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Microsoft To Exhibit at LinuxWorld Expo
Earendil writes "Linux Today has a confirmed report that Microsoft is going to be an exhibitor at LinuxWorld Expo. One can only guess at what Microsoft's motives might be. It will be interesting to see the reaction to the appearance of a Microsoft booth." No doubt this
means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh.
Oh oh, I know, a broadcast floos of NetBIOS and ActiveDNS requests on the exhibitors LAN!!!
Luck favors the prepared, darling.
No doubt that their display will consist of Linux running on an Xbox.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
It's a linux expo? I mean, I have nothing against Microsoft, but I'm pretty damn sure they don't have a linux distrobution (God forbid the day of a "Microsoft Linux").
Anyways, I guess they're just going to try to show the competition.... but that makes absolutely NO sense because, again, it's a LINUX EXPO.
No doubt this means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh.
Hi pot, this is kettle. You're looking mighty black today!
Does mooning their booth make the community look bad?
(B) + (D) + (B) + (D) = (K) + (&)
Bill G in a dunking booth. That would be funny.
Their theme could be "Hugs, not Hurts."
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
to see what the more childish among us do!
We have finally assimilated them!
And they're making Windows open-source...
I am sure they will be pushing .NET, with Mr Gnome following close behind. Oh well hopefully people will have sense to stay out of the clutches of the evil empire.
Though being a huge corporation with mounds of cash they might just have some Hot Booth Babes .
Hmmmm... so THIS is why Licoris decided not to call it "Redmond Linux" anymore...
This space left intentionally blank.
Oh, but don't forget to take off your Darth Vader helmet first.
Well, Taco you can start making slashdot look less childish by using a decent Microsoft icon, instead of the Bill Gates borg.
SIG:Slashdot: indymedia for nerds.
First they ignore you...
Then they laugh at you...
Then they fight you...
Then...
--------
Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...
Hell ... is ... getting ... chilly ...
(unlike Boston today.)
----rhad
Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
an alcoholics anonymous booth at a beer convention?
Or do you think MS is going to actually give in to Linux?
~ kjrose
My first question after reading the headline, and even after reading the article was "Why?" Does Microsoft expect to try and win converts? I seriously doubt it, and I don't think anyone will believe that they have something to contribute. So, why?
I think they are trying to cause a reaction and get people upset. They can point to this and say, "Look at how uncivil and mean these people are. Do you really want to be associated with them?" This will give them more leverage in the business world, where professionalism means quite a lot. Remember, MS is more about marketing right now than solid products.
I dunno. Just a thought.
"...At the end of the day"..."when everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself." RIP Layne Staley
"No doubt this means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh"
Considering Microsoft has called the GPL a "Cancer" and attacks linux publicly whenever possible by telling outright lies, how can we ever look bad?
Microsoft is publicly out to destroy linux and whatever their motives, they have a lot of nerve to show up in the first place.
Feel free to pelt them with eggs, because that pales in comparison to their attempts to spread FUD and eventually make our OS illegal or impossible to use. Feel free to mod me down, but nothing I said is a lie.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
Exactly.
Java is the blue pill
Choose the red pill
Comment removed based on user account deletion
The personnel manning the stand must have balls bigger than their brains. This deep into hostile territory they ought to have air support.
"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." -- George H. W. Bush
Isn't that usually you? Seriously, nothing personal, thats what the site is about, but your comments after most story submissions tend to represent the worst elitist, one sided opinions of the community.
Their booth will be right next to the exhibit floor exit, with a big sign that says "WE HAVE THE WAY OUT."
Call (206) 338-5780 COLLECT for information about a genuine BA, BS, MA, MS, MBA, or Ph.D.
ya gotta admit that Office for Linux would be a useful thing to have around.
sulli
RTFJ.
Why does them pushing .NET not make sense? Gnome supports it and De Icaza love it. Hence my guess that Microsoft will be pushing .NET, cause I doubt they really "love" Linux.
Who are you?
Or, more specifically, male or female?
Not know what Microsoft will exhibit(Office XP for Linux?), I would guess that they view this as an attempt to get a feel for the crowds and a list of the attendees. Co-opting to show? Maybe. Or maybe they view the Linux market as mature enough to support porting their Windows apps.
Say what you will about all their software (the Soft in microsoft), but they do make some pretty decent keyboards and mice which Linux users can make use of.
