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Microsoft Targeting Indian Developers
Pranjal writes "An Indian Business magazine, Business World is reporting that in it's war against Linux, Microsoft is taking the battle to the Indian developers. The logic is simple. India has 10% of the developer population of the world. If a significant number of these developers commit to work on MS platforms then the number of developers working on Linux platforms can decrease significantly and thus the number of applications. As Dilip Mistry, a director at Microsoft India's Bangalore office puts it, "This country can affect our (Microsoft's) destiny." [Quote From article] Local linux user groups are trying to counter this threat by targetting school and university students and increasing the awareness about development on a linux platform. Read the full story here. [Nice cover don't you think?]"
It's already the case that most of the programming shops in Bangalore specialize in Windows.
-russ
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
Really? That's not the impression I got. I went there 2 years ago, work related, and all of the engineers knew Windows, none had used Linux (or UNIX is general).
I find Indians to be very pragmatic. Windows is the most popular OS, so that's what they learn and use.
Je ne parle pas francais.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Oracle to double India workforce
This is not a new thing at all. I was in India about 2 years ago, and even then I found the contrasts great. A slum to your left and right, yet hundreds of signs advertising C# training (Java training too)
I would say one thing in addition--many of the indian developers aren't exactly leading Silicon Valley hot shot developer lifestyles. As such, they will learn what they need to learn to get jobs and get money--ideology has no place here.
But what do they do when the money runs out?
The foundation has around 21 BILLION dollars. Invested properly, they will never run out of money.
Free information doesn't run out.
But that doesn't mean most information is valuable. And almost no information is valuable without resources to use it.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
It's kind of difficult for a child to "learn to immunize himself", which is where most of the Gates Foundation's funds go it.
But beyond that, you might look at how much of the foundation's money goes to education.
You might read through the the Foundation's Web Site sometime. Gates agrees with you -- he invests his money in things that have long-term payouts, not single day handouts.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
1 second ago. Linux and OSS is making possible technology everywhere. See the problem in developing countries is not ease of use, but one of cost. It cost money to buy hardware, software, and run them. Hardware is actually quite cheap right now. Unfortunatly, the MS/Apple Software cost is outragous and literally killing ppl (that is money that could go to developing there own internal businesses).
BTW, the Intel/AMD line of chips use exhorbarant amounts of energy which in a developing world is still very costly to buy and horribly dirty (pollution from plants are equal to USA's plants from the 50's - the Bush League is very proud). Many of the chips that Linux/BSD run on, are quite a bit more energy conscious.
I mean, I know that Mr. Gates is heavy into the cause of fighting global diseases but wouldn't it have made more sense to donate to the #1 country (Africa) dealing with an AIDS epidemic than #2 (India)?
Sheesh, what make you think they aren't? Here's a clue: type "gates foundation aids africa" into Google. OH MY GOD! Look what pops up: A whole section devotes to Africa.
But it's probably all about those African software developers, right?
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
Yes, it's all a horrible and evil conspiracy, with the Gates foundation existing as nothing more than an extention of the Evil Empire.
Get real.
wouldn't it have made more sense to donate to the #1 country (Africa) dealing with an AIDS epidemic than #2 (India)?
Ok, first off, Africa is not a country. You've failed 3rd grade Geography. Perhaps you should apply for some of the $1.6B that the Gates Foundation has given out for global education.
That said - $5.9M over 5 years for research in Uganda, $10M over 3 years for African Children, $1M for 1 year for African First Ladies against AIDS, $25M over 5 years to fight AIDS in Nigeria, $7M for South Africa, another $1M for children with AIDS in Africa, and, finally, $50M for fighting AIDS in Botswana.
Obviously the $50M for Botswana was to insure they wouldn't go start using Linux either. Good business strategy there Bill!
Of course, that excludes the other $450M or so that has been donated to other countries or groups specifically for fighting HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. It also excludes the $2 Billion for other health programs. Which, overall, is roughly half of the $5.5B donated on behalf of the Gates foundation for charitable causes around the world.
Sorry, I hate Microsoft too, but this foaming-at-the-mouth, ad-hominum attacks on the Gates Foundation proves just how shallow and thoughtless a lot of the Linux fans are. Frankly, it's disgusting.
What is the use of pushing MS technology on Indian programmers? I'm assuming that MS is targeting Indian programmers who work for outsourcing firms (body shops). Every time I've used such places with clients, we've never given the out-sourced developers their choice of platforms. You tell them exactly what you want and when. If developer X doesn't have the ability to write the program in Java, then we go to X' who can.
It just so happens, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, that Mr. Gates is very very rich. And you know what; even if 98% of what his company does is wrong; getting there was not as wrong as you think. And that man worked hard to get where he is; and deserves an ounce of your respect for that.
Please. That man was very, very lucky. When he dropped out of Harvard to start selling software, he had a million dollar trust fund in his back pocket to fall back on. When he started selling DOS (an application he stole, let's not forget) to IBM, it's because his mommy set up the meeting with then-CEO John Opel. Yeah, he's rich, but respect isn't something he deserves from me.
Read all about it.
My other computer is your Windows box
As a student studying at an Indian university in Mumbai(Bombay) I have observed that Microsoft far more dominant that Linux.
_None_ of our computers in any lab or any faculty run Linux. They all run Windows ( Pirated copies BTW..).
I study Computer science, and none of my teachers are familiar with Unix/Linux. They have a very superficial knowledge, if at all. At the same time, they are proficient at administering windows systems.
This is all contrary to the articles that have been posted on slashdot about the Indian government promoting linux in universities. It is not happening.
The main thrust for promoting Linux comes from the students. The student bodies try to organize workshops to familiarize other students about Linux. I have helped in such ventures and my experience is that most other students do not care much about Linux. Their thinking is that knowing how to use Microsoft products will help them more in getting a job than knowing about Linux. And thats all they care about.
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