Ask Microsoft's Martin Taylor About Linux vs. Windows

Martin Taylor is Microsoft's global general manager of platform strategy, but he's best-known as the man the company trots out to refute claims of Linux superiority. Here are links to several interviews he's done in the past two years: vnunet.com; CMP; Computerworld; and one on Microsoft's own site. As usual, please submit one question per post. We'll present 10 - 12 of the highest-moderated questions to Mr. Taylor about 24 hours after this post appears, and we expect to publish his answers within the next week.

Comments

Re:Regardless of the superiority or not

[Russ Nelson]

Microsoft could easily compete and win with Linux, by making Windows a better OS.

Ceteris paribus. In principle, everything Windows can do, we can do better, and I assume we will. When the only difference between Windows and open source is the price, how can Microsoft compete?
-russ
p.s. software patents, but that's a different question for Martin.