It is not really clear what is being looked at here. My initial reaction was that this was about vendor specific training and tests being used as modules for qualifications. If this is the case then Cisco were the first, I believe, followed (in a sense) by CompTIA, with Microsoft still working on it - so if you are targeting an organization it should be Cisco rather than Microsoft in the first instance. If, on the other hand, it appears to be about desktop software (as the newsgroup has implied today) surely the fault is not with Microsoft but with the Boards. In both cases we are simply seeing a reflection of the reality of the current market and if alternatives are not present then it is a result of less effective promotion of the products. I really do not see where the OFT fits into all this as in the first case the request for Microsoft to become involved in the course mapping came from schools, colleges, universities and employers, and in the second it surely has to be for the supporters of the alternatives to persuade their Boards to accommodate them or take their custom elsewhere. There are companies that do compete with Microsoft and succeed by producing products which they show to be better - not complaining to OFT or the equivalents. If there are so many enthusiasts out there who develop and use the alternative products, then there should be the potential to organize a global marketing and support machine that nobody (including Microsoft) could ignore. _____ From: Richard Rothwell [mailto:raroth42@yahoo.co.uk] Sent: 02 July 2003 10:04 To: suse-linux-uk-schools@suse.com Hi All, It has been suggested that the relationship between some exam board syllabuses and certain Microsoft products is not in the interest of fair competition. In my involvement with schoolforge.org.uk I have been asked to investigate this and see if there is grounds for a complaint to the Offiice of Fair Trading. Could anyone who has been influenced by this relationship in any way and is prepared to discuss it and/or be cited in the communication with the OFT please contact me at richard@caliban.org.uk. Further, if anyone has suggestions or other examples of this relationship please mail me? I'm aware that if all the messages hit this list then it could be overwhealming - I will either post a summary or try to collate them on the web in some way. rgds, Richard Rothwell -------------------------------------------------------------------- GNU and Wine are rirds. Rird is recursively defined. _____ Want to chat instantly with your online friends? <http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline_messenger/*http:/uk.messenger.yahoo.com /> Get the FREE Yahoo! Messenger