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Microsoft Deploys Linux, Open Software in Test Lab
securitas writes "Microsoft has deployed Linux and other open-source software in test labs used by business customers to experiment with Microsoft's products. The products include Linux, Apache, MySQL and Open LDAP directory-access software on Intel-based computers, according to Martin Taylor, who is in charge of Microsoft's Linux competitive strategy. He said the goal was to learn 'what can you do and how can you do it' using open-source software in a competitive analysis. This step comes after Microsoft's recent admission that Linux is Microsoft's biggest threat after economic conditions. Mirrors at CMPnetAsia and InternetWeek." It'd be cool to see some patches come from Redmond, but that's probably wishful thinking.
"IMO The problem with MS is they no longer understand the customer"
But they understand the customers' wallet. MS is doing this to find subtle ways of breaking LinWin compatibility wherever they can. Then they'll offer expensive connector software to restore the broken functionality. They'll spin it like they're playing nice with the other kids, but all the while, they'll just be taking everyone for a ride.
That is because microsoft had no server OS robust enough to serve dumb clients at the time. They marketed what they had.
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
Yes, I also do testing for:
Regressions - Make sure that previous bugs don't pop up again.
Integration - Make sure that all the pieces work when you put them together.
Globalization - Make sure that none of the user messages / interfaces are hard coded.
Localization - Make sure that it is translated into other languages correctly.
Accessiblity - Make sure that handicapped users (blind / deaf / etc.) can use the product. (Can you use the program without a mouse? Does it work with large fonts, high contrast, etc?)
Scalability - Large numbers of records, large amounts of data.
Performance - Is it sufficiently fast?
Reliability / Memory leaks - Can the system stay up for multiple months without hint of reliability problems?
Security - Do we verify the data before we use it? Do we protect sensitive data?
Update testing - Does data persist and functionality work correctly after upgrades?
Dogfood deployments - run the business on alpha and beta releases to make sure we find problems before the customers do.
etc...
There are hundreds of criteria for each item on this list and there are a number of other major quality areas that most test teams attempt to cover in their test passes.
You would probably be surprised at how much testing actually happens at Microsoft.
Journaling file system xp doesn't have it
Wrong. NTFS
Why did MS choose to have every menu in the entire system cascade down except for the single most important one? Any sane UI designer would put the Start button in the upper-left of the screen.
Click on start bar, drag to upper part of screen. Done.
Exchange Server 2000 - QMail
^^^^^^^^^^
If all you want is a pop3/smtp server than of course qmail would be cheaper. If you need a fully collaboration based mail server with calendaring/scheduling/tasks and many features I can't think off the top of my head you got with Exchange 2000. There's nothing remotely close yet that works out of the box in less than an hour. I just installed a seventh exchange server in our environment last week, flawlessly. Note: this isn't for redunancy either. Remote offices prefer to use a local server instead of crossing the internet via a vpn.
Some companies would die without the functionality of Exchange so in their eyes price does not matter.