Passport for Linux On the Way

mrsam writes "PCWorld reports that Microsoft comissioned Ready-to-Run Software, a small software vendor, to port the Passport server software to Solaris, Red Hat Linux, AIX, and HPUX. Oh, joy."

Comments

Limited platform support, no client support

[msobkow]

Interesting how such a limited platform list is provided for servers. What about Mandrake, SuSE, et. al.? With canned commercial support, what of potential customers that want to use a different HTTP server, different patches, different languages/tools, etc.?

You also note that there is no mention of support for developing client software under the *nix platforms. It's yet another way to lock in the desktop as Microsoft-only, much as many of their "servers" already do.

Re:back to the old practises

[SgtChaireBourne]

This underscores just how dangerous MS-passport is in extending the monopoly into new markets. However, notice that, as usual, this port is not being provided by Microsoft. Others are doing the work, which I would guess is, because of the nature of the NDA for using Shared Source (TM), an all or nothing gamble.

However, amidst the dust and noise of the current storm of PR, spin, ads, and FUD, they are also dropping support for several key products like NT 4, Exchange 5.5 and Win2000 pro now and in the near future. At least when Cisco is hurting, their sales team treats for lunch. Or when McDonalds jacks up the price of a coke, they run a sale on the burgers.

Microsoft appears to have been circling the ol' financial drain for some time, with shaky bookkeeping, shrinking markets, and admissions that their products cannot compete on technical merits. Perhaps this last week's media blitz is a sign that the execs have offloaded enough of their stock options for us to hear that last *glunk* and see MSFT along side EOG.

Re:Wait a minute....

[Quarters]

Wow, what an over hypothesized, under-thought, convoluted conspiracy you have there.

How about a simpler solution? Try this:

Microsoft, knowing that IIS isn't anywhere near as accepted as Apache for web serving has decided that porting Passport to the OSes that run the majority of web servers would help with adoption rates for the technology.

or, possibly:

Companies that want to use Passport have told Microsoft that they are unwilling to switch from their Unix based web servers to Win2K Server w/IIS just to be able to use Passport. Microsoft has listened and has decided to port Passport to various Unices so that it will be accepted.

Re:Missing the point...

[Reziac]

I've been attending M$ seminars for several years now, and from what they themselves say, you're dead-on. They really do want to move to a purely subscription model.

Subscription-based *software* won't cut it, tho -- because the user CAN escape that, so long as there is some way to port their data elsewhere. But making *access* to your data a subscription feature -- THAT will lock people in for all time, unless they decide they can do without any data already committed to the system. And what's locked in can be charged on a regular basis (either per timespan or per-use, or both).

M$ understands this perfectly, and is working to achieve it.

"Once you pay the danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane." -- British proverb (ca. 600 A.D.)