They'd best emphasize the hardware over the software; a Linux crowed is not the most recentive place for the software anyway.
They've been running ads, along with UNISYS, for a while now, about a certain offering. Who doesn't expect this to be the focus of their exhibit?
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
... to do so would only result in no further invitations to similar conferences, and getting them bad press amongst a market I'm sure they see as potential customers.
More likely, I expect they'll have information about their Microsoft Windows services for UNIX
Showing off services for Unix goes much further toward generating revenue for Microsoft than trying to tell people why *nix is bad or somehow inferior. It actually shows that Microsoft cares about interoperability with *nix. True of false, that's probably the message they'll try to convey. I'll withold my opinions on the validity of that message.
that MS does have a unix kernel. They use it in thier migration from Unix to Windows stuff I think. MS does do some *NIX stuff, they just don't like to admit it. It will be interesting to see what they bring to the *NIX table though.
Remember, in the end MS is out there to make money. Ruling the world is just a means to that end.
1. That $200000 prize for Linux on X-Box is just too tempting.
.Net for Linux.
2. Office on Linux.
3. DirectX compatibility-layer for Linux.
4.
5. Finally, a unifying desktop environment for Linux: 'LIN32'.
6. A new kernel, now featuring Palladium (tm).
7. No product, they just want to say goodbye to all of us before new laws make Linux illegal. Possibly they'll be mooning _us_.
8. The booth contains a powerful explosive, set to go off as soon as a keep-alive timer from a PC running Windows XP fails. Talk about a 'blue screen of death'...
9. They are not yet aware that they are invited to a _Linux_ expo. It is all a weird joke by Larry Ellison.
and finally... (drumroll please!)
10. They have ported Microsoft Bob to Linux!
At least there is one addition this year. Last LinuxWorld I was at was terrible. Was half the previous size and the remaining companies were just holding on.
Pretty soon they'll be holding it at the VFW...
Does anyone else picture RMS and BillG sitting at a dinner, speaking of the Undiscovered Country?
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
Comment removed based on user account deletion
If slashdot sucks, why did you dupe their look and color scheme?
To try to get people to make accounts.
Secondly, why did you do such a bad job at it?
Because I suck.
SlashdotSucks sucks.
Most definately.
Are they going to be plugging this creature? They are testing it against RedHate Linux.
My fear is that Microsoft writes something like wine and sells it for Linux. They don't need you to buy their OS, they get you to buy their propriety compatibility layer and their software. Just think how many places that use Linux will be willing to pay $50 for the ability to use Windows apps. Microsoft will make money, and increase market penetration w/out giving anything to the community. Getting Linux users to run Microsoft software may be their first step in fighting Linux.
t'nera semordnilap
if the M$ booth was politely ignored as offtopic :)
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
10. Bill's wallet is a little heavy. What better to do than leave a couple of billion at the Sourceforge booth?
9. Steve Ballmer has a pengiun fetish. It's just not the same since "Bloom County" was cancelled. Time to get another fix.
8. They think it is a Microsoft expo to which some Linux folks have been invited.
7. Microsoft loves trekkies. Going to be a lot of them there at any Linux event.
6. Its like "A Christmas Carol". The Ghosts of OS's Past, Present, and Future have finally convinced Ebenezer Gates of the error of his way.
5. Due to budget cuts in Redmond, they are really sending the booth crew to collect a load of free pens from the other booths in order to supply the home office.
2. (don't look for #4 and #3. They were lost due to an XP bluescreen). They are there to market the amazing new LinuXbox.
1. Yes, certainly. Giving out free copies of those surplus Windows 3.11 5.25" floppies will win over all of those Linux hippies.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
1) get bad PR on F/OS people. Imagine the PR effect of a photo of a 'linux zealot' taking a swing at one of the MS suits.
2)From the antitrust perspective - showing that they are not 'hostile' to Linux by exhibiting at a linux expo.
3) genuinely attempting to turn waverers/gullible to the dark side.
4) Intercepting any curious neutrals and diverting them from the competition - e.g. educational bodies, corporates, people interested in OpenOffice etc..
5) sheer fucking chutzpah...
-he who laughs last, is a bit slow.
journal
Microsoft's Booth is right between "Cybozu Corporation" and "LTrix Engineering". Oooo. Prestigious location.
