http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1817&e=1&u=/ap/20040702/ap_on_hi_te/france_microsoft&sid=96120748
In another sign competition is heating up in the software industry, Microsoft Corp. has slashed prices by more than half for Paris City Hall as the French capital considers switching to low-cost open-source programs.
The software giant agreed to cut prices to suppliers who work with the city "to the order of" 60 percent, said a Paris official, who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday.
Paris plans to spend $195 million on computers and software over the next three years in a push to upgrade obsolete systems.
But more is at stake than the software bill — up to $18 million at list prices. A decision to ditch Microsoft would be a blow to the software giant at a time when a number of companies and governments are opting for the Linux operating system and other open-source alternatives.....................
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