Those BASTARDS!

[MacMan]

Even though there a lot of great and talented people working for Microsoft, the fact remains: "The leadership and management of the same corporation are all BASTARDS!

I heard it said, that Microsoft isn't happy with owning a measly 99% of the market; they want it all and now, according to various articles, they are going to try and achieve that goal by suing Linux and the whole open-source community out of existence!

Bill Hilf, Microsoft director of platform strategy — and the company's main liaision to the open-source community — was quoted on a tour in Southeast Asia as saying that "the Free Software movement is dead," and "Linux doesn't exist in 2007."

I know they threatened Apple years back. They told them face-to-face, that Apple had better kill their superior Quicktime media software and concede the market over completely to their inferior Windows Media Player! If not, they were going to kill Office for the Mac which would have done a great deal of harm to Apple, at the time. Fortunately, Steve Jobs threatened them with telling the trade commission, that was investigating them, at the time, for anti-trust violations. Cooler heads prevailed; lets hope they do again?

Lets all hope and pray that some 'Steve Job' type of individual or individuals will come to bat for the open-source community, of which we all owe a great debt, for all of their hard work and great contributions. May they be allowed continue to proceed in the future. We will all benefit if they do.

As far as Micro-Bully's Inc. management is concerned, I can only say that they are a bunch of *&*^*^^*&*&*&%%$$ BASTARDS! Frankly, that is one word that doesn't even begin to convey my utter disgust for their greedy, selfish, monopolistic leadership!

 

[NicePants42]

Two things I learned about MacMan today:

1. He is pro-Open Source / Anti-Microsoft.
2. He has no problem with making one-sided posts with inflationary language.

Not that I think Microsoft executives aren't a bunch of greedy bastards, but I think you're blowing Mr. Hilf's comments a little out of proportion. Sure, MS is going to try to use their weight to make money, but thus far in 2007 Linux is far from dead.

And when you look at how effective the RIAA is at stopping piracy, I think it's safe to say that many people will continue using and developing Linux even if the worst somehow manages to happen.

A quick Google search yields some much less caffine-enhanced opinions on the subject, here and here for instance.

They raise some very good reasons that Microsoft will not sue Linux.

 

[MacMan]

After thoughts.

A recent ZDNet post states: 'For those who prefer the short version of the statement, Microsoft suggests the press use this quote, attributable to Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing:

“Even the founder of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, noted last year that Linux infringes well over 200 patents from multiple companies. The real question is not whether there exist substantial patent infringement issues, but what to do about them. Microsoft and Novell already developed a solution that meets the needs of customers, furthers interoperability, and advances the interests of the industry as a whole. Any customer that is concerned about Linux IP issues needs only to obtain their open source subscriptions from Novell.”

What's got Microsoft so spoooked? As the Fortune article noted, the GPL v3's provisions regarding the Microsoft-Novell deal suggest that Microsoft itself could be considered a "Linux distributor," and thus beholden to the GPL v3 terms. And even if that doesn't happen, under the GPL v3, other Linux distributors would be barred from doing deals like the one struck by Novell and Microsoft.

Time will tell, but I still believe, as I posted on ZDnet,

HATRED OF ALL THINGS MICROSOFT is the MOTHER OF LINUX! So many people hate Microsoft's crappy and inferior software that some people, like Linus Torvald, decided to do something about it and hence Linux was born!

Considering what drove the creation of Linux, I find it hard to believe that the Linux community is knowingly violating any of Microsoft's patents. But, if they are, I'm sure the community will respond by correcting any mistakes on their part.

I, for one, am a dedicated OSX user, which as many know, is built on the BSD version of Unix. Apple and Microsoft have a legal agreement that allows them to share their ideas, so Apple shouldn't be too worried. However, if the open-source community is either slowed, or stopped dead in its tracks by big, bad, old Microsoft, it is not only the Linux community that will lose. We will all lose regardless of platform choice, because of all of the hard work, dedication and sacrifice and the innovations that community brings to the benefit of all computer users.

Personally, I think the problems lies not so much with the Linux community, but with the arrogance and greed of the Microsoft's leadership. In other words: Their pretty much all BASTARDS!

As far as being pro open-source; anti Microsoft, what's wrong with that? Its a free country with allows freedom of expression. Microsoft's recent statements are not being made for nothing! Do you think that they will not try their best to, at least, slow down OSX or Linux? No, I have been watching them for a long time and they really are, 'The EVIL Empire!'

 

[NicePants42]

I didn't say pro-open source/anti-Microsoft was bad. I agree with you for the most part.

The only reason I posted is because you seem to be over-estimating the effect the Microsoft could have on the open-source community, and you also seem to be a little over-excited about whether or not M$ will actually try to sue.

 

[MacMan]

I agree, but....

I didn't say pro-open source/anti-Microsoft was bad. I agree with you for the most part.

The only reason I posted is because you seem to be over-estimating the effect the Microsoft could have on the open-source community, and you also seem to be a little over-excited about whether or not M$ will actually try to sue.

I agree with you and I think I know where you are coming from, but as far as my posts are concerned, they not based on a real fear that Microsoft will successfully sue and damage the open source community, but rather that they even have the gumption, the nerve and arrogance to even hint that they will!

I have seen them steam rollover so many other companies in the past. Can we forget Netscape? I'm so utterly disgusted with their business practices that I just had to express my great displeasure in what they are attempting to do, in my past two posts.

As for Microsoft, I use their products. I prefer their mice and key boards, for example, to Apple's. Not everything that Microsoft does is crappy, of course, but on the other hand, their bullying of others certainly is. Steve Ballmer once said, and I quote: "At Microsoft, we don't create new ideas; we take other people's ideas and make them our own!" That is just one of the arrogant statements that have come out of Microsoft. And to think that he is so arrogant to claim that others are guilty of their own long standing practices! Its the arrogance of the leadership, not their prospects in a court of law that ticks me off.

One real fear that I do have though is this, according to one of my attorneys, "How much justice you get out of the system, is directly proportional to how much you can afford to pay!" Think O J Simpson; Michael Jackson.

Yes, its sad, but true, but money talks and we all know who Mr. Money Bucket is. The open source community isn't Apple, IBM, Intel or Motorola, Sony, etc. Their access to funds are small compared to the giant of Redmond. Microsoft can do damage to just about any one, simply by protracting out a long, drawn-out, expensive legal battle.

With the X-Box 360, Explorer,etc. Microsoft has demonstrated a history of bleeding money, just to hurt their competitors. And that, my friend is the real concern here, victory simply by bankrupting your opponent.

The open-source community is the David and Microsoft is the Golliath here, but like David, let's all hope the out come is just as victorious?