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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.

62 of 756 comments (clear)

  1. Their display will consist of... by gosand · · Score: 5, Funny

    No doubt that their display will consist of Linux running on an Xbox.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

    1. Re:Their display will consist of... by Khalid · · Score: 5, Funny

      They probably want to win the 200000 $ grant :)

  2. Childish by Wrexen · · Score: 5, Funny

    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!

    1. Re:Childish by neuroticia · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Er. Why wouldn't MS be welcome? I mean, of COURSE they're going to come with something Linuxey. I mean. They know that if they try to show MS Windows there they'll be lynched. >=]

      Honestly, though. Other proprietary vendors are welcome. (Think Maya, XSI, and a variety of other software vendors) Yes, MS is a bit over the top but... If they develop something for Linux why shouldn't they be welcome?

      Note that "Welcome" is hinged upon their developing something for Linux, and "Unwelcome" would be their showing up as the KKK at an African American march. Preaching "Open Source is Evil" would be bad manners and quite likely be met by geekily violence.

      -Sara

    2. Re:Childish by pr0t3uS · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "...why we should welcome the poster-child of proprietary software to a GNU/Linux show."


      Because we are open and free comunity! Let's show them (M$) that we are diferent then they are and don't exclude them or think of them as a threat which they are not. Why they would not be welcome? They will come to "our" house so let us behave like good hosts. Let them show that we can live with them if they can live with us. If they will insult us just show them the way out but let's not insult them for no reason.

      Respect your enemies and newer underestimate them.
  3. I wonder... by T3kno · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does mooning their booth make the community look bad?

    --
    (B) + (D) + (B) + (D) = (K) + (&)
    1. Re:I wonder... by ender81b · · Score: 5, Funny

      Does mooning their booth make the community look bad?

      That depends. Since most geeks don't have ass's like britney spears I am very much betting it would make the community look bad. Nobody wants to see hairy ass, nobody.

    2. Re:I wonder... by warmcat · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually the goatsex guy would probably give it a go.

    3. Re:I wonder... by ender81b · · Score: 3, Funny

      Can you imagine the consequences for the world if Britney's ass was hairy? The shock, horror - MTV talking about it all day every day. Oh the bright side we would still get to see her ass, hairy or no.

  4. Dunking Booth by simetra · · Score: 3, Funny

    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
  5. I can't wait... by bahamat · · Score: 4, Funny

    to see what the more childish among us do!

  6. Embrace and Extend. by bigpat · · Score: 4, Funny

    We have finally assimilated them!

    1. Re:Embrace and Extend. by HeUnique · · Score: 4, Informative

      It could be...

      It could be also that they'll demo SFU 3.0 (windows Services For Unix) - which was actually Interix until MS bought them (it was a very nice product, although the stuff there was ancient - X11R5, etc..)

      --
      Hetz (Heunique)
  7. Maybe Hell has frozen over... by srmalloy · · Score: 3, Funny

    And they're making Windows open-source...

    1. Re:Maybe Hell has frozen over... by Micah · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Odd as it sounds, I actually fully expect that to happen someday. It is ESSENTIAL to the future health of the technology industry that the de-facto platform that people use is open source, and people are finally starting to realize that.

      When the tidal wave of people switching to Linux hits -- and I do believe it will within the next couple years -- what else is Microsoft going to do? Their proprietary licenses just won't cut it. They will NEED to make Windows open source to keep control of the platform people use, to keep people from dumping it like a hot potato, and to make a market for their other products.

      Of course with OpenOfice.org, they'll even have trouble with THAT. :)

  8. Probably .NET by jsimon12 · · Score: 5, Funny

    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 .

    1. Re:Probably .NET by PovRayMan · · Score: 3, Funny

      I wonder if those booth babes will be wearing the tshirts you can find here...

  9. childish? by Pave+Low · · Score: 5, Insightful
    No doubt this means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh.

    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.
    1. Re:childish? by alienmole · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Using the Bill Gates borg isn't childish - aside from the fact that it communicates /.'s bias honestly and concisely, it also satirizes aspects of Microsoft's real-life conduct. Not so much childish as chillingly accurate.

  10. How does that saying go? by wrinkledshirt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    First they ignore you...
    Then they laugh at you...
    Then they fight you...
    Then...

    --

    --------
    Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...

  11. Interesting by rhadamanthus · · Score: 5, Informative
    According to the floor plan Microsoft is placed just across the way from Codeweavers (booth 1289). What an amusing prospect...

