cyclone2
03-30-2001, 01:35 AM
A licensing disagreement with Microsoft (stock: MSFT) forced Alaska Airlines to scrap a plan to give pilots browser access to a mainframe work-scheduling application, said CIO Robert Reeder.
The initial plan was to run terminal emulation software on Windows NT, letting pilots access the app from their home PCs and airport kiosks.
When Microsoft heard about the application, it demanded that the airline pay for a full-time license for every computer that would access the app, Reeder said.
"I told them that was ridiculous," he said. "I can't license every computer in the world."
When Alaska Airlines balked, Microsoft instead said it wanted a license for every employee who could access the application, even if they access Windows for only a few minutes a day. That total bill would have been about $250,000 more than the company was paying, Reeder said.
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20010329S0009
The initial plan was to run terminal emulation software on Windows NT, letting pilots access the app from their home PCs and airport kiosks.
When Microsoft heard about the application, it demanded that the airline pay for a full-time license for every computer that would access the app, Reeder said.
"I told them that was ridiculous," he said. "I can't license every computer in the world."
When Alaska Airlines balked, Microsoft instead said it wanted a license for every employee who could access the application, even if they access Windows for only a few minutes a day. That total bill would have been about $250,000 more than the company was paying, Reeder said.
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20010329S0009