Summary: Watchdogs do not pay attention as yet another deal gets signed for Microsoft to inherit the public sector

Microsoft's dealings with the British government have been dodgy for quite some time [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] and one of the key culprits left his position recently^*. But despite apparent change and many promises (false, obviously), Microsoft manages to monopolise the UK public sector yet again. There is not even an apparent tender which weighs those things called "options", so the only real options being considered here are the different prices offered by Microsoft.

With Microsoft rivals excluded, a "good deal" does not mean a better product from ethical companies; it means paying less than some perceived value of a license to run binary code.

You will have been aware that, at the end of May this year, Buying Solutions, negotiating on behalf of the UK public sector, reached a new Public Sector Agreement (PSA09) with Microsoft. The agreement created a more flexible approach to the licensing of Microsoft products, providing the means for public sector bodies to obtain greater value for money.

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Requests for places should be sent to microsoftclinic@buyingsolutions.gsi.gov.uk

More Information

For more information about the new Microsoft deal, visit www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk

Some say that a policy was violated here. This is ridiculous and it warrants investigation. It could be in gross violation of the law and an authority of Switzerland was taken to court for this type of behaviour. We wrote about it in:

1. Microsoft Sued Over Its Corruption in Switzerland, Microsoft Debt Revisited
2. Can the United Kingdom and Hungary Still be Sued for Excluding Free Software?
3. 3 New Counts of Antitrust Violation by Microsoft?
4. Is Microsoft Breaking the Law in Switzerland Too?
5. Microsoft Uses Lobbyists to Attack Holland's Migration to Free Software and Sort of Bribes South African Teachers Who Use Windows
6. ZDNet/eWeek Ruins Peter Judge's Good Article by Attacking Red Hat When Microsoft Does the Crime
7. Week of Microsoft Government Affairs: a Look Back, a Look Ahead
8. Lawsuit Against Microsoft/Switzerland Succeeds So Far, More Countries/Companies Should Follow Suit
9. Latest Reports on Microsoft Bulk Deals Being Blocked in Switzerland, New Zealand
10. Swiss Government and Federal Computer Weekly: Why the Hostility Towards Free Software?
11. Switzerland and the UK Under Fire for Perpetual Microsoft Engagements

As Carlo Piana cautioned the other day, regulators are not paying close enough attention to Microsoft because their leadership may change soon. According to Reuters, Microsoft has successfully burned out those who scrutinise.

EU anti-trust chief eager to close Microsoft case

[...]

The Commission has over the years imposed fines totalling 1.68 billion euros ($2.5 billion) on Microsoft for infringing EU antitrust rules. It could levy another hefty penalty if it were to rule against the company in the web browsers case.

The Commission insists that Microsoft should offer ballots, but so far Microsoft has evaded orders.

European Union antitrust regulators are seeking to ensure that an offer by U.S. software company Microsoft to give users the chance to choose rivals' Web browsers was workable for consumers and its rivals.

The Microsoft crowd is meanwhile inciting people against the Commission, against Firefox/Mozilla, and against Opera. That is how Microsoft typically treats critics of its illegal behaviour. ⬆ _____ ^* Microsoft owes a lot of its market share to cronyism and even bribery.

“Microsoft is pulling out every favor it’s got … It has a very close relationship with DOJ and the White House, and all of that pressure is being brought to bear.”

--Knowledgeable tech industry source [via]