    ----rhad

    --
    Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
  12. Is this like.. by MarvinMouse · · Score: 3, Funny

    an alcoholics anonymous booth at a beer convention?

    Or do you think MS is going to actually give in to Linux?

    --
    ~ kjrose
  13. Re:I don't really get it by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Funny
    ""Microsoft Linux" You realize that this is inevitable though?"

    Haven't you heard the news?

  14. Causing a reaction by zeus_tfc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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
  15. What??!! by bogie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "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
    1. Re:What??!! by totro · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >Considering Microsoft has called the GPL a "Cancer"
      >and attacks linux publicly whenever possible by
      >telling outright lies, how can we ever look bad?

      Despite the truth that only the informed few know, the ignorant masses will much sooner believe Microsoft because **money talks** (trough PR).

      Anyone throwing eggs will be branded an anarchist, terrorist, you name it, just like most protesters protesting anything these days. The excellent points about MS trying every dirty trick imaginable to defeat Linux will very likely not make it to mainstream news sources. Throwing eggs will give Slashdotters a chuckle, but will do little to forward the cause of Linux and like-minded projects. It will just give the rest of the world more ammunition to ignore our legitimate concerns.

      A little maturity goes a long way towards credibility, people!

  16. You gotta hand it to them... by Subcarrier · · Score: 5, Funny

    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
  17. *cough* *sputter* by Gannoc · · Score: 4, Insightful
    No doubt this means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh.

    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.

  18. Rumor: by vegetablespork · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  19. Why else would they be there? by jsimon12 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  20. Depends... by unformed · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who are you?

    Or, more specifically, male or female?

  21. So? by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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?"
  22. I doubt they'll use this as a stage for FUD.. by gatekeep · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... 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.

  23. One possibiltiy... Linux Business Unit? by Nomad7674 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Well, it would not be totally out of the realm of possibility that MS might form a Linux Business Unit in the same way they already have a Macintosh Business Unit. If they did that to churn out MS Office editions for Linux, it might head off the insurgency of OpenOffice and ThinkFreeOffice and maintain their place as the #1 provider of office software.

    Remember, in the end MS is out there to make money. Ruling the world is just a means to that end.

    1. Re:One possibiltiy... Linux Business Unit? by Asprin · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I believe (based on my own highly irrational speculation as well as anecdotes from the MS & IBM OS/2 collaboration - where MS apparently understood OS/2 internals better than IBM's engineers ever did.) that MS probably does have a secret Linux unit operating right now tearing through the source code and gathering 'information' - hell, they probably know more about the Linux kernel than Linus does. I suspect they're also porting unofficial hush-hush Linux version of Office and IE, and probably also a .Net CLI, .Net server and Exchange Server, maybe even their own desktop environment running on top of X. With their R budget, they'd be nuts not to, especially considering that they consider Linux to be a threat.

      Now, for those of you who think I've gone all loopy: NO, I don't expect that we're ever going to see 'MS Office for Linux', 'IE for MS-XWindows' or 'MS Linux.net' or anything similar at Comp-USA. If any of this stuff exists, I am quite certain MS is working on it to make their own platform better, and not to join the Linux universe - look how they strung out the Java platform.

      --
      "Lawyers are for sucks."
      - Doug McKenzie
  24. The top-10 list of reasons... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. That $200000 prize for Linux on X-Box is just too tempting.

    2. Office on Linux.

    3. DirectX compatibility-layer for Linux.

    4. .Net for Linux.

    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!

  25. Re:What's the exhibit? by JordoCrouse · · Score: 3, Insightful

    3) They want to Buy you. Not win you over, not get you to trust them, straight up, here's a free copy of XP, try it out. I've seen this at the chicago CIO conference, where it was brutally succesful.

    Not to offend you, but your average CIO would be won over by one of those pens with a the lady whose clothes disappear when it is clicked. A CIO confrence is a long shot away from LinuxWorld.

    And anyway, whats wrong with free copies of XP? Most hacker and porters I know end up needing a copy of Windows anway, and I would much rather receive a free copy than have to pay $100, know what I'm saying?

    --
    Do you have Linux and a DotPal? Click here now!
  26. Star Trek VI? by dimator · · Score: 4, Funny

    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))"
  27. My fear by nullard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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
    1. Re:My fear by JordoCrouse · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

      Lemme ask you something.. What the hell is wrong with Microsoft, as a commercial corporation, writing an emulator layer for Linux? They're not going to be able to take over the kernel. They're not going to be able to force their opinions or policies on anyone who doesn't use their brand of emulation, and to tell you the truth (no offense to the WINE folks), I'll bet that they will write a pretty damn good emulator. The only thing evil and borgish thing that they might do is to modify their Windows software to only work on *their* emulator. And I bet if they knew how to prevent WINE from running Windows apps, they would probably have already done it.

