the M$ charities and attended an event at Te Papa where we were all given a 4GB flash drive with office + a whole bunch of useful education based apps and tips for office (such as how to write chemistry equations easily, jolly useful) Office was only a 60 day trial but we were given a key to get it for $40 or some similarly low price. M$ are very good at community support. Gotta give them that. |
The Error Guy (14052) | ||
| 1309657 | 2012-10-30 08:49:00 | Yup we've got a few charities that we look after and we always recommend they buy their software from TechSoup. | CYaBro (73) | ||
| 1309658 | 2012-10-30 09:00:00 | I have had involvement with Techsoup for years. They also sell a lot of referb laptops and such so be aware if you are buying from them and dont like referb hardwre - make sure what you are getting isnt referb and you are getting new if you want new. They are good for MS software, have got some from time to time for my non-profit clietnts. They also supplied replacement software and referb laptops to my clients when they lost theirs in the quakes for FREE which was pretty impressive I thought. | Iantech (16386) | ||
| 1309659 | 2012-10-30 21:02:00 | Hi all, Delighted to see this thread show up in my in-box today. As the Chief Business Development Officer at TechSoup Global (we're headquartered in San Francisco) and we are delighted to partner with Community Information Strategies Australia or CISA, a local New Zealand group running TechSoup New Zealand (www.techsoup.net.nz/) and DonorTec in Australia (at http:). If you want to learn more about our work around the world, I'd suggest you drop by TechSoup Global at www.techsoupglobal.org. We have the honor and privilege of working with great organizations and major technology companies around the world to make it easier to charities and NGO's to get access to technology resources that make it easier to fulfill their missions where ever they may be. Do know that the vast majority of items available through TechSoup are fully donated and the admin fee you pay if you qualify for donations, is a fee that allows TechSoup to continue its work for all organizations around the world. Wishing you all the best in your own organizations and hope you take great joy in the change you create in the world in New Zealand and around the world! Gayle Carpentier TechSoup Global Chief Business Development Officer gcarpentier@techsoupglobal.org |
gaylesam (16933) | ||
| 1309660 | 2012-10-31 03:12:00 | I was about to start anew thread querying the legitimacy of TechSoup, but did a search instead. The above comments lay my doubts to rest, thanks guys. | Brucem (8688) | ||
| 1309661 | 2012-10-31 09:59:00 | Heh, it's called "Lock-in", a marketing ploy . MS are not a charitable organisation and never have been I find it hard to believe people are so gullible, to MS this "subsidy" is not even a loss leader . What happens down the line when the "subsidy" disappears as happened to many charities in Oz . The organisation by then is so locked into the MS drug that they feel they HAVE to continue buy MS product A few years back MS did a deal with the Thai government . A local company had come up with a killer deal to supply hardware on which would be installed SuSE Linux Enterprise and of course with all the attendant productivity software that comes with Linux and with the SuSE Enterprise edition as well as corporate level support . To stop this happening, MS came up with a deal: XP OS plus MS Office 2003 for $US35 . 80 . ( . cnet . com/Microsoft-cuts-prices-in-Thailand/2100-1012_3-1019067 . html" target="_blank">news . cnet . com) That's both . Now that's cool, no problem thus far . However there is a law in the US that makes it illegal to "dump" product outside the US, so the SEC became suddenly very interested . The critical part is that MS proved to the SEC that selling Windows XP and Office 2003 at a combined price of $35 . 80 was making a profit . For Charities and not for profits, here are the sums A Linux install (It should be noted that Mark Shuttleworth created Ubuntu to take computing to the poorest places in Africa, for free, forever . That's charity) will cost nothing . Zero . If your NFP or charity wants a whole raft of software that will never have license issues drop me a PM, I'll gladly send you a DVD with OS, Office software, Mailclients, Graphics software, DTP, sound Editing, Sever software better than SBS, and I'll be even more generous than MS, I'll pay the postage . That is I'm actually giving you something, not just taking a little less than I would otherwise . But the kicker is long term: Upgrades to the next big thing: Free! Forever! Updates Free Forever Antivirus and upgrades: Free Forever The big kicker is value: If you define value in dollars sense then the money you spend on the MS software is a writeoff immediately, 100% depreciation the moment the check is cashed . With the Linux stuff however you have value because, if you wish, you can copy it and sell it . Try doing that with the MS software, you can't, the license specifically forbids it, so where is your value compared to the FOSS alternative . I had a guy at a local NFP who told me once that he had been given $28,000 worth of software really cheap . I said tell you what, get MS to give you a tenth of the $28000 in cash dollars if it's so valuable, to spend on good hardware say, and I'll supply you with all the software you'll need for nothing . "Oh they won't do that," he said, yes I said, but I can supply software to do the same job for nothing, so the VALUE of the software you installed is zero, because you can replace it for nothing but it's cash value to you is nothing because you can't sell it . So you have paid a great deal of money for nothing other than a little sticker telling you how generous MS is and to make it worse you have no idea how much the next upgrade is going to cost you or how long you'll be stuck with this software years past it's expiry date because the upgrade path is too expensive . Logic |
