Redmond is making waves with plans to take on Linux in government and education even as it beats the drum for new .Net conquests. It’s also shaking up its own incentive program with a scheme that replaces options with shares.
Microsoft Girds Public Sector Unit to Combat Linux
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Principal: I don’t know, we already have Linux, and its pretty flexible and its doing the job very well.
Microsoft: We really want you to use our products.
Principal: SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Microsoft: Shares?
Pricipal: MONEY!! M-O-N-E-Y.
Microsoft: Thankfully we have more money than God, so OK.
Nice! That made me laugh!
Why doesn’t Microsoft just settle with the DoJ more often? They seem to get millions of dollars of their software in US schools for free.
I guess this way they can get the governments and schools to actually pay them for that EULA.
<quote>To compete, Microsoft needs to circle the wagons “to insure a level playing field (vs. Linux) in terms of procurement,” said Hayes.</quote>
<translation>We’re not used to actually competing 🙁 sooo, what we’re going to do is make up loads of bulls**t TOC surveys and get our lawyers to finds ways for us to break the law without getting caught.</translation>
Gotta love ’em!?!
Hopefully this will do some good for Linux. If M$ is kicking into high gear to combat Linux, it isn’t crap, but something worth looking at. This could change the “public” perception of Linux.
Come on now this is nothing more the MS bribing goverment officials. I want goverment to be small and lean. This will not happen with MS products because we all know how they operate. Just like a crack dealer the first hit/software packages are free but later on when MS/the crack dealer knows that you are hooked expect the price to go through the roof. Expect the tax payer to be paying for $10 grand for a 5 user liscense for Office in the future. I say let MS who is a monopoly compete in the open market rather then being proped up by goverment contracts which it garnered through bribes of free software.
It is typical from M$ to increase your stuff in marketing and by admiting more lawyers when there are competition. M$ is not a software-house; it is a marketing machine and they will subornate persons or give free or low-priced licenses only for the people don’t try linux or any free software.
<quote>”We are increasing our staff across EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and to integrate government and education”.</quote>
Yeah, because they’re finding a lot of… “troubles” here
People aren’t stupid and they know M$’s current Biz model is not a win-win relationship. It’s not fair. Too much “M$ tax when you want to purchase a computer” or “too much attacks against privacy” or “too much bad quality software” or “too much you’re not paying for patches, this is a brandnew version” or…
Day by day, here in Spain we’re developing pro-standard software laws, both at national level and regional levels, as well. And everybody knows M$ means no-standard so… more troubles for Bill_G
E.g. –> Regional governments developing GNU/Linux distros in Spain:
* Extremadura [Linex – general purpose]: http://www.linex.org/linex2/linex/ingles/index_ing.html (english) http://www.linex.org (spanish)
* Andalucia [Guadalinex – educational purpose]: http://www.guadalinex.org (spanish)
* Aragon [Augustux – general purpose]: http://www.zaralinux.org/proy/augustux/ (spanish)
* Soon… Valencia
We know perfectly M$ is a cool marketing company but a cr*ppy software company as well
I don’t think Microsoft will be bribing the U.S. Government. I think it will be something more like fully merging with the government.
I find it funny that just a couple of years ago Linux was still considered a hacker’s toy by titan Microsoft. My how times change and hopefully for the better. MS has 2 very good rivals in the desktop and server markets now: FreeBSD and GNU/Linux. May competition keep everything moving forward to better products no matter which you choose to use!
we could lose the corporate/gov weenies that say “well, I’m not sure that Linux is right for us at this time. It’s better to play it safe and stick with a proven performer” and let those that know (or are at least willing/able to allocate a few brain cells to learn) Linux make those decisions, then MS would be in a much bigger bucket of sh!t than they think they are in now.
there! that’s my $0.02 … do I get any change back?
Ju$t m0re pr00f th4t M$ is t3h suxor!!! Just like I always said!!!!!!
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles – just after I allege to X that Microsoft is going to be screaming blue 8100d7 murder at the thought of someone else intruding into their killing fields, and demanding a more level playing field, they go and do just that!
Thank you, thank you, Microsoft, from the bottom of my pancreas!
I thought M$ was the goverment.
Principal: Thanks, but like I have been saying for the past 15 minutes, I’m not interested in your products.
Microsoft: OK, Pop….we didn’t want to make you feel pressured. You don’t have to buy anything from us if you don’t want to…. [leaves the office.]
Student: Hey…you forgot your briefcase.
Principal’s computer screen:
OOOOPS…..Kernel panic…appears to be large EMF pulse….hardware error…..
“I don’t think Microsoft will be bribing the U.S. Government. I think it will be something more like fully merging with the government.”
You mean, like AT&T used to do?
Lay off the M$, will ye? It just sounds imature and everytime a childish thing like that is done, it gives the open source community a little less credibility.
Ahh the credibility of a bunch of 12 year olds screaming “M$ is teh sux0r” and the fifty unemployed, dirty, unkempt, social misfits that actually right all of the code has been totally demolished by their use of the disrespectful abbreviation “M$.” Their reputation withstood the continual license breaking (DVD deCSS, Fraunhoefer MP3 encoding- but don’t mess with the GPL buddy), but this last act was just too much.
A sad day in the history of Open Source.