Vista and Office 2007 Booted Out of British Schools
Microsoft’s troubles with its new Vista operating system just got a bit worse. Yahoo news is reporting that the British agency in charge of educational technology (known as Becta) has banned the use of both Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 from UK schools and universities, citing compatibility issues and poor performance.
The agency was also troubled by the fact that Microsoft refuses to support the Open Document Format, which is now internationally recognized as the standardized format for educational institutions. Instead, Microsoft has developed their own open format called Office Open XML, though it has failed to receive significant support by educational institutions to date.
The UK educational agency commissioned a study to examine the practical benefits of upgrading British schools from Windows XP to Vista and Office 2007. The results of the study recommended against “upgrading” to either of the Microsoft products. The primary concerns were a poor cost-per-benefit ratio, and continuing compatibility issues between Vista and certain hardware and peripherals already in widespread use at British schools and universities.
The study concluded that the “benefits remain unclear,” according to director Stephen Lucy of the Becta agency, and that “upgrading existing ICT systems to Microsoft Vista or Office 2007 is not recommended.”
The British educational agengy’s ousting of Vista from the classroom mirrors similar bans now in effect in the United States. The US Department of Transportation, for example, has banned the use of Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 7, citing similar cost per benefit concerns and ongoing compatibility issues.
More and more, government and educational organizations are moving toward open source software, such as the Open Document Format, which has been embraced by schools and universities around the world as a standardized format for exchanging and editing text files.
The failure of Microsoft to support the Open Document Format has been a continued source of frustration for government agencies and educational institutions around the world. And with the British educational system being highly influential worldwide, it is likely that other countries may follow their move to reject Vista/Office 2007, depriving Microsoft of tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide revenue.
The British agency is leaning toward open source products such as the Linux operating system, and other “small footprint” open source software products. And although Microsoft has refused to officially comment on the British Vista ban so far, it is clearly a major blow to their continued international dominance within educational and governmental agencies.
The British report not only discourages the use of Vista and Office 2007 in schools, it even encourages schools and colleges to make students aware of free or low-cost open source operating systems, productivity suites and other software– something which could be far more devistating to Microsoft’s profitability in the long run.
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