Slashdot Mirror
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?]"
In light of the information contained in this story, the donation Bill Gates gave to
India to fight AIDS recently makes a little more sense. 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)? I suppose if there are more developers in India that you want on your side, then it makes more sense from a business stand point...
"but you certainly don't have to belittle his philanthropic work. "
Why not? If he calls charitable work by open source developers "communist" and "cancer" why should he be immune from the same kind of criticism? Besides he is the richest man in the world what the fuck does he care what anybody on slashdot says about him?
When was the last time someone didn't starve because someone else wrote a new text editor and gave it away with the proviso that if anyone else does anything with it, they have to give away their work for free too?
Get a sense of perspective you fucking muppet.
Coming soon - pyrogyra
Um, because what he does actually saves starving people and other...
...give a person a fish and they'll be full for today, teach them to fish and they'll be full for a lifetime...
But what do they do when the money runs out? Free information doesn't run out.
Paraphrasing:
http://unmoldable.com W:"No one of consequence" I:"I must know" W:"Get used to disappointment"
Now is an important time for India & we will find out that whether Indians are academic smart or business smart. Hopefully they dont listen to idiots (who have their own personal agendas) and jeoperdize the only successful export industry of India
Indians suck at manufacturing & are hardly innovative in any other field. We dont have rich natural resources(like oil). The only thing we can add value is Intellectual Property in the Information age.
By taking the open source route we'll kill the only golden goose that'll lead to a spiralling crashing of the Indian economy & increase the number of people below poverty line to an already staggering 700 Million
The generation of future Indians are at the hands of the developers. Dont drive the only thing which you can produce to a zero value system.
Cheers,
Roshan