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Father of Wiki Quits MS, Moves to Eclipse

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the wonder-if-that's-a-paycut dept.

linumax writes "Microsoft has lost one of its high-profile hires to an open-source consortium. Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, announced on Monday that Ward Cunningham is leaving Microsoft to join the staff of the open-source tool consortium. Cunningham's new title is Director of Committer Community Development.Cunningham, the father of the Wiki concept, joined Microsoft about two years ago. At Microsoft, he was not involved directly in social-networking-software development. Instead, Cunningham worked as an architect with the company's Patterns & Practices Team."

8 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. About time by Sheepdot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    With all these individuals leaving Microsoft for open source or other commercial ventures, does anyone suspect maybe there is about to be a shareholder shakeup of upper-level management? It would appear to me that Microsoft has gotten far too rigid, top-heavy, and doesn't provide autonomy at the development level anymore. Anyone else get the same idea based on the staff that are leaving?

    1. Re:About time by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Funny

      I wonder; if somebody leaves Microsoft, do they get their soul back?

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    2. Re:About time by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 5, Funny

      Microsoft is like the youngest uncle at the family renions, too young to know that he's too old to be hanging out with the kids anymore.

      You just made my day with that line. Thanks.

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    3. Re:About time by rho · · Score: 5, Insightful
      It used to be that dividends were the norm. Then came the awful idea that "if the company doesn't know what to do with its profits, there must be something wrong with them". This was the idea that fueled stock options and an incessant drumbeat to keep those quarterly reports positive and upbeat.

      When a company pays out profits to shareholders, then the stock is acting in a "classical" stock sense. The company is then working for its shareholders. When a company doesn't pay dividends, and the whole value of the company to the shareholder is whether the stock will rise in value, then you get into dangerous territory where stock manipulation is a key skill, rather than business acumen and "knowing thy customer".

      As for taxing dividends, IIRC, the nasty Republicans want to cut the dividends tax to zero. That encourages companies to offer dividends. That encourages investors to look at companies that pay dividends. All of the above encourages business practices that are less stock market oriented and more investor oriented. That is, it's a Good Thing. Now you're investing in a company because it produces a product that sells well, instead of investing in a company because you think you can fool somebody else into buying from you at a higher price.

      There's room for the latter in a modern market, but the former is much less fraught with criminal or unethical doings.

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  2. Re:Wikipedia by metamatic · · Score: 5, Funny
    What was he doing there anyway?

    Oh, you know... Evil.

    The usual.

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  3. Someone explains this to me... by Rhoon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How does Eclipse really effect MS' sales for Visual Studio? If I'm developing in Java, I'm going to use Eclipse of course, but I wouldn't buy V.S. for Java development... there's no support. I'd use a Borland or a Sun product to do that.

    And conversely, why would I use Eclipse for developing in a MS created Programming language (apart from the price break). IF I (or my company) have/has the cash to purchase V.S. and we're developing in C#, MFC, Visual C++ for a Windows program, then I will buy Visual Studio. I don't see how Eclipse is a direct competitor to MS at this point in time, they're hardly in the same market.

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  4. Re:What Wikipedia has become by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's gotten to the point where on the front page yesterday, it mentioned dildos and pegging.

    OMGWTF

    This is seriously a disturbing turn of events! We can't let Wikipedia inform of methods to relieve sexual tensions with dildos! OMG, what is this crap? Think of the children! We must actively start aiming Wikipedia's front page for specific cultures and religions. Act now! Do YOU want your children to grow up in a society where people are informed about human sexuality?!

  5. Oh dear! by oneandoneis2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How are Microsoft going to be able to tell people "There's no money in Open Source" if their best & brightest keep getting lured away by companies based on it? :o)

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