Would that make ANY sense at all to do? Set up a booth that does nothing but discredit every booth around it? Wouldn't that give them a black eye more than it would do anything else? Wouldn't every tech magazine bash them for doing that?
.NET?
Don't you think instead they'll be pushing
Think before you post.
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
Microsoft Mktng Geek: "Hi, this is Microsoft. We'd like to buy a booth at LinuxWorld."
LinuxWorld Sales Geek: "Damn kids, quit calling here. I don't know who the hell you're trying to amuse. It's not funny, and you're wasting my time."
You KNOW this happened.
ceci n'est pas un sig.
a map of their exhibit from linuxtoday.com linking to linuxworldexpo
1 /f loorplan/floorplan.cvn?b=224&exbID=118
http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/linuxworldexpo/v3
might be helpful so you know where *NOT* to be standing when the ticking mechnical suicide penguin bombs come waddling in
Remember, in the end MS is out there to make money. Ruling the world is just a means to that end.
Then why is Bill giving away so much to charities? Just for PR? Maybe.
I think it's more likely that the Microsoft coporate personality is more like a control freak than just greedy. Money is the way they maintain control, not the other way around. Remember, money is power.
Nope, no sig
Microsoft actually exhibits at the booth,
and everyone keeps 10ft away from it and refuses to acknowledge it's existance,
or the existance of M$'s droids when they wander the floor trying to drum up interest.
The folks with booths near M$ should request to be moved.
Microsoft Linux® to be unveiled.
Actually a ploy, they'll show up with buckets of money and try to buy loyalty
Show all the technology they own and you can't see the source code to - Nyah!!
We Have The Way Out and we'll show you as soon as we can get the Powerpoint presentation to work
Rollout, denied-until-two-months-ago-existence, of Modular Windows
A test to see how low the temperature in Hell can actually go, below freezing
Demonstration of how Linux servers and Windows workstations can live in peace as soon as their engineers stop changing the specifications every five minutes.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Very insightful. I just want to add the fact that MS Office makes up about 60% of MS revenue. It's their most profitable product, by far.
Developers: We can use your help.
I hear alot of people saying something to the effect of "I hope that the MS booth gets trashed because MS Sucks" This is probably EXACTLY what microsoft wants. Think about it, MS has done all it can to portray Linux as a system designed by crackers and script kiddies, one stop short of terrorists. How do you think the government will react if MS get physically attacked at a trade show? MS Will say: "See, we told you that those Linux geeks are all hackers, you cant trust them to make secure systems, but you can trust us, were the victim here." Which is what will happen im sure.
The real reason is so that linux geeks everywhere will lose hours of productive time wondering why MS would have a booth at LinuxWorld.
This comment was generated by a Squadron of Ultra Ninjas
I guess if I were Microsoft I would want to be there to "gently reeducate" those IT guys that run MS shops but are considering Linux.
If I were an IT guy going to the show as a seeker of answers, I would see what Linux has to offer and ask people why I should switch my servers over - get their real life experiences from those that made the switch. If I were an MCSE, possibly investigate how much I'll have to learn to make the switch.
If I saw the Microsoft booth, I'd then want to ask MS why I shouldn't switch my servers over to Linux and then weigh the pros and cons in the days/weeks/months after the show, probably do a little more investigation. If the booth isn't there, I might not ever ask MS what the cons would be to making the switch.
The booth might be there to spread FUD/pro-MS information to those on the fence about considering Linux for their servers or recommending Linux to their bosses.
Plus it doesn't hurt when some kid is mooning your booth while you're talking to one of these on-the-fence guys so you can say "You're gonna trust your company's servers to these kids?"
at Microsoft must have lost an office contest or pool -- and his "reward" is to man this booth.
Who said they never had a sense of humor? Kind of like the principal that says: "If you sale 10,000 candy bars for the school fund raiser -- I will shave my head, and move my office to the top roof for a day...."
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
Wow. That's probably the most reasonable statement I've ever read from Taco. Maybe I have him pegged wrong after all.
Watch out for free stuff that makes a ticking sound from the MS booth...
crazy dynamite monkey
actually if they are contributing *anything* at the conference make sure you get one... heck make sure you get three or five - or as many as you possibly can...
trade show gimicky stuff isnt cheap. so get lots of it.... then throw it in the trash as you leave the conference. just make sure you say please - and thank you.
