Microsoft denies $400 000 payment to Nigerian contractor

MICROSOFT has denied media reports that it paid a Nigerian government contractor US$400,000 to try and prevent Linux’s movement into the government sector.

Media reports had alleged that Microsoft proposed to make the payment under a joint marketing agreement last year in order to persuade the contractor to replace Linux OS with Windows OS on thousands of Nigerian school laptops.

However, Thomas Hansen, the regional manager for Microsoft West, East and Central Africa, although a joint marketing agreement was drafted to document the best practices for using technology in education, it was never executed.

“The joint marketing agreement became irrelevant because only one customer wanted Linux OS. No such marketing agreement was ever agreed to, and no money was ever spent in that regard,” said Hansen.

Apart from being freely distributed, Linux’s functionality, adaptability and robustness has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. Governments in other African countries like Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa have deployed Linux in their various departments and schools.

Hansen says that Microsoft has strong relationships with the governments in these countries. “Those governments, just like all our other customers, always decide which software solutions meet their needs most appropriately.

We strongly believe that governments must carefully consider all costs of acquiring and using a PC, along with the benefits of widespread application availability, maintenance, and training,” he said.

Hansen emphasized that studies have shown that the Windows platform often costs the same as or less than Linux when the total cost of ownership is considered.

“Further, when the full range of user benefits are taken into account, such as the wide range of applications available, familiarity, and ease-of-use, Windows is often a much better overall value,” he said.

ITnewsAfrica.com, Nigeria.