Ballmer Admits 'Linux Changed Our Game'

wackybrit writes: "We've all known Linux has got Microsoft all worried, but they've always denied it. On Monday at a conference in LA, however, Steve Ballmer (of Microsoft) confessed that the FUD surrounding Linux isn't quite what it was made out to be. The Register has also covered the story in an easier to read fashion. They point out that Microsoft has just changed a page on their site which originally derided Linux, but now simply states what 'Windows does better.'"

Comments

Damn Linux!

[fodi]

Linux SUX! I use RedHat!

How do they do it?

[tedDancin]

My favourite Steve Ballmer quote from this article:

"We haven't figured out how to be lower priced than Linux"

(:

Re:How do they do it?

[Anonymous Cowrad]

My time is certainly not worthless. In fact, I get paid a considerable amount of money to do unix (FreeBSD) administration. I'm a reasonably good BOFH, so I don't catch hassles from anyone.

On the other hand, the average MCSE can expect a career in middle management, getting crapped on by everyone in their organization. Their skills will go largely unutilized, as they will spend the majority of their day fighting viruses, random windows crappiness, and idiotic users who really should be programs. After you do this for 50 years, you can look forward to a crappy retirement in the hell you've built for yourself.

I'm not being overly subjective, am I?

Re:How do they do it?

[Skevin]

Actually, I recently ran two webservers on identical machines... the exact same machine in fact, at the same time.
I don't get it - I had them running side by side: IIS with SQL Server 7 on my Windows side; and Apache on my SCO distro out of VMWare from Alpha WINE under SuSE from yet another instance of VMWare on my Win2K destop with data backend consisting of an early Windows MySQL port whose ODBC DSN is traversed across two localhost subnets, thanks to a hacked Samba mod for allowing OLEDB share names over NETBIOS connections.
Guess which setup ran faster? I could hardly believe my eyes! Everyone here on /. keeps touting the speed of Linux, but no one can tell me what I need to buy to make my Linux setup run faster! This OSS hype is obviously BS.

Solomon

PS: But is all seriousness, my reluctance to make my move is based on the apparent lack of Sequencing software and hardware support for my music equipment (MIDI interfaces, multitracking recorder cards, etc.). What *does* exist out there only seems to be able to recognize a (*cough* *cough*) Sound Blaster MIDI port. Any suggestions?

Re:How do they do it?

[Beliskner]

Microsoft's post-Linux business model:

Spending money gives good karma, better than getting something free. For instance if you give your wife a beanie baby that you get free from McDonalds, she won't appreciate it, because spending no money doesn't create karma. If you buy her a bunch of expensive flowers and Prada shoes she will appreciate it, creating good karma. Spending money creates good karma.

Do you want your servers to have good karma or bad karma? Customers don't like bad karma, much like your wife. This is why our fine Microsoft products are so expensive, so that you get maximum karma for your business buck. When our Microsoft servers crash, they do so in a unique way which will bring value to your customers, and increase karma for you. Much like crashing a free car doesn't create emotion, but crashing a $100,000 Cadillac creates much emotion, therefore linux is an emotionless operating system with no karma. Do you want your workpplace to be emotionless with no karma? Buy Microsoft products today. We take your money to make you feel good. Where does your expense account want to go today?

Wow, these execs are dumber than I thought.

[vitaflo]

Ballmer now concedes that MS execs "haven't figured out how to be lower-priced than Linux.

You keep them on that task Ballmer. And let me know when they figure out how to be lower-priced than free. My bet, it'll take them a while.

Re:Wow, these execs are dumber than I thought.

[$carab]

How about selling Microsoft Action Figures for 30 bucks a pop? There could be a role playing game and everything! This could easily drive the price of Win XP Home to 10 bucks a CD.