Yorick (8120) | ||
| 1309662 | 2012-10-31 12:36:00 | Just a couple of comments I wish to make. First of all, Gayle, wow, welcome to this little corner of the world, nice of you to drop in for a visit, I think organisations such as Techsoup really do make the difference when non-profit organisations these days are finding it harder and harder to obtain funding, and to be able to purchase affordable software is a huge help to them. All I can say is well done and keep it up, and on behalf of the non-profit organisations I maintain, a huge thank you. Secondly, Yorick, while I appreciate your point of view and how much you like pushing the Linux barrow, I think your post is a load of old coblers!! Cheers |
Iantech (16386) | ||
| 1309663 | 2012-10-31 18:22:00 | I'd use Open Office if I could, but typically it is the end users who I help who pick and choose their software, and the first I know of their choice is suddenly when they phone and tell me their new version of Office won't work with the old version of the Access database I've made for them, and what should they do with the "Convert Database" dialog in front of them? Or when they ask for a change to the database, and I find the copy they send back to me has been 'converted' to a newer version of Access which I can't work on. If it was up to me I'd still be using Office 97, but I'm constantly forced to upgrade my own Office suite in order to continue to help these people. Why they upgrade, at great expense is typically illogical, simply being that an upgrade was available, so they got it. The other manipulative trick of MS, making each new version produce docs that are not native to old versions (eg Docx vs doc, xlsx vs xls) also encourages the ignorant to update like sheep when they find they're getting docs they can't open (then they in turn add to the flood of incompatible documents). Sure, they could DL a patch, or use Winzip to decompress, but try telling the unpaid, outdated, non-tech savy, elderly volunteer at the end of the phone how to fix that themselves... it's easier just to surrender to the upgrade trail, plus the volunteers feel happier if they're getting somethnig new, rather than something they feel is outdated. The other issue is when the installation discs for the existing system goes walkabout. Volunteers come and go, and on occasion discs may go with them, or inocently go into the bin during a tidy up. So then, when a new feature has to be installed, or the system is corrupted and needs a reinstall I can be faced with a potentially very expensive dilemma. If a replacement of Office can be sourced (or a spare copy simply kept on hand) for $40, then the pain is minimal, the disruption is minimal, and I can happily, once again, reach into my own pocket to get them out of the mess. I'm still waiting for Base to include a macro type facility that allows me to automate many functions with simply the press of a button on a menu for the end user. Until then, it has to remain MSAccess if I'm to help them for free. |
Paul.Cov (425) | ||
| 1309664 | 2012-10-31 19:11:00 | Just a couple of comments I wish to make . First of all, Gayle, wow, welcome to this little corner of the world, nice of you to drop in for a visit, I think organisations such as Techsoup really do make the difference when non-profit organisations these days are finding it harder and harder to obtain funding, and to be able to purchase affordable software is a huge help to them . All I can say is well done and keep it up, and on behalf of the non-profit organisations I maintain, a huge thank you . Secondly, Yorick, while I appreciate your point of view and how much you like pushing the Linux barrow, I think your post is a load of old coblers!! Cheers +1 :thumbs: As for Microsoft being a charitable organisation , no one said they were . MS how ever they care to do it, do give away millions of dollars that benefit the less fortunate . Not just software, but Sponsorships and time to mention a few . One article ( . theallineed . com/news-usa/06092291 . htm" target="_blank">www . theallineed . com) and charitynews ( . onlinecardonation . org/charitynews/archives/147" target="_blank">www . onlinecardonation . org) |
wainuitech (129) | ||
| 1309665 | 2012-10-31 20:42:00 | I agree that Yorick makes a good point HOWEVER what happens when said charity, that is now using all this free software like Linux etc, needs support? Not many people around that could actually support such a setup and if they do they probably charge a lot more than someone who works on Microsoft software. Or can they call the software manufacturer for support? Doubt it! Unless they pay some sort of maintenance contract. At least if they go the MS way there will be no issues with support. And don't say that with the free software setup they won't need support because everything just works. |
CYaBro (73) | ||
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