There is ONE type of product that M$ does well, and makes an honest living with - Input devices. This is the ONLY area where I've seen them actually innovate. (Mouse wheel, first company with an all-surface optical - The grid-pad opts from Sun don't count).
As long as they stay far away from software, they're golden.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
They say that MS always has the prettiest booth babes - and probably the largest stand to put them on. So they just aim to sabotage the show by distracting everybody.
The only possible response is to dress up in penguin suits and form a 'ring of herring' around the Microsoft booth.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
I've seen MS ads in most Linux magazines I've bought. Mostly touting their "enterprise" products, and even offering to GIVE away a copy. Remember, the first dose of herin is often free ;)
.NET and maybe their "We have the way out" foolishness is what they will be doing on the surface. But the real purpose is intimidation.
They are there for intimidation purposes, pure and simple, the same reason why they advertise in the mags. "We are Microsoft, we are everywhere, you are not to HAVE your own space without us" is the attitude.
The best thing to do would be for people there to ignore them and move on, just as I do when I encounter one of their ads in a Linux mag. I don't blame the magazine for taking their money.
My bet would be they will be touting
=== The price of freedom is eternal vigilance
I would laugh until I passed out if a few of the more "childish" among us beat the living hell out of the MS reps, and then chased their tripping, crying, shirtless nose-bleeding-all-over-themselves asses into the streets.
Just like happened to me and my friend in that puerto rican bar that one time.
pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
No doubt this means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh.
Tesla Coil.
S
It is probably best that we get this all talked out now, and treat them as fairly as possible. However:
There are lots of things that could be done to convince Microsoft that this is a really bad idea.
"One can only guess at what Microsoft's motives might be."
Perhaps that want to make a nice salad? They will certainly be inundated with fresh produce.
=brian
Microsoft exhibiting at a Linux expo just begs for someone to pull a prank with their booth. Nothing illegal, but something that could really cause a headache.
:) That was the name of the non-existent computer that Steve Jobs (believe it or not, I don't think it was actually Woz who did this) made a fake brochure for and planted at the MITS booth, MITS being the makers of the real Altair.
I wonder if someone will pull a "Zaltair."
From what I've read, it was hilarious - the poor MITS people were inundated with questions about a product they didn't even know existed (which wasn't their fault, since it didn't)! The real kicker is that Jobs even managed to arrange the brochure so that the hidden "clue" pointed to a different company, Processor Technologies. The only reason we even know this is because of the confession a few years later.
I can just imagine it now - someone will plant a professionally-made brochure for "Microsoft Linux" or a proprietary Windows emulator for Linux, and the Microsoft reps will be bombarded... or at least, teased mercilessly.
how is this new?
i've been going to linuxworld for a few years now.. and well.. m$ has been there EVERY year.
Is the signup page for linuxworld Slashdotted yet?
I think it is more that the organizers are more interested in what the companies are paying to be there rather than furthering the cause of linux....
.NET and mention the potential role of Linux in the vision? There is one single application I know MS has written for linux, they had written long long ago a netshow viewer for linux. It was binary only and didn't play much content, but it was meant to show they could be as cross platform as real, the then dominant player in the field. I don't think they would object to porting office to Linux if they thought enough linux users were there to make it worthwhile, I mean, they do it for Mac, and I would bet linux usage has probably at least caught up to mac in the professional workplace, MS most profitable target market.
For example AMD will be there. I doubt they have linux software for sale, but there to say how well Linux runs on AMD. Nothing that furthers the linux 'cause' just a company making money.
But what if I am wrong and a requirement of the expo is for a company to demonstrate products relevant to linux in order to be admitted (in the interest of keeping the expo from losing focus). Would that mean that microsoft has demonstrated something that runs on linux to push? Or as others have pointed out it might be to push
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Obviously Microsoft will do or related something related to BSD. Microsoft likes BSD, since they can rip off all the code (run the 'strings' utility against MS' ftp.exe :-)). At least they gave something "in exchange" to the community, namely a .NET implementation for FreeBSD.
A monkey is doing the real work for me.
> (God forbid the day of a "Microsoft Linux").
When MS sold its Xenix to SCO (yes it really was Microsoft Xenix before it was SCO Xenix) it signed an agreement that MS would never issue another Unix operating system. This was to ally fears in SCO that MS wanted to dump Xenix (an edition 7 Unix) to bring out a System III based Unix.