Imagine the glint in a child's eyes when they see their new:

1. Steve "Basher" Ballmer - Crushing Competitors as easily as he totally freaks out about Microsofts "Message". Now with optional Club to beat you choice of AOL icon, Penguin, or Whatever-the hell-that-demonic-OSX-Platypus is!
2. Bill "Money" Gates - Teached Children the values of sound financial management - buy low, sell exorbitant. Also instructs on how to "borrow" TCP stacks from BSD Licensed software! Now comes with optional "Small Carribean Island with mountain shaped like Skull" (150$ retail) - a perfect lair.
3. Richard "Get a Job you Hippie" Stallman - Comes with Stinkbomb activated when you touch his software - The message is clear Long hair and free software are Communist. The ultimate in family values - America, Microsoft!
4. Evil Tux - Painfully teaches children early about the dangers of playing with penguins - Keep him away from face and Groin areas!
5. Bob, the Well-Bankrolled FUD Software Study producer - Just poke his belly, he'll come up with classics like..."Linux is less secure than Windows", "Nobody ever got fired for buying Microsoft", "The first hit is free!" and everybodys favorite "Did I mention youre going to need some backup servers?"
6. 
   
   Microsoft - The Toys. The Game. Resistance is futile!
   

Re:Wow, these execs are dumber than I thought.

[elveu]

how about a microsoft fighting game. snk Vs capcom Vs microsoft you could be the paperclip and have attacks like annoting sound effects and finishing moves like blue screen of death. there could also be a bill gates character with attacks like software bundling and a crack team of layers for renforcment

Re:Microsoft is just smarter

[the way, what're you]

And once you're seduced, well, you're fucked!

Re:"Comparison" of web servers

[Anonymous Coward]

The Windows 2000-based server with Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0 handled 707 concurrent connections, compared to 545 connections for the Linux-based

In addition, Linux incorrectly processed a large number of Code Red and NIMDA requests by returning a 404, but were properly handled by IIS by giving full access to the machine....

Re:Top quality FUD, from your favorite provider...

[shr3k]

BTW, have you every tried to get Appletalk working on Win2k? I had to do it once, I would prefer to burn in hell for the rest of eternity than having to do it again...

Um, sir, there is a "Lucifer" on line one. He wants to talk to you about the afterlife.... He said something about an "eternal and unending task" and "Appletalk," followed by some maniacal laughter.

Re:What does Microsoft has to fear from Linux?

[pubjames]

So just what makes Microsoft fear Linux so much?

MS Rep: So, the deal is $20 per unit then.

Dell Rep: Actually, you know, we've really been seriously looking at this Linux thing. We've been considering offering it as an option on our desktop machines.

MS Rep:People aren't going to buy that. Can you just sign here please?

Dell Rep:We're not so sure. Many customers are really mad as MS at the moment. If we heavily promoted Linux on the desktop...

MS Rep:Ok, I hear what your saying. $15 a unit.

Dell Rep:$10.

MS Rep:You've got to be kidding!

Dell Rep:We actually have a few people working on our own Linux distribution at the moment. With StarOffice on top, well, it's real pretty. You want to see it?

MS RepOk, OK! $10 a unit it is.

One of the main reasons MS must fear Linux is because it gives OEMs a serious negociating position. MS aren't used to that.

Re:This is totally obvious

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, and I just the way you can effortlessly cut & paste between all those nice KDE apps.

Oh, err - wait a minute!

Re:What does Microsoft has to fear from Linux?

[pubjames]

MS Rep: No, $15. If you don't comply we won't let you sell computers with Windows. That will piss off the majority, who isn't mad at us, and almost nobody will buy your computers anymore.

All lawyers: [Sharp intake of breath]

Dell lawyer: Erm. So you're saying if Dell sell Linux on desktop machines you'll withdraw their Windows licence? Let me just make a note of that...

MS lawyer No, no, sorry, my client drank too much sangria at lunchtime. He didn't mean to say that. Please ignore it.

MS Rep But!

MS lawyer [Jabs MS Rep with elbow, whispers] I've told you, you can't say that stuff anymore. You're a convicted monopolist, remember?

Dell Rep [smiling smugly]: So we're agreed. $10 a unit...

"the advantages of windows"

[shish]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Embedded/sak/eval uation/compare/advantage.asp straightforward licensing... Industry-leading scalability and performance... Proven reliability... a more secure environment... an array of licensing complexities around the General Public License... Does microsoft get karma for being funny?