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Microsoft Providing Virtual Server Free

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the right-price dept.

liliafan writes "In an effort to gain a market majority over VMware Microsoft announced it is giving Virtual Server away for free, additionally they will provide customer support for Linux. In a related move VMware have opened their partition file format to the community, aggressive and suprising moves in the virtualisation market."

20 of 401 comments (clear)

  1. Really, now... by TechnoGuyRob · · Score: 5, Funny

    That does it, Slashdot. April Fools is OVER.

    1. Re:Really, now... by slo_learner · · Score: 3, Funny

      April fools is over on May 1 or when we run out of fools, which ever comes first.

    2. Re:Really, now... by kimvette · · Score: 3, Funny

      All you had to say was May 1. :)

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    3. Re:Really, now... by Mr2cents · · Score: 2, Funny

      To be sure, someone please call Satan and ask if it's getting cold down there..

      --
      "It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
  2. in related news... by clanky · · Score: 4, Funny

    microsoft has also started offering its own proprietary air for free, in an attempt to muscle out the Earth's atmosphere from its traditional strength position in the marketplace.

    1. Re:in related news... by dhart · · Score: 2, Funny

      When asked for a comment, an anonymous Microsoft developer stated "I know that it's ancient history, but some of us were really sorry for that 'cut off their air supply' comment... long live Netscape!"

  3. Upgrade to Windows Vista by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 4, Funny
    additionally they will provide customer support for Linux.

    And what will their standard answer be? "Upgrade to Windows Vista"?

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  4. Excellent! by Joey+Patterson · · Score: 0, Funny

    Now I can emulate DOS within Linux inside Mac System 6 on Windows 2000 Professional running in VMWare Workstation running on Windows Vista Interim Build 5342 running on Virtual PC running inside Windows Server 2003 via the Citrix connection on the server at work! w00t!

  5. I will now hold my breath... by 14erCleaner · · Score: 2, Funny
    Until the US Justice Department stops this move by Microsoft on anti-trust grounds.

    OK, I changed my mind.

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    1. Re:I will now hold my breath... by Cheapy · · Score: 3, Funny

      The U.S. has a Justice department?

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  6. Microsoft Virtualization is the key to the future by jimmyhat3939 · · Score: 4, Funny
    I'm really glad they're doing this. Other virtualizations systems that I've seen/tried really can't offer the full set of APIs and functionalities that a real Microsoft product offers. For example, things like Wine can't offer the full __DllRegisterExpiryCacheDelayTwelveSeven() functionality.

    Same goes for CPU-based stuff, like Virtual-PC. They just don't run Windows properly. The thing is, since Microsoft has the only operating system out there that is largely, or even majority, undocumented, it makes sense for them to provide the virtualization software. That way they can make it work on their own undocumented platform, while using other platforms' APIs to permit easy access to Linux, OSX, etc.

    This is a win-win-win for everyone!

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  7. Sorry, Microsoft, we know your tricks. by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 4, Funny

    When you gave away MS Internet Explorer for free, many of us fell for it. Now we know better.

    1. Re:Sorry, Microsoft, we know your tricks. by Dysproxia · · Score: 2, Funny

      If you think giving software away for free is bad, wait till you hear what the open source community has been doing!

  8. Re:well... by TheCarp · · Score: 3, Funny

    Shit, why are you bothering me? _I_ knew that.

    --
    "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
  9. Re:wow, more echoes from the past by schon · · Score: 2, Funny

    MS has very little to loose.

    I disagree. Vista is a monster of Godzilla proportions, and if they loosed that on the world, they could wreak some major damage.

    MS has a lot to loose, and they have nothing to lose by doing it!

  10. Nice timing by Jsutton1027w · · Score: 2, Funny

    It seems like a good time for VMWare to open up it's disk format, now that Qemu has it completely reverse-engineered. :)

  11. In related news by rsilvergun · · Score: 2, Funny

    dogs and cats where found living together while mass hysteria ensued.

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  12. Yup ... by hotspotbloc · · Score: 4, Funny

    The first hit is always free. =)

    --
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  13. The other relevent quip... by fm6 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Didn't Nostrodamus predict this?

  14. Re:VMWare the new Netscape by Ash-Fox · · Score: 2, Funny

    AOL assimilated them.

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