Microsoft Keeps Eye on Open-Source Prize

Rob writes to tell us that at the recent Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco Microsoft's director of platform technology strategy, Bill Hilf, outlined why Microsoft is staying involved with open source. From the article: "Challenges of working [coopetively] in the open-source space include the balance between competing and cooperating with a rival, he said. Perception also is a 'big' challenge for the software giant. 'In many regards, the Microsoft open-source story lends itself to a great metaphor of David and Goliath,' he said. 'That is a challenge over perception.'"

Comments

Please define

[Anonymous Coward]

I figured out "leverage" long ago, and even Californian references to "market space" instead of just "market" no longer make me wince. But WTF is a "challenge over perception" ? Is it a "challenge to change people's perception" ? Is it a challenge to you orginating from someone's perception of you ?

I hate this San Francisco style techno babble. It involved misusing common words to make the ordinary seem new, to replace a concrete plan such as "people will pay me money through a web site and I will ship them pet food through UPS" with a vague haze of excitement and emotion.

I believe we need to put pressure on these people to use plainer language. We should write letters, boycott, protest, and of course make fun of them on the internet. We can call our movement the "Heterosexual English Please" movement.