Purdue continues to offer software

By Dave Stephens
Assistant Campus Editor

Thanks to the Microsoft campus agreement students, faculty and staff of Purdue can continue saving money on Microsoft software.

Purdue's agreement with Microsoft allows students and faculty to buy software, which is sold at the BoilerCopyMaker in the Purdue Memorial Union, for $5 instead of the regular price, which can average several hundred dollars.

The software agreement, which includes tittles such as Windows Millennium Edition and Visual Studio 6.0, has been in place at Purdue since the fall of 1999.

Although the software has been for sale since the agreement with Purdue began, sales are often better at the beginning of the semester.

"Our sales are typically the strongest at the start of each semester," said George Wyncott, assistant director for computing services. "Students often get enrolled in classes that require new software."

Adam Codd, a freshman in the School of Agriculture, was standing in line to buy Windows 2000.

"I wanted to upgrade my old software," said Codd, "hopefully this will help my computer run more smoothly."

Even though sales have remained strong, Wyncott said that sales were better last year.

"The sales have been less than last year. Last year, everybody — freshman through senior — was buying software because it was new," Wyncott said.

Despite strong sales, Purdue's agreement with Microsoft might change next year. The agreement, which expires July 1, 2001, will be renegotiated this spring.

We are expecting to hear from Microsoft in the next two months about renewing the contract, Wyncott said.

"It's unlikely that the agreement will stay the same as it has been in the past," Wyncott said. "They are expected to make changes in prices but how much is not known."

"I hope that if Microsoft raises prices, they'll still keep them reasonable," said Codd, "I don't think it would be that big of a deal if the price was raised by $10."

Another problem affecting the future of the software agreement depends on how Microsoft will split up after being found guilty of breaking anti-trust laws.

"We really don’t know if it will affect us," Wyncott said, "It might end up where we would have to make an agreement with one company over another or maybe that neither company will offer one."

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