Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Proclaims Death of Free Software Model

Posted by timothy on from the faint-praise-and-damnation dept.

geoff313 writes " As previously mentioned here, Microsoft's new wave of FUD has begun to arrive. This time it is courtesy of Bradley Tipp, Microsoft's UK national systems engineer, who spoke at the Microsoft IT Forum in Copenhagen. In this article from ZDNet UK, he is quoted as saying that 'Linux is great' and 'there are a lot of things we should learn from open source' but then is quick to point out that 'We haven't talked to a single user who has said they're using [open source] because it's better.' Another Microsoft employee was quoted as saying 'At least if Linux takes off, their viruses will propagate and we won't be seen as the bad guys any more.' I for one am happy to see that they are taking their new interest in security seriously, and I'm sure you all are too. Most interesting is the assertion that the decision by Red Hat to end support for its free distribution and Novell's aquisition of SUSE marks not only the death of free software, but actually is a validation of Microsoft's business model. Does anyone besides Microsoft see these events as the end of Free software?" I use Free software because it's better; they just didn't ask.

9 of 750 comments (clear)

  1. in other news.. by Worminater · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pigs just landed at JFK airport

  2. Huh??? by justsomebody · · Score: 5, Funny

    I for one won't say that I use OSS software because it's better.

    I use it because M$ software is worster

    --
    Signature Pro version 1.13.2-3 release 83.5 beta3try7 after-breakfast edition
    1. Re:Huh??? by mkldev · · Score: 5, Funny
      I use it because MS is Worcestershire. Goes well with steak (Longhorn), admittedly, but....

      --
      120 character sigs suck. Make it 250.
  3. MS is forgetting a major *distribution* model... by Txiasaeia · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...p2p. As long as p2p exists, Microsoft's own software is "free."

    --
    Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  4. In other news... by brlewis · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pepsi commented that it hasn't spoken to a single customer who said they drank Coca Cola because it tasted better. A senator from Maine said he hadn't spoken to a single constituent who lived in Hawaii because it was warmer. A doctor said she hadn't spoken to a single patient who had never been sick.

    Or...could it be that people who use free software because it is better are not Microsoft users? Nah.

    1. Re:In other news... by dilettante · · Score: 5, Funny

      Based on my own experience with MS software, i think the quote could have been shortened to "We haven't talked to a single user".

  5. Re:So long as a single OSS Coder lives... by Moeses · · Score: 4, Funny

    And even if all the coders got a nasty bug and died all the source is out there waiting for the next generation to pick up where things were left off.

    The OSS movement is harder to kill than cockroaches.

  6. Re:What about DOS? by thedillybar · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is coming from Microsoft. They declared that "DOS is DEAD" back when Windows 95 came out.

    Yeah...right...

  7. the rest of the dialog we didn't get to see... by kaan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft: "We haven't talked to a single user who has said they're using [open source] because it's better."

    millions of people: "Ah, but there are millions of us here, and we all use open source solutions because they're better, cheaper, faster, more secure, and easier to maintain."

    Microsoft: "What's that? You say that open source is better?"

    millions of people: "Yes"

    Microsoft: "Right! Then we're not going to talk to you. Now, as we were saying, we haven't talked to a single user..."

    or maybe it was the other way around, and the pro-open source people didn't want to talk to Microsoft, because you know, why bother. And then Microsoft says "we haven't talked to a single user..."