http://allafrica.com/stories/200411110070.html [...] November 10, 2004 Posted to the web November 11, 2004 Lagos Microsoft Corp. has begun providing free tools so government organizations can better share technological information, in a move it says is aimed at helping cash-strapped customers save money. Oliver Bell, a Microsoft worldwide program manager, denied that the move is designed to make Microsoft more competitive against open-source technology such as Linux. With open source systems, the underlying code and any improvements are shared freely. Instead, Bell said Redmond-based Microsoft is responding to already overworked government groups who say they would like better tools for sharing information with peers who are using the same applications and might be facing the same technological hurdles. "It's a response to behavior customers are struggling with," he said. Under Microsoft's program, called Solutions Sharing Network, government customers will be eligible to receive free tools for such things as setting up a Web-based portal or conducting an open forum related to a specific technology. A government group can choose to limit participation to internal users or to share the information more widely. [...] -- ICQ: 214527045 URL: http://www.bauernberger.org/