Now Caldera owns SCO, and thus this piece of paper. Ray Noorda has sucessfully sued MS by buying DR-DOS from Novell and using that as a means of suing. Perhaps the real reason that he bought SCO was this piece of paper so that he can sue MS if they ever brought out a Linux or BSD based OS.
Some of the big Open Source Developers are almost violently opposed to Microsoft. And if MS in on the turf and they do ack like children then the Buisness people who are there to determin if Linux suits there needs sees this behavior they may just leave with the opinion that Linux hasent matured enough for the buisness class. Or better yet for MS a crazy Open Source Developer attacts a MS representivie, then that is one more OS(Open Source) developer put into jail and one less OS programming. So if we act like a kids that are acting like the level of my writting (probably 2nt grade). Then MS looks good.
And if we are all professional which I think may be closer to the truth then MS will have the opertunity to give their side of the story. Eather way it is win win solution for MS.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."
Yeah but come'on....
Those HOT FreeBSD Grrls
In their skin tight Red LaTex cat suits....
soooo sweaty underneath....
mmm unbathed demoness....
so hot.... so very hot....
(crap I need a moist towlette over here!)
This
My feeling is that they probably get some kind of information about how many people showed and other statistically useful information. Just like they insisted on pulling $1 from each copy of SCO UNIX and kept close tabs on how many copies of OS/2 sold.
The use this information to determine how much of their $40+ billion they need to spend on FUD and if more goes to "F", "U", or "D".
They don't belong at Linux Expo but they are a marketing company after all.
LoB
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
Well, Taco you can start making slashdot look less childish by using a decent Microsoft icon, instead of the Bill Gates borg.
Hunh? No. It's perfect. This is exactly what Microsoft is. They've taken advantage of a very imballenced copyright law to dominate thousands of smaller (and even larger) businesses. The fact that Billy's net worth is greater than 40-45% of the U.S. Population combined is just stunning, no other word for it -- something is horribly, horribly wrong here. Calling a spade a spade is exactly what is needed. Microsoft *is* the Borg if anything could be the borg.
Yeah, you guys can be joking around up there. Be glad you're not down here, Satan's bitching all day now about that freezing cold we have now. You know, hell used to be a lovely hot place, but now it's just friggin' cold down here and Satan is swearing all the time. No fun.
Well, not specifically that. But, my guess is that they'll have a booth with descriptions of all 538 Microsoft pure thought patents that linux users violate every time they turn on their computers.
They'll have cameras and facial recognition software to use to find out who's at the expo since they can assume that everyone there not working for Microsoft must be using Linux or wants to use Linux.
That way, they can go after current hardcore users of Linux for infringement of Microsoft's pure thought patents, and make it clear that anyone who even attempts to use Linux will put themselves at grave risk for future lawsuits!!!
Or, they'll exhibit Palladium.
But I repeat myself.
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
Doesn't anyone else think it odd that a company with $40 billion in cash would get a 10'x10' booth in the "startups" section at the Linux show?
Perhaps the single most plausible explanation for this is that Microsoft recently acquired a company that had already paid for their booth. There are several companies listed on the rookery page of the conference web site that do not appear on the show floor map. These include Globetrotter, Shaolin Microsystems, APPX Software, and Cylant. None of them appears to have anything on their web sites about being acquired, however.
He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."
Maybe 40 people dressed in Tux outfits should circle their booth and stay there for the duration of the Expo. And say it is for security reasons. :)
LoB
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
Post a simulation of a MS EULA with a question:
Is this a cancer?
It probably would need to be a simulation, as I believe that the terms of the EULA prohibit you from disclosing it to anyone else. And copyright law would certainly prohibit you from distributing it. But it should be easy enough to make something that looks convincing at the start and end.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Does this mean they will be showcasing their FreeBSD mail servers that have served them so well with hotmail?
He who has no
I can accept that throwing eggs isn't a good idea. This doesn't tell me what is a good idea. Maturity may be great, but it doesn't in itself suggest a path forwards.
How can this be used to the advantage of the community?
How can this be used to the detriment of MS?
These are reasonable questions. I don't have a reasonable answer to either of them. (Outside of the trivially obvious.)
