"Microsoft Attacks Open Source" Want to know why? [Archive] - SpeedGuide.net Broadband Community

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Stef
07-03-01, 11:29 PM
Microsoft is going haywire over Linux and open source, do you want to know why? The awnser is really simple. Because open source software is a collective work accomplished by dozens, hundred, and even thousands of computer geeks who are only working towards common goals.

To get their software to run on multiple platforms, to make it run as bug free as possible, and to clean the source code untill the program is small and efficien, and above all, to make the source code available to the end user so that he or she may modify it and use it according to their needs :D

Thats why Microsoft is against open source, because profit is not the main focuss of the entire scheme. Instead, open source software revolves around being free and re-distributable under a free license agreement.

All this was not a big threat untill recently. With Linux and its community of hackers growing by thousands world wide every day, UNIX software development is literally booming!! And why should'nt it? Linux is faster, more stable and completely network compliant with Novell Netware, Windows NT or 2k, Windows 95,98,Me and XP, Mac OS, and of course, all of the other UNIX variants out there!!!

So why hasn't Linux and the rest of the open source community hit the masses?

Simple, its too technical for the majority of computer users.

And that's is an honest statement from a novice Linux user.

Linux and open source is for the masses of geeks who fine tune their PC untill it litteraly sings their favorite song when it boots. (Did I ever mention that my Debian GNU/Linux box boots in less then 7 seconds after the POST and the completion of the BIOS initialization?) I've even heard of geeks creating MP3 alarm clocks out of their PC so that Linux wakes them in the morning.

SO why is Microsoft attacking Linux and the Open Source community>?

The awnser is very simple, every day a Windows NT server is replaced by a UNIX server which is faster, requires less upgrades, more secure, easier to administrate, more scalable, and above all, completely free!!!

Lets face it, Microsofts real money maker is its coporate sales of server platforms and networking software.

How does Linux and Open Source threaten this?

Well, that too is very simple.

You see, its has been a long term goal of many UNIX and open source users to slam Microsoft into the ground. They just hate the fact that Microsoft software is slow and ineficient, not to mention that Microsofts marketing scheme closely matches that of the Ford Red Carpet lease program :D

Untill recently, they've have never been a serious threat. However, developments in the community have evolved Linux and its variants above and beyond Windows.

Microsofts coproate sales of networking platforms is decreasing every day. An MCSE tech along with a NT box is a thing of the past. Linux has long ruled the Asian and Europeen server maket and is rapidly overtaking the North Americain market as well.

Microsoft knows this and is retaliating with whatever it can, even with disinformation.

Stef

downhill
07-04-01, 12:04 AM
Nice post, Stef!

If Microsoft can't buy it, or force it's sale, then it's something beyond their control. I don't really have anything against Microsoft's software. I do have problems with the way Microsoft does business. To bad the judge in the anti trust case was so blatantly bias.

Stef
07-04-01, 12:17 AM
I find it funny, Microsoft bashes open source, yet its TCP/IP stack is based from the same source code found in the BSD kernel (just like Linux, BTW). Not to mention that netstat, arp, ping, telnet, route, and tracert where all open source tools ported from UNIX hosts onto dos a long time ago. Heck, tracert is actually called traceroute but Microsoft renamed it to tracert to comply with MS-DOS's 8.3 filename format!!!

They bash open source, yet the main aspect of their market (the internet) was born and developped on open source software! They actually beleive that they are responsible for the birth of the internet.

Stef

Cornbread
07-04-01, 01:25 AM
Originally posted by Stef


So why hasn't Linux and the rest of the open source community hit the masses?

Simple, its too technical for the majority of computer users.

And that's is an honest statement from a novice Linux user.

Stef

exactly, thats why i went back to windows :(

until linux gets easier for the newbie like me and many others, windows will continue to prevail on the home pc, unfortunately.

Roody
07-04-01, 02:56 AM
Originally posted by Stef

They bash open source, yet the main aspect of their market (the internet) was born and developped on open source software! They actually beleive that they are responsible for the birth of the internet.

