Snip from Linuxinsider.


The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is offering a million PCs preloaded with Linux StarOffice at rock-bottom prices to increase computer literacy in Thailand.

and another snip from the same story

To prevent Linux from running away with Thailand's subsidized "people's PC project," Microsoft has dropped the price of its Windows and Office packages from nearly US$600 to $37. Other Asian countries are lining up to duplicate the Thai program. As a result of the events in Thailand, analysts have begun to predict the end of Microsoft's long-standing "one-price-fits-all-markets policy."

get the full story here.

2 good things about this.

1. It's going to piss off a lot of people in the US and EU that are paying out the ass for M$ products, only to see that they are offering it at almost 90% less elsewhere.

2. This could be the start of a wonderfull trend. Between this and what's going on in the EU with M$ on trial, and the middle east governments looking to switch, M$ could be in some real trouble.

yay!!
if only the schools in this country would have a similar attitude towards linux

Give it time. With as much money as the US throws at schools, they'll find this a great way to save on costs.

i was talking about the UK actually, where we have really tight IT budgets in schools and all the machines are falling apart.
I don't speak from experience as i'm home-schooled anyway, but i know that the budgets are tiny and the machines are old because i know people that go to state-run schools.

The only problem with that is every countries economic situation is different. One countrys population might afford to pay more while another should maybe get a break due to lack of economic stability, and just cuz someone is paying a lower price than me dosnt mean i should be jealous and get bent out of shape especially if i can afford it and someone else can barely afford what they are paying.

Schools could get way better computers if they wouldn't spend huge amounts on Windows licences.
I remember telling my highschool last year, when they asked me what to do... upgrade windows or get linux, "Get linux". Unfortunately shortly before the final decision, the board hierd an 'expert'. This guy walked around shamelessly with "Networking for Dummies", and the one computer he tried to build... he fried twice, before I finished it. Needless to say.. the school wasted the money they had saved up for getting new computers for one of the labs and the library to upgrade windows to XP. This is.. on 400Mhz computers, needless to say they're painfuily slow.
They now agree that Linux should have been their choice. So yeah, 3-4 years down the road they've decided to switch to Linux instead of upgrading again.

This entire Windows to Linux thing isn't happening only in 3rd world countries, it's happening in Canada too, yey!