Category Archives: Microsoft

Using Email at McGill university: Ongoing suffering of an open-source user, year 9

Posted on October 29, 2020 by cpbl

It’s 2020, and the world has changed. Well, yes, there’s that, but I meant that the world of email has changed. For reasons I won’t speculate and rant about here, the problem of spam has not been solved, and email … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Alpine, Alpine, GNU/linux, McGill University, Microsoft, software, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

iClicker under GNU/Linux

Posted on September 4, 2012 by cpbl

Electronic “clickers” are personal wireless transceivers carried by every student in a lecture hall and are used for in-class feedback and assessment in teaching. At McGill, we have just switched to a new clicker system that is all about integration with … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, McGill University, Microsoft, software | 2 Comments

McGill University firmly embedded with Microsoft

Posted on September 5, 2011 by cpbl

This is the nearly incredible story of how one of Canada’s great universities has become such a buttress of the Microsoft monopoly that it cannot even provide for a new faculty member the normal ability to send and receive email. … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, McGill University, Microsoft, software | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Tied selling of Windows O/S with computer hardware in Canada: a complaint to the Competition Bureau

Posted on November 4, 2010 by cpbl

To follow up on my recent victimization by the “Microsoft Tax”, I filed a complaint with the Canadian Competition Bureau, the federal agency charged with investigating anti-competitive behaviour. I think I understand their response, which I’m including below, but there … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, Microsoft, software | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Microsoft tax and Windows refund in Canada: Lenovo

Posted on October 16, 2010 by cpbl

I am one of those (quietly) rabid Microsoft opponents. I believe Microsoft represents a collossal market failure, in that it has added very little in innovation  towards making better software. Instead, its innovation has nearly entirely been in capturing and … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, Microsoft, software | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments