[K12OSN] Crossover office

["Terrell Prudé, Jr."]

Krsnendu wrote:

> I am considering my options of Crossover office vs Win Server 2003 for 
> our school. We can get licences for Win Server 2003 quite cheap, but 
> it would be easier to manage if we only had one server to maintain.
>
> It also comes down to costs. The educational pricing for Crossover 
> office is $52 where as the server version is $1500 for 25 licences.
>
>            
>
> If I install Crossover office professional on my K12LTSP server, will 
> all the clients be able to concurrently access it? Or would I have to 
> get the server version?
>
>  
>
> If we can use Crossover office Professional that would be the 
> preferred soln, if we had to pay for the server version for concurrent 
> access then WS2003 would obviously be a better solution.
>
> We can get it for about (annual) $65 server licence, $6.50 each 
> terminal licence. We get Office XP for free.
>
>  
>
> Any advice?
>
>  
>

Go for it.  I am currently an "advocate" for Xover Office, specifically 
the Time Matters app, and thus I get the beta copies.  CrossOver 
Professional great with K12LTSP and multiple simultaneous users, and I 
know this because that's what I test it on.  :-)  I find it way, way 
more efficient than any version of Windows Terminal Server, despite 
Microsoft's marketing claims.  For that reason, you won't need nearly 
the server farm with CrossOver Office (any version, Server included) 
that you'll need with Windows Terminal Server, for the same amount of 
users.  Thus, you save big time on the costs for the physical servers.

HOWEVER....

You will need to pay for each user concurrently using CrossOver 
Professional.  Yes, the software will let you "get away" with it w/o 
paying, but that's software piracy and not fair to CodeWeavers.  For 25 
users, that's $1300.  Note that the aforementioned reduced hardware cost 
for servers will more than equal out any initial price difference 
between the Microsoft solution and that of K12LTSP/CodeWeavers, so you 
actually spend *less* with the latter, not more.  The following question 
is also raised:  is classroom instruction time, or time spent 
maintaining computers, more valuable to the Powers That Be?

Speaking of price, I'd love to know how you're getting MS Office XP for 
free.  Our district sure doesn't, so if you'd be willing, could you 
provide me with the contact info for your contract negotiatiors 
(off-list for this is fine)?  I'd like to pass this on to the folks who 
negotiate our contracts.  Yes, I'm dead serious; we could conceivably 
save a lot of money on our MS Office bill with whatever your district 
did...again, if you'd be comfortable sharing this.

--TP
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