Star Microsoft's Bill Hilf Reveals Its Open Source Strategy
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 16th Nov 2007 19:46 UTC, submitted by WillM
Microsoft "InformationWeek recently interviewed Bill Hilf, Microsoft's leading light on open source issues. Since coming to Microsoft from IBM in 2003, Hilf has been inextricably involved with Microsoft's strategy for dealing with Linux. He's recently been appointed general manager of Windows Server marketing and platform strategy, which means he's taking on an expanded role, but open source is still one of his core issues."
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Hmm.
by google_ninja on Fri 16th Nov 2007 22:36 UTC
google_ninja
Member since:
2006-02-05

More or less a fluff piece, but there were a few good points in here

Hilf: We just had a bunch of our global account managers in with us, people who handle our super big customers, and they said, these customers don't even know who Richard Stallman is, they don't even care. They've chosen Linux or Apache or open source in general because of a few simple reasons: either price, or functionality, they want a more modular system or they want something that has a smaller footprint, there are certain needs that they have that are satisfied by that type of software.


This is really what it comes down to. Open source is where its at, the whole free software thing will only be a factor amoung young engineers in universities. It is not about right or wrong, it is about the power of the liscence, and the only cost of using it is the requirement to play fair. That is what makes open source awesome, and that is why people love to use it.

As a company, we're hyperactively involved with patent reform and trying to find models that work best for the industry. But it is key, as you have these conversations, particularly with the open source community, keep in the back of your mind, what is the current model for doing business, right, wrong or indifferent, and then what is the opinion about software patents as an issue.


Many people tend to forget that MS calls for patent reform more then any other big company. They are the biggest target, and get hit more then anyone else with lawsuits based on a law which makes no sense.

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