      There is a huge market for Windows apps, even amongst Linux geeks. It might be a game that only runs on Windows, or it might be an specialized app, or it might be solitare for all I care. The fact of the matter is that there was obviously a need for WINE / WinForLinux / VMWare.

      As for not giving back to the community - well, there is a long list of folks who have taken from the community without giving back. Part of software freedom is the understanding that there will always be people who take and never give.

      --
      Do you have Linux and a DotPal? Click here now!
    2. Re:My fear by MadAhab · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I agree, up to a point. But an emulator might be an interesting "viral" technique for them. For one thing, it gets onto the desktops where linux might be a threat, like in large installations of workstations for, i dunno, the peruvian govt.

      Once they get into your machine that way, well, there's all kinds of little features, e.g. sound, that might "accidentally" break here and there unless you are using a particular linux distro. With whom they would naturally have a partnering agreement, since somebody's got to do the support for that. What's next? Gee, you need to use this "drm-approved" sound driver if you want our emulator to work. Sorry. Pretty soon they've taken over your allegedly free system in any way they please.

      It doesn't have to work all that well. It shouldn't, in fact. It should work just well enough that it gets adopted, but badly enough to make sure it doesn't outshine their own OS.

      --
      Expanding a vast wasteland since 1996.
    3. Re:My fear by happyclam · · Score: 3, Funny

      ... my fear is that Microsoft writes a Linux emulator for Windows.

      <theory type="conspiracy">
      They will make it available for free to show the world how open they are. They will make it so easy to download and install that every eMachines owner will get it immediately. Hell, they may even include it with their next Windows update.

      It will be SO buggy and error prone that all those Windows users will conclude that they will never switch to Linux.
      </theory>

      --
      He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."
    4. Re:My fear by JordoCrouse · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Gee, you need to use this "drm-approved" sound driver if you want our emulator to work. Sorry. Pretty soon they've taken over your allegedly free system in any way they please.

      The important thing is that Microsoft would be entering this thing as a player on equal footing with other competitors. In the past, Microsoft has been a competitor, but has also been the ruling body for the competition itself. Products like WordPerfect would come in, and lose because Microsoft could change the underlying operating system to suit their whims.

      Now, I understand that they can still rise to the top of the emulator market, because after all, only they have access to the secret APIs that even the WINE folks can only dream about. And I understand that they will do everything to try to switch the situation over to their favor.

      But two important things still remain - if you choose not to buy into the Microsoft way of life, you can still use Linux, becuase while Microsoft can play games in their little corner of the Linux world, they still can't influence change in the kernel without giving it back to the community.

      There is only one Windows, and it comes from a single point somewhere in Washington. You either use Windows from Microsoft or you don't use it at all. There are multiple Linux distros, so you are not forced to use the Microsoft approved (TM) distro if you don't want to (and I expect that if they play their usual games, then few people will want their distro, even if it means using a less compatible solution).

      --
      Do you have Linux and a DotPal? Click here now!
  28. Re:Please by dimator · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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?

    Don't you think instead they'll be pushing .NET?

    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))"
  29. here is by waspleg · · Score: 4, Funny

    a map of their exhibit from linuxtoday.com linking to linuxworldexpo

    http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/linuxworldexpo/v31 /f loorplan/floorplan.cvn?b=224&amp;exbID=118

    might be helpful so you know where *NOT* to be standing when the ticking mechnical suicide penguin bombs come waddling in

  30. I disagree? by drew_kime · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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
    1. Re:I disagree? by MAXOMENOS · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Bill Gates is NOT Microsoft. What he does with his own (pracitcally unlimited) money is one thing; he can use $100 bills as toilet tissue for all I care (although I admit that I'm glad he's spending some of his billions on charity).

      What Microsoft does with its money is quite another thing, and is subject to intense scrutiny from investors, analysts, and federal investigators. Investors and analysts want an aggressive, cutthroat control freak, and that's what they're going to get, too.

  31. Just what microsoft wants by cybercuzco · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

    --

  32. Fools! by back@slash · · Score: 3, Funny

    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
  33. Re:Of course it won't happen but by Moonshadow · · Score: 5, Funny
    ya gotta admit that Office for Linux would be a useful thing to have around

    Yeah, I've been needing something to load test my machine with.

