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Microsoft Licensing

Sometime in the near future I'll be talking to customer service reps at TechSoup Stock about Microsoft licensing. Here's what I'll cover.

License types

• OEM
• FPP
• Volume (including Open License)

Software Assurance

• New version rights - Free upgrade
• Prior version rights (downgrade) - Use an earlier version
• Home use program - Use software at home
• Cold backup rights - Install software on a spare server
• eLearning - Free training on CD (must buy the CD)

Virtual PC on TechSoup Stock?

I'd love to see Virtual PC on TechSoup Stock. I've suggested it for inclusion in our catalog.

I like Virtual PC for a couple of different purposes:

- testing out software before installing it on "real" computers
- simulated network environment for tests
- viewing Web pages in different browsers or versions of Windows

VMWare Workstation is also a great solution in this area.

Document production methodology

Lately I've been producing content for TechSoup Stock, particularly new products to by offered by Cisco. There are usually three or four people involved in the production process:

- writer
- editor
- web producer
- project manager

On the products I've been working on I hold the role of writer and web producer, while Sarah Marx edits and Diane Ely manages the project.

Working together we have agreed upon this system for producing content.

Content inventory
The project manager determines what content needs to be produced for a project, and which content items are highest priority.

Researching/Writing
The writer researches products for product pages (the most common type of content) and writes the content using a template in Microsoft Word.

Editing/Reviewing
Typically the content goes through one or two rounds of review before production, with the editor and writer sharing responsibility for revision.

Web production
When the content is finalized, it is plugged into BizDesk, the interface for the TechSoup Stock Commerce Server. Some HTML production is required, and there are other guidelines for entering info into BizDesk.

Final internal review
The project manager reviews the completed content and approves it for viewing by the vendor.

Vendor approval
If content is product related, it is submitted to the vendor for review before going live.

Content launch
New pages are put online.

This is just the basic process, some details have been left out and it is bound to change over time.

Ordering by fiscal agents

A colleague of mine, Victor Chavez asked on the riders-talk list if nonprofit organizations with a fiscal sponsor can request donations through TechSoup Stock. Here's the skinny:

The donor is the arbiter of eligibility. So the donor (vendor) sets the rules about who may receive donated products. In most cases the donor does not require a nonprofit organization to have a unique tax ID in order to receive a donation. That means that multiple organizations with the same fiscal sponsor may usually receive donated products.

A notable exception is Cisco, which does require an organization to have a unique tax ID in order to receive donated equipment through TechSoup Stock.

What's not yet clear to me is who the licensee is, when an order is placed by an organization with a fiscal sponsor. Is the ordering org the licensee, or is the fiscal sponsor the licensee? If the nonprofit spins off into its own legal entity, can it take the licenses with it? Or is that considered "transfer" of the license?

Who does graphics production for TechSoup Stock?

That would be Simon Fillat.

New products at TechSoup Stock

In addition to my regular consulting work, I'm helping develop content for new products to be offered on TechSoup Stock. This mostly consists of fetching images and text from the vendor's site, then putting it together in our e-commerce software.