Neowin.net - Microsoft: 'We should learn from open source'

Microsoft: 'We should learn from open source'

Posted by malebolgia on 12 November 2003 - 19:57 · 24 comments & 2366 views

Microsoft has a soft spot for Linux, but it believes that recent developments in the open-source community have killed the free software model

The Microsoft attitude towards the competition du jour has taken a turn towards the distinctly tolerant. Speaking at the Microsoft IT Forum in Copenhagen, Bradley Tipp, the software company's UK national systems engineer, said: "We have nothing against open source, from Microsoft's point of view, it's not a religious thing, it's not them versus us… there are a lot of things we have learnt and there are a lot of things we should learn from open source." It seems that Microsoft may actually be quite keen on taking a leaf out of the open-source book, with an eye on putting its source code in the public domain. What some execs would like to see is a smart-card scheme -- an extension of the existing practice where selected trusted users can access source code in a secure environment.

But Microsoft remains adamant that commercial reasons prevent it from simply putting the source code -- its "crown jewels" -- in the public domain. That magpie attitude, according to Microsoft, is mutual. Red Hat's decision to end support for its free software and the Novell-SuSE link-up have put the last nail in the coffin of the free-software model, the Redmond behemoth believes -- even going so far as to speculate that the move from free to paid-for open-source software is a validation of Microsoft's way of doing business and the only way the open-source movement can survive. Despite the rivalry, Microsoft is keen to talk up its love for the competition, One Microsoft employee even went so far as to say Linux having a 50 percent market share would be good for Microsoft. "At least if Linux takes off, their viruses will propagate and we won’t be seen as the bad guys any more," he said. Tipp equally sees advantages to Linux taking off. "We think Linux is great," he said, adding that competition from the penguin and associates keeps the Microsoft on its toes.

News source: ZDNet UK

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#1 Posted by Sushubh on 12 Nov 2003 - 20:18: well i hate to see people friendly versions of linux dying...

(3 replies) #2 Posted by LiquidFX on 12 Nov 2003 - 20:42

QUOTE

Tipp equally sees advantages to Linux taking off. "We think Linux is great," he said, adding that competition from the penguin and associates keeps the Microsoft on its toes.

this is the smartest comment coming from MS in a loooooooong time.

#2.1 Posted by Kombatant on 12 Nov 2003 - 21:23: Seconded

#2.2 Posted by mipra on 13 Nov 2003 - 03:04: hell yes

#2.3 Posted by theh0g on 13 Nov 2003 - 08:20: yep

(6 replies) #3 Posted by Chicane-UK on 12 Nov 2003 - 22:02: Its funny.. they talk about Linux in the same way that George Bush talked about 'Comical Ali' in the Gulf War.

They shouldn't be laughing so much.. Linux is going to be a BIG thorn in their side over the next years. No flaming, no joking, no zealotry here... quite simple, Linux is more competition than MS has ever had right now, and its only going to get worse for them.

(2 replies) #4 Posted by AppleKid on 13 Nov 2003 - 00:09: This is very true. Linux is a major threat to Windows but so is the MacOS. Since both Linux and the MacOS are based on UNIX, the MacOS is like another distro of LInux. Of course Linux has the advantage of over the OS X with Linux's price of $0.00. However, there are a lot more programs for the Mac than Linux especially since some of the major apps for Linux are being ported to OS X. Dont' worry though I didn't come here to be a Apple loud mouth in a windows forum, I prefer Apple but I also believe we need Windows and Linux. The fact that there are three different OS makes it even better, because this benefits all of us, by each company trying to out do the other.

#5 Posted by mipra on 13 Nov 2003 - 03:05: Learn from Linux, and you will learn a lot

#6 Posted by PseudoRandomDragon on 13 Nov 2003 - 03:40: If they learn from Linux, what are they going to do about it? Microsoft would never become open source like Linux. If they did, all the things that give them their monopolistic powers would evaporate. No longer could they deny any spyware installed, the use of secret libraries to enhance their software and the intentional bloat. Microsoft also couldn't introduce their own standard anything that only their program/OS could use, because the source of how it is read and written could be easily incorporated into 3rd party software.

(3 replies) #7 Posted by Torvald_Is_Our_King on 13 Nov 2003 - 04:12: Linux is definitely a bigger threat to Microsoft now than Apple. Apple is not user-customizable and they're not making enterprise editions worth $18,000 per copy (The premium edition of AS for IBM zSeries and S/390 costs $18,000, according to Red Hat.). Commercial Linux is rising fast. My concern is the free Linux that we all love. What will become of it? I for one will fight for it til the end. I'll contribute, start my own distribution if I have to. The world will have FREE LINUX!
PseudoRandomDragon is right too -- Microsoft will never be open-source. They'd lose too much power. They're heading far in the other direction with Longhorn -- the internet will be run through Windows instead of a browser and certain web features can only be displayed with Windows (no other browser), Word and Excel will have features exclusive to Longhorn Windows as well. Microsoft is only becoming more monopolistic, and it's about to be taken for the ride of its life by Linux.

Last edited by 40333 on 13 Nov 2003 - 04:50

#8 Posted by krzystealth on 13 Nov 2003 - 04:26: I don't think MS needs to put their code under the GPL license. I do however think they could improve the quality of their products by embracing 'some' open source code and standards. I've seen too many times that MS tries to reinvent the wheel, only to make it different enough from the established standard that it causes problems. Then they ship the product with their OS (into the hands of millions) and it causes a mess for everyone else that is trying to maintain the standard.. (ie: Internet Explorer and its CSS problems)

MS needs to work on the stability and standardization of their products, not adding increased functionality and making it 'pretty'.

MS has their own implementations of XML, CSS, Java, LDAP, etc. Why not just scale everything back and conform to the established standards. Even HTML has several versions. There's nothing wrong with modifying a standard, but lets just make sure everyone agrees on it. I think that by embracing the standards that are in place, it would make the entire computing industry a much more palatable. There are good reasons for groups like the IEEE, WC3, and IETF. They are there to make cross platform computing more functional for more people. IF MS would use their influence to promote standards rather than modifying them to suit their needs they would get much more support from everyone else involved.

I'm not slamming MS, they have done a good job integrating the innovation they have aquired. They just need to learn how to play nicely with others.

It looks as though they have started heading in that direction but there is still a lot of work to do.

Just imagine if TCP/IP was in its infancy when MS discovered the internet...

#9 Posted by Psychoticdemento on 13 Nov 2003 - 06:09: even if linux was to become commercial, i think i would still use it. i said it once and ill say it again, its DEFINETLY a better alternative. at least it is for me. and when MDK 9.2 gets its glitches all in order, i plan on paying for the 7 CD edition anyhow. hehe

#10 Posted by ioslipstream on 14 Nov 2003 - 04:53

QUOTE

Red Hat's decision to end support for its free software and the Novell-SuSE link-up have put the last nail in the coffin of the free-software model

Interesting, and false, considering the major propellant of open source software is NOT the big companies, but rather the enthusiasts around the world who actually do the majority of the development work. As long as there are geeks, there will be open source software. It will not simply roll over and die.

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