Stef

no that would be Al Gore :D

Stef
07-04-01, 07:17 PM
Originally posted by cornbread
until linux gets easier for the newbie like me and many others, windows will continue to prevail on the home pc, unfortunately.

Not for long, MacOS X is been ported onto the intel platform (i386) and the ia64 platform as well.

Mac will be the one who brings UNIX to the masses.

What else could you expect from the company who invented ease of use back in the early 80's?

Stef

Scum333
07-04-01, 09:49 PM
i think alot of people are missing the many benefits that MS dominance has brought to us computer users. You old timers remember the old days when there were no standarized APIs? I wish MS would be the sole supplier of OSs and I'll tell you why. If one company produced 100% of the OSs then we would have a standard which would prove much more stabile. This is how the Playstation becomes so popular with programmers. PLaystation Software is easy to program because once you learn the language APIs on one platform you are done and you can become good at one Language.

So please, I want all of you to trash Linux, OS2, Mac OSX.

Thanks

larryf5
07-04-01, 10:21 PM
Originally posted by Scum333
i think alot of people are missing the many benefits that MS dominance has brought to us computer users. You old timers remember the old days when there were no standarized APIs? I wish MS would be the sole supplier of OSs and I'll tell you why. If one company produced 100% of the OSs then we would have a standard which would prove much more stabile. This is how the Playstation becomes so popular with programmers. PLaystation Software is easy to program because once you learn the language APIs on one platform you are done and you can become good at one Language.

So please, I want all of you to trash Linux, OS2, Mac OSX.

Thanks


If M$ products were the standardized OS for PCs then everyone in the world would be sitting in front of their monitors puzzled by the blue screen of death. :eek:

Meanwhile Mr. Gates would be sitting there all relaxed in his secret control facility within the Micro$oft compound with the only Linux box laughing his a$$ off at us all. :rotfl:

I swear that Bill Gates is some sort of evil genius. :nod:

Larry

Juggernaut
07-04-01, 11:38 PM
I've screwed around with Linux a little bit but the thing with it is (as of right now) if you don't like to program or know much about programming, Linux isn't for you.

Stef, Your bootup time of 7 secs is quite a feat :) Compared to our Windows bootup times. But you had to recompile the kernel and do all that stuff with modules and everything which is to advanced for even veteran computer uses. You have to have a strong footing in programming to tweak and set Linux.

I'm not bashing Linux if anyone got that impression either. If I liked to program and would put the time and effort into it, I would love to get into Linux more. But I personally don't like to program :)

Rock on Stef

Stef
07-05-01, 12:22 AM
Originally posted by Scum333

If one company produced 100% of the OSs then we would have a standard which would prove much more stabile.

The best part about open source software is that it can be compiled on virtually any UNIX platform.

If Microsoft was to do what Mac has, they would virtually gain a stable software platform and would make a large repository of free software available to their users.

Programmers would only have to program towards a single type of OS, UNIX. From their a Java based installation program could detect the OS type and complete the installation process for the user.

They really have nothing to lose :D

Stef

Vassago-
07-07-01, 10:47 PM
You guys ever seen the movie ANTITRUST? Thought it might be relevant here......

Seems like Microsoft might go as low as NURV did in that movie.

SeedOfChaos
07-08-01, 05:58 AM
You know what's REALLY funny? :D

Microsoft's Hotmail (!!!) is using qmail.... their super-popular web-mail service is using open-source... wonder why? Because their own email systems can't support such huge user numbers. :D

Quoted from: http://www.qmail.org/top.html
A number of large Internet sites are using qmail: Hotmail's outgoing mail

HAHAHAHAHA:rotfl:

Stef
07-08-01, 02:48 PM
Yeah, HotMail is running on a BSD variant of UNIX. Even Microsofts own DNS servers are running BIND in a BSD environment. They use UNIX for their internet servers because it doesnt fail and it is secure!!

Imagine how big of a target Microsofts coporate network is. Do you honestly think that they could be secure with the latest service pack for Windows NT? Thats why they even use UNIX for their internet servers :D

Stef