Microsoft’s MSDN Academic Alliance seems a pretty good way to get back at Free/Opensource software, especially in India. The $800 price tag (which has since been heavily slashed, it’s rumoured) gets an academic institution and it’s students, free access to almost the entire Microsoft stable of products for development. Including Windows XP. Legally. Even at $800, it’s affordable enough for our college, even though I fear, the general malaise of myopia will prevent any sudden adoption. Nevertheless, even if you root for Opensource software, having an easy and legal way to play with the stuff your competition churns out is not a bad thing to have. There’s nothing in the EULA – even though the FSF hints there is – that prevents schools from having a simultaneous Nix awareness program as well.

Here’s a good article to read.