Microsoft To Publish Linux

[Randy Rathbun]

Right on the mark, Jeff. 

Over on /. there was a comment about MS and Sun's Java box they were
making. MS stood up and said "we will port stuff to it!" then shortly
thereafter they stood up and said "We are having a very hard time doing
this because the product is so bad!" Of course it is - it is MS FUD. 

I doubt we will ever see a MS product on Linux. If we do it will be a
half-assed app and all we will hear from them is how hard it was to make
it work. But hey, it will still have 2000+ 'features'!

Randy Rathbun
randy at rrr.2y.net
http://rrr.2y.net

On Thu, 24 Aug 2000, Jeff McCright wrote:

> I use StarOffice and am very happy with it. It is very stable. I will consider
> MS products, but being as how I am getting accustomed to the
> existing Independent Products for Linux, MS looks to be way too slow
> getting out of the gates(No pun intended). Be very careful of the
> "Microsoft Spin Doctors" as they are very prone to story telling.
>  ----------
> From: kclug at kclug.org
> To: kclug at kclug.org
> Cc: jeff.mccright at southernunionco.com
> Subject: Re: [kclug - Microsoft To Publish Linux]
> Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2000 2:20AM
> 
> 
> "David R. Kucharski" <dkucharski1 at home.com> wrote:
> > It's not a joke or hoax!
> > here's what I saw tonight:
> > http://www.planetit. . . . .
> 
> 
> Wouldn't surprise me for a minute.  Microsoft has always been masters at
> devide and conquer.  While I have no doubt that the report itself is genuine, I have seen WAAAAY 
too many vaporware releases from Gates & co in the last 20
> years to actually pay any attention to it until there is actually a product in
> the stores.
> 
> What this storey DOES do is confuse many would be Linux vendors and users and
> VENTURE CAPITALISTS.  This is like what a pump-fake does to the pass rush in
> football.  It slows down the pass rush to give the quarter back a little more
> time.
> 
> Vaporware will freeze some of the people that have been considering climing
> down off the fence and getting involved with Linux.  Many of them will decide
> to wait a little longer to see what Microsoft will do and that takes away some
> of the momentum from the Linux movement.
> 
> We don't NEED to give MS any extra time to think up new ways to kill our
> operating system the way they have killed so many others.  We don't want to to
> allow them time to put out another slop product to steal any market share from
> a native Linux App vendor that has been making products for us all along.
> 
> Let's do ourselves a favor, DON'T spread this information around.  There is
> NOTHING real or solid about the announcement.  When you take out all the
> guesswork and supposition, it really doesn't say anything.  (I have a compiler
> in the basement for writing stuff for 'doze 95 - that don't mean I actually
> use it!)
> 
> Why do Microsoft a favor by spreading gossip around?  Make 'em pay for any
> rumors they want to have spread!  Besides, it will take a couple of years - at
> least - for them actually put together something, and it will be bug ridden
> and clunky - as usual.  But then that will also slow things down because they
> will have 3 major vapor-date announcements and 5 release date delays just to
> keep everyone on the edge of their seat waiting to see what the software is
> like!
> 
> Any problems that occur during or after will all be blamed on the open source
> development model and half the CEO/CIO's and trade magazines will believe it. They will blindly 
insist that proprietary software is the only way to do
> business and a large protion of the herd will follow - leaving us out in the
> cold once again.
> 
> Does anyone else see a pattern starting to take shape here???  One thing that
> I have not seen anyone consider;
> 
> There is nothing to keep Microsoft from making their own distribution of
> Linux.
> 
> There is nothing to keep Microsoft from adding 'doze32 API interfaces to the
> Linux code base.
> 
> There is nothing to keep Microsoft following the open source licensing
> agreements.
> 
> The courts can't! The couts haven't been able to touch 'em.
> 
> The Linux supervisory body?  Doubt it!  These guys know how to write code -
> not enforce laws.
> 
> The people?  Nope!  The first version of teir apps will be cheap or free and
> very heavily hyped.  Everyone will want to get a copy just to 'check it out'
> 
> Will the Microsoft version work much like any existing version of Linux?
> 
> Not hardly!  They don't want anyone switching over to another distro or set of
> apps.  They want to be the biggest so they don't HAVE to be compatible with
> other software.  Then they can raise the price again with each release.
> 
> (I'm sorry to go off on a rant here, but I have seen this all before and it
> makes me mad!)
> 
> Now, back to our regularly scheduled technical program!
> 
> 
> 
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