I suspect that if MS saw any possibility of a large downside that they wouldn't show up.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Buried? It was on the page linked to! $49.something. They didn't mention the cost for shipping, handling, tax, etc., but that's usual. I didn't go any deeper, as I no longer have a Mac, but the price was right up front.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Codeweavers (Booth 1289)
Does Microsoft feel that they are their greatest threat or is this just a conspiracy theory???
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
The story has been updated with the Microsoft replies as of 2103 UTC.
Peace,
LinuxScribe
a/k/a Brian Proffitt
Linux Today
Because of their licenses.
I could go into a lot of details, but that's the core. They treat their customers no better than they treat their business associates. And they treat their business associates no better than they treat their competitors. And they try to kill off the competition.
Work out the logic, and you will see why no civilized community should consider them for membership.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
About the Xbox.. Microsoft *claim* it is a very very stripped down version of the Windows 2000 kernel - stripped down from somthing like 17MB to 20K - which I find a little unlikely :)
"Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
The ace is called WinXP. Possibly Win2000 also, I'm not sure. I believe that things are such that it is illegal for Wine to successfully emulate the WinXP standards. If they want to emulate Win95, Win98, or WinNT I think that they can try, but I believe that MS has a legal hold over WinXP. I probably believe this because of the recent articles I've come across about the now current MS sdks requireing that the software not be used in conjunction with any GPL software. And because of XP software wanting to register itself much more verbosely than it once did. And because of an EULA that gave MS the right to add, copy, remove, or change any information on you hard disk. But this is clearly not sufficient to justify the belief, so there's probably some other source that I can't call to mind.
If this is correct, then all that Wine can do is collect the folk who weren't upgrading their MS software anyway, and this probably wouldn't bother MS all that much. It doesn't cost them anything, it keeps their best software in front of people, and it continues to give people an incentive to "upgrade" to the most recent MS software. Which, of course, would need to be on a windows machine.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Unfortiunately, they may actually have a reason for being there to show interoperability.
MS does have a product that they call "Unix Services for NT" and "Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX (SFU)"
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/sfu/productinf
Then there is the FUD from
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/migrat
--
Time is on my side
Someone send Satan a parka before he gets sick!
It's like some kind of twisted variation on the antitrust trial. "But of course we have to let them in, and give them space if they pay for it. How else do you expect them to threaten our customers?"
I'm pretty disappointed that this was allowed. Can we have a bit of perspective here? Is this show not private property?
but MS did not port office over to the bsd layer. apple has thier own api's and toolkits that run on top of the BSD layer. you should know this, it's basic knowledge. you can't simply take something written specifically for OSX and compile it on freebsd. you must also port those toolkits, api's etc...
Here's something from an article titled "Microsoft Seeks Industry-Wide Collaboration for "Palladium" Initiative" I found on Microsoft's website:
.NET is only a part.
PressPass spoke to John Manferdelli, general manager of the Windows business unit that is building Palladium. He says that while Microsoft's global outreach to the rest of the computer industry has only just begun, the response so far has been very positive. "The development of Palladium is still in its infancy," he says. "While we realize there are many more constituencies that need to be brought into the process, we have every reason to believe this is a technological breakthrough that the industry can really get behind."
I think they're coming to LinuxWorld in an attempt to get Linux/OSS developers on-board with Palladium. That's the big story, of which
Well, gee, talk about FLAMEBAIT and OFF TOPIC at a LinuxWorld Expo. Using it to further their own interests, despite the fact it has no place at all.
Try to think about what people are saying before your criticize. The point was M$ wouldn't be showing anything beneficial to Linux; they're only there to serve their own interests, and its completely inappropriate of them to be there.
social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
Microsoft has every right to exhibit at that expo. As to what they'll do there, they'll obviously try to convince some of the attendees that they have useful products and services for sale. Since Linux seems more a threat to proprietary Unix vendors than to Microsoft, I'd guess they'll hype Unix-Windows interoperability gizmos.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
Microsoft's presence at the linuxworld show will be about their offerings for embedded devices, and how they compare to Linux; a statement made my a Microsoft rep. can be found at linuxdevices.com.
Microsoft would be absolutely crazy to do an Office port to linux. MS Office is the only app that is keeping the vast majority of desktop computers running Windows (MCSE are tools, not apps). Once linux has it there really isn't that much reason to run windows on the desktop anymore. Linux is much easier to administer and lock down. With Office on linux, it seriously reduces the retraining costs and at the same time seriously reduces the OS purchasing costs. Without Windows on the desktop, Windows in the back room also falls apart (I could frig with Windows networking for a couple of days or I could use NIS and NFS).
