Slashdot Mirror
Meet Martin Taylor Of Microsoft's Open Source Test Lab
securitas writes "Martin Taylor was recently appointed as Microsoft's open source and Linux strategist and is responsible for Microsoft's open source and Linux test lab, mentioned on Slashdot last week. Taylor says his goal is to change Microsoft's competitive strategy by pursuing a fact-based approach instead of continuing the previous discredit-and-undermine strategy that was characterized by calling open source and Linux software 'a cancer, un-American and bankrupt' among other things. Taylor says he plans to focus on (and fund) studies that 'will highlight Microsoft's advantages in areas such as security, feature-completeness and total cost of ownership.'"
I find it funny that Microsoft is actualy going to attack linux by learning it. They still have a strangle hold on the market, I don't even understand why they're going after linux as a 'competator' but hey everyone wants to rule the world right?
I am full of goo... black evil goo
I agree, except I'd expect Microsoft to deal with Linux on a couple of different fronts. I mean, what company out there uses the totally honest approach? Everybody does what is in their power to keep customers.
.NET, Server 2003 seem to steps in the right direction. Linux probably hasn't hurt this effort.
Early on they could deal with Linux via FUD (although I'd argue there was a good deal of FUD flung from both sides.) Now they are going to start investigating other methods, heck maybe down the line offer Office for Linux? Who really knows? Would it kill Microsoft to offer a version of Linux, as well as keep the Windows platform if the future requires it? I mean, say Linux grabs 20-30% of the market. Microsoft is extremely big and powerful company with a lot of smart people and could offer a good distribution. So they'd have to decide between their ego and their bank account.
Microsoft has always been able to deal with changes in the market, and this is one of them. How fast they change depends on adoption of Linux.
I'd also say the MS platform has been moving along well -
Of course, maybe this is all a dream and they'll never touch linux. The future is exciting!
Bingo.
I recently got a development contract with this exact argument.
My customer is getting a fully tailored, customised solution to thier problem - a solution based totally on open source technologies. (Nice Linux server, PostgresSQL, etc.) To boot, all of that custom work came in at a price significantly less than anyone else who bid for the job. Significantly less.
I get a very nice paycheck, once it's done. Should be more on the way, too, since I get to re-sell the solution and customise it for other customers. And support contracts if the customer so chooses, will supplement my income, too. (BTW, they don't need to pick me for support, since they have the code, and that code is based on known OSS tools, etc. Certainly makes one pay attention to customer service.)
Microsoft got squat. Well, this time, anyway. I might need to throw Bill & Co. the odd scrap (if the customer gets new desktop machines, for example, and insists on XP) down the road, but that depends wholly on the customer. They can use Windows if they want, but they sure don't need Windows. Customers seem to like that.
Soko
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
What this really means is that Microsoft is smart, and has hired someone who will now find much better reasons to poo-poo open source and Linux. Maybe not good reasons or reasons anyone here would agreee with, but reasons that will make sense to the IT departments and executives that make up Microsofts customers.
On the plus side, if MS does come up with technical reasons against using Linux or other OS projects, that means those reasons can be addressed by technical people. Either rebut, or fix, whatever issues this new lab comes up with. Easy, and good for open source too.
God, I LOVE competition.
Proof? They have just hired a PR firm to do the dirty work while they polish their image.
Before: "they are the cancer of IP"
Now: "they stole our IP"
Same message, just better wording.
By the way, every time the OSS community reads and discuss the MS FUD of the week, that is time wasted not focusing on its own strategy. Just as the Linux desktop needs to break away from the MS path and be innovative, the community needs to stop acting as complements and substitutions of MS products but as an autonomous end-to-end solution provider.
Fight Microsoft where it hurts: ignore them.
I know it is fun to ridicule them, but they provide a cheap entertainment that is working for them the long run: we get accustomed to their style, they shape the "industry standards" at that level, and we don't get our work done. And we learn about all of their products.
Do yourself a favour, stop reading about the MS crap, there is never anything really new, and take it to the next level.