50,000 uni students get free Lotus Symphony

Duh, Lotus Symphony is a FREE product, so its FREE to DOWNLOAD to everyone. Hardly a promotion!

To the above two people: I think the story was more about the adoption of free productivity software rather than the fact it happens to actually be free.

Microsoft have long stitched up the education market which has been dire for the education of kids. With no exposure to the other (frankly better) tools out there, kids simply aren't prepared for when they get out of schools and universities and face different tools, interfaces and paradigms.

Microsoft have been the metaphorical crack dealer outside school gates for far too long. They suck them in young with 'free' samples and heavy discounts then take them (or the firms they work for) from behind later with obscene licence fees. Firms which buy the right tools for their needs then have to train staff on how to use them more than should otherwise be necessary. Fortunately, its still usually a much better trade-off.

In the process of indoctrinating kids to the Microsoft-only way, the externalities associated with a lack of exposure to new and better things start to occur. This is dangerous on a number of levels.

Regardless, this decision to expose students to competition to the established Office monopoly should be welcomed with open arms. It shows at least some people see the sense in students having diverse experiences, a more open mind and hopefully an understanding that computers should be used to help solve our problems - not simply create new ones.