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
Here's how people need to respond to this:
1.) Entirely ignore any presentations they put on. Standing around watching just wastes your time and gives them apparent credence, especially with the press.
2.) Wear subtle anti-MS themed clothing to the Expo. Simple, witty statements that get the truth across.
3.) Overwelm their representatives with fake interest--in other words quietly D.O.S. their trained FUD-spewing drones--but don't give them any feedback as to how to attack next. Play dumb while gaining recon on their latest propaganda tactics.
In other words quiet, peaceful subversion. It's self defense people. They're looking to stir up a fuss and gain some ground somewhere.
I'm not sure if it's off-topic, but I've a gut feeling that Microsoft comes to show you little kids how a big guy plays the game.
We've an exhibition in Hong Kong with Microsoft's booth surrounded by their rival companies.
Microsoft didn't bring any technical man, not much sales or marketing guys, no free gifts. However, we all lost the publicity - see it yourself why
Can you top that?
I already paid for two people and IDG has a "no cancellation" policy. This sucks.
Treatment, not tyranny. End the drug war and free our American POWs.
See my user info for links.
...I know this is a late response and will not likely get much readership but I'll toss my comment in here anyway.
When I think of Microsoft at a Linux show, I think of Hare Krishnas at the airport. No one wants to see them there and they know it, but they come anyway. They just can't "not" come.
But you know? In some respects, I'd like to see them there just to see what happens!!
First and foremost, I like MSIE as a browser. I'm not yet satisfied with Mozilla on my Redhat box... (I'm also getting disillusioned with Redhat since Gnome 2.0 RPMs aren't quite keeping up and Mozilla 1.1a RPMs aren't to be found yet... go ahead, call me a moron... I can take it.) I also like MS Office although admittedly, I haven't explored Open Office much deeper than a surface glance. And the #1 reason I still use a MS operating system is it's Japanese language support and handling. When I can acquire the convenience and compatibility with apps that Windows gets for Japanese language I/O under Linux, I'll finally dump MS altogether.
(Perhaps it's just me... there is something about Japanese support under Linux I don't yet understand...)
I'd rather see their booth have no attendees. I imagine the view from above would be this small area around their booth completly barron of attendees. That's what I invision.
Actually a Ferengi would a better match. Talaxians just look stupid. Ferengi put the almighty dollar (okay, gold-spanked latinum or whatever it is) above all else, like Bill.
:)
Maybe slashdot could use a regular Ferengi for Enron, Wordlcom, Xerox, (whatever the next one will be). With a Borgified Ferengi for Microsoft
4.
This is not an imaginary thing: Rotor, the shared source
Never underestimate the relief of true separation of Religion and State.
It seems that they will be attempting to show off products with embedded XP technology, and various server products.
Nope, in front of.
And the sign will have the subtitle "And for a low, low fee, you can use it."
Remember the Boston Tea party?
Perhaps this Show where MS is going to show up...
Take all the MS stuff you have and make it unsuable.
Then dump it in the MS booth with a reference to the Boston Tea party.
Reading some of the responses to this item, just makes me feel that Linux is doomed to a geeky ghetto of its own making. With friends like some of the people posting here cackling with glee at nasty tricks they've thought of, who needs enemies?
Makes me ashamed to use Linux. Really they do.
Grow up, you cretinous poltroons!
"Information wants to be paid"
Years ago, it was fun and full of geeks. Nowadays? It's big money and marketing.
The Moscone center kind of sucks, too. Don't EVER eat at that "Jollibee" burger joint across the street. The organizers oughta move it to the Sacramento Convention Center.. not too far from SF, easy to get to, ample parking, and the fact that thousands of state IT geeks from dozens of government organizations would be coming over on their lunch breaks. Great chance to show off Linux to government agencies. The yearly Government Technology Conference expos are another way. Linux has absolutely NO presence at that expo. Past 5 years.. nothing at all. It wouldn't be that bad for SuSE or someone to rent a booth at an expo like that and show off what Open Source software can (and might already be doing) in a government environment.
As to 5 buttons - When I get home (Actually, when I get my desktop back up...), I'll email you my X config.
It IS possible to get all 5 buttons to work! \o/
It requires some oddball button remapping, though.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?