> -----Original Message----- > From: Zane Gilmore [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Don, in my experience with M$ they do everything they can to > discredit > and demonise us. I sat through a seminar held by NZ computer > society for > govt people and the M$ guy stood up and spouted a stream of > half-truths > and *implied* lies. Your average computer person isn't an idiot. Most of us can see the MS double speak propaganda machine as it spins into action. They do them selves a dis-service everytime the spin half-truths and make implications that just aren't true. > Do *not* treat them M$ like a friend. If you are a open > source advocate, it will not reciprocate. Personally I'm a SIFI fan and technology advocate. I advocate getting better and faster technology solutions out there. All this industry in fighting does is slow down our rate of progress. > But with that said, the people who work for M$ I treat like > members of > the opposite team. I pull their leg, give them (metaphorical) > stick and > generally get up to gentle hassling/banter. People *always* deserve a > minimum amount of respect. That's exactly what they want you to do. Then they can go out then and write us all as nothing more than a bunch of anti-establishment enthusists. > They are an organisation that is run by very clever people > that have, in > the past, been able to adapt to new computer environments very > quickly. (e.g. their about turns with the internet) Yes. And there were many who projected that MS was gone because they were 4 years behind the play with getting to market. Once there we've been trying to get rid of them ever sense. > They can see F/LOSS not only on the horizon but starting to > loom as well > and they are worried. F/LOSS threatens their business model > at it's core. As I see it OSS is the only thing protecting their systems. I like to hear what they have to say so I can equate what is going to need protection next. I'm currently just counting down the days untill we see virus start to attack these new smart phone things with MS Pocket OS on them. There aren't that many units out there yet so I suspect it will be a little longer before we see anyone take aim but you can bet that it's going to happen - how do I know this?.... errr, doh just look at history so far. > You can be assured that any meaningful information will only > be moving > in one direction and it won't be *from* Microsoft. M$ and > it's employees > are *extremely* well versed in fudging and avoiding awkward questions. >From my experience people avoid awkward questions because they would like to agree with you but know it's a conflict of interest to do so. > Despite what M$ tells people it *is* the enemy of F/LOSS. Open Source > threatens it's business model and M$ will not give up it's licence to > print money without a fight. I'd hardly call this a war. I think that we in the IT industry get a bit worked up over nothing. Most people don't even know Linux (much less OSS) even exists. Our biggest problem in the OSS game is getting the word out there. I'm still trying to work out how to generate revenue from OSS so I can do more to market it. MS have a business model that collects cash so they can afford to pay for the best marketing and product support that money can buy. We're not going to break that by giving everything away for free are we? > I have been to a few M$ events and what they need is hecklers and > questioners. People to remove their *perceived* credibility. > Too many people sit in those events like supplicants recieving wisdom > from above. I think we need card swappers. You want to get more linux out there then we have to market the stuff better. Cheers Don ps: I don't claim to have all the right answers... I do claim to think and make others think :)
