Jeff Morrison stated that software currently arrives on campus from four sources. I would like to refute some of the statements made. The Microsoft software that comes pre-loaded on a computer is at best Windows XP “Home Edition” and Microsoft Works. Many students with this configuration would upgrade to Windows XP Professional and Office XP. Many students pay for software legally on the Internet or from the Microcomputer Product Center.

Office software will cost at least $250. Paying $25 in fees and $5 media cost would be much cheaper if you want to have Office anyway.

And yes with StrangeSearch, you can get anything for free. It is only available if you happen to live in the dorms. But you cannot get licensed software on StrangeSearch and the ethics of downloading “free” products from there are shady at best. This is another debate so I will move on. Some of the Microsoft products are useful to Mac users. Office works on the Mac just fine.

And Mac users are only about 10 percent of all computer users. Walk into the lab and try to sit at a PC. Most of the people in there only go to the Mac machines because the PCs are full.

With Linux users, the issue is different. Most Linux software is free anyway. However, many Linux users dual boot their computers. Half the time they run Linux, but most Linux users also run Microsoft on another partition of their hard drives. So Linux users could still make use of some Windows software when they are booted to Windows. However, the survey was simply that – a survey to find out where student interest lie. Obviously, students do not want lab services cut. Go into the lab in Durham and try to get a chair in front of a PC. Or try to get a printout in less than 20 minutes. It may be that the $300,000 should be spent there.

They put the survey out for two reasons. One, they are honest enough to get student opinion before proceeding, and two, if it was brought up at a GSB election, then no one would show up to give a vote.

Paying for this seems simple to me. Don’t increase fees or cut services. There is a “media cost” in getting the software.

Maybe what should be done is increase the “media cost” so that the students that want the software pay for the program and those that do not pay nothing.

How many other services on campus do you pay for but do not use? Do you take advantage of the the child care services? We all pay for that. Do you ride CyRide? We pay for that whether or not we use it. Do you pay a Health Services Fee? I haven’t visited Health Services for more than 2 years, but I still pay the fee. We all pay for service we never use. How many of us work out at the rec center? It is part of going to college.

I am in favor of putting this Microsoft agreement to a vote at the next GSB election. Who knows? Maybe someone will show up to cast a ballot.

Benjamin T. Rittgers

Senior

Computer science