  34. Why is Microsoft there? My guess. by wazzzup · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?"

  35. Re:Please by _ph1ux_ · · Score: 3, Funny

    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.

  36. Good point on their hardware. by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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?
    1. Re:Good point on their hardware. by Frag-A-Muffin · · Score: 3, Funny

      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.

      Perhaps you've never heard of the monstrosity called the xbox?

      --

      AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
    2. Re:Good point on their hardware. by MaxVlast · · Score: 3, Funny

      I've heard MS described as a killer mouse company with a software division.

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
    3. Re:Good point on their hardware. by Ogerman · · Score: 3, Informative

      There is ONE type of product that M$ does well, and makes an honest living with - Input devices.
      You've apparently never taken one of "their" input devices apart. Do so and learn. Last I checked, they're all made by Mitsumi. Who the heck knows how or by whom they were designed. They're just branded OEM products. I like the keyboard design reasonably well, but Logitech makes much more ergonomic mice IHMO.

  37. two words by TheTomcat · · Score: 4, Funny

    No doubt this means that the more childish among us will make us all look bad. Sigh.

    Tesla Coil.

    S

  38. Protesters dressed as Borg? by emil · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is probably best that we get this all talked out now, and treat them as fairly as possible. However:

    • Have a whole bunch of guys show up with arms in plaster casts and signs on their necks with "Compaq," "Gateway," "Dell," "HP," "IBM," etc. Just mill around their booth.
    • How about a coffin with "Digital UNIX on Alpha - Rest In Peace - BRING THE MICROSOFT MURDERERS TO JUSTICE!"
    • I love Slashdot's "Bill the Borg" logo. How about a T-Shirt? Sold from a booth right next to them? Who has the booths right next to them? Will they play along?
    • How about a T-Shirt like this:
      Windows NT Server $1,000 = Linux Free
      Microsoft Office $300 = Openoffice Free
      MS SQL Server $5000 = Sybase Free
      WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE THINKING?!?!?!
    • Another T-Shirt: Microsoft DRM - We've got all your money, now we want your civil rights.
    • How about Thomas Pensfield Jackson as a keynote speaker?

      There are lots of things that could be done to convince Microsoft that this is a really bad idea.

    1. Re:Protesters dressed as Borg? by Kefaa · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There are lots of things that could be done to convince Microsoft that this is a really bad idea.

      Yes there are, and this would be the ideal time for them to happen. Then the PR machine would roll...
      "Would you trust your business to..."
      "Do you want your government run by..."
      "This is what you can look forward to as a Window's user when you work with Linux..."

      They have millions to spend on spin and are waiting for their "Rodney King" moment.

      We have to be at our absolute best. Showing the business world that we can them in any mixture of Linux/Windows/MAC/UNIX/MVS, that meets their business needs. That the Linux community are the technologists who can improve the business model while reducing costs.

  39. Mabey they want us to ack like a child. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.
  40. ADDITIONAL reasons... by happyclam · · Score: 4, Funny
    1. They really want that Peruvian government contract.
    2. They felt that Linux users around the world were deprived the added vacation time enjoyed by Windows users, so they are appearing to show off their three new Linux-based viruses.
    3. It was part of the "community service" they have to perform as part of their antitrust settlement
    4. They will be collecting names of attendees... their software license audit list is getting short and they need to keep the pipeline full
    5. Their marketing department has automatically signed them up for every "expo" in the country because it has the letters "xp" in it.
    6. Their booth will actually be empty. They just wanted to thumb their collective nose at the Linux community with their $44 billion in cash reserves.
    7. They've ported Clippy to Linux.
    8. It's a new form of hazing for all the fresh-out-of-college marketing employees.
    9. The network on the show floor has always been impervious to viruses; putting a whole bunch of Microsoft Outlook boxes on the network will solve that problem.
    10. It is classic cold war, arms-race tactics. By showing up with the biggest booth and the biggest budget, soon they will dominate and co-opt the entire show, and the little fish won't be able to show up any more. In five years, LinuxWorld Expo will be dead, or at least turned into a sidelight for another Microsoft lovefest. I wish it weren't so.
    --
    He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."
  41. Look who they are almost directly across from... by twoslice · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Codeweavers (Booth 1289)
    Does Microsoft feel that they are their greatest threat or is this just a conspiracy theory???

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    From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...