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2006 Software War Map between FOSS and Microsoft

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the always-entertaining dept.

Ant writes "Neatorama mentions Steven Hilton's Software War Map that depicts "the epic struggle of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) against the Empire of Microsoft. It was updated in 2006."

8 of 311 comments (clear)

  1. "It was updated in 2006" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't it a bit early to feature this on Slashdot?

  2. I don't know... by honestmonkey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It seems to be missing some things. Surely some of the Companies shown fighting MS are also fighting each other? And who says it's a war anyway? Some things are just good ideas, and lots of folks are going to come up with variations. Does that always mean a battle? It seems silly to me, rather than informative.

    --
    Everything you know is wrong, Just forget the words and sing along.
    1. Re:I don't know... by SQLGuru · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "It seems to be missing some things."

      Why isn't Visual Studio going toe-to-toe with Eclipse?

      Where's VBScript vs JavaScript?

      What's Web / AJAX services doing in the corner? MS has that capability, too.

      What about DirectX vs OpenGL?

      I'm sure it's missing quite a bit more, too.

      Layne

    2. Re:I don't know... by PeeCee · · Score: 5, Informative
      but Visual Studio 2005 is without comparison. Eclipse is stone age compared to Visual Studio.

      Whaat?? As a full time Visual Studio developer (no zealotry here), I find that 2005 is far superior to previous incarnations(*), and quite decent in its own right, but it doesn't hold a candle to Eclipse. Note that I'm talking about the "native" VS-C# vs Eclipse-Java development here, because obviously both (especially Eclipse) are capable of a lot more.

      VS 2005 only just incorporated refactoring support, and it's still pretty limited. It also catches a lot fewer errors (helped by the fact that Eclipse background-compiles your code all the time), and doesn't have half as many smart code-completion features (yeah, it has plenty of "dumb" completions, but Eclipse sometimes feels like it can pretty much write all your code on its own while you just wish it into existence).

      That said, I find two big advantages to VS2005: its learning curve is a lot less steep (remember the first time you actually tried to run your program in Eclipse?), and its GUI (WinForms) editor is very simple+powerful (as long as you don't want to dig too much inside the code it generates).

      But seriously, I'm interested: What do you find is so much better in VS2005 than Eclipse?

      (*) Note: VS2005 is pretty cool when it works. Aside from Windows ME, it has got to be one of the buggiest pieces of software ever to come out of Redmond. In the past 8 months I have bumped into innumerable problems all around: the IDE, C++ and C# compilers, libraries... you can tell they rushed it out the door. I had found plenty of bugs in MS development tools before, but never so many in such a short timespan. Also, it's bloated, but I guess when comparing it to Eclipse that doesn't count :)

  3. Room for improvement by Silent+sound · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Problems that stick out with this map, off the top of my head:
    1. It does not include any indication of the convoluted Sony/Nintendo/DirectX/XBox 360/Bluray/HD-DVD/Windows Media Center conflict; the DirectX vs OpenGL battle is listed as a "front" but OpenGL is depicted as coming from SGI, an irrelivant company who is literally currently in the process of filing for bankruptcy
    2. In general lacks any sign of WMA/WMP, or the European legal issues currently related to them
    3. In no way indicates Sun's bizarre pseudostalinesque trying-to-simultaneously-ally-with-and-fight-both- sides, -and-failing strategy as regards the GPL and Open Source
    4. "Trusted Computing" references fail to note that Apple, who is listed as Microsoft's enemy on this chart, is now using Trusted Platform Module chips
    5. ODF/OASIS not included
  4. No it wasn't by Silent+sound · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love that this is presented as a serious piece of news!

    No... actually it was posted on Slashdot

  5. War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. by twitter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It seems to be missing some things.

    Yes, the war includes all kinds of media and it's creators. Programmers have been joined by all kinds of artists and creators. There's a free media revolution going on. The incumbents have shown their hand and it stinks.

    And who says it's a war anyway?

    Microsoft and big publishers say it's a war. The goal is TV and Radio broadcast style control of all media. They will sue you in your home (RIAA), at your business (SCO), and at your kid's school (BSA). They don't really care what you do, but they will try their best to have you do as they say.

    The goal is to take your money without your consent for any information exchange. You will pay for a M$ license each time you buy a computer. You will pay per minute or byte of conversation on any electronic device, per play of your music, movies novels and textbooks. Your taxes will pay to encoded your information into secret formats and pay again to retrieve it. The new media, paradoxally, will be more expensive and restricted than it's analog and physical predecessors. All of these intentions have been openly declared and loudly demanded by all of the bad actors.

    If that's not a declaration of war, I'm not sure what is. The less you know and care, the easier it will be for them to make the world as they wish.

    The world does not have to be that way. People do not mind sharing if it cost them nothing and brings greater returns. Excellence thrives in competition and everyone prospers. Success stories are the whole free software movement, which has obliterated the need for non free, and free media: archive.org and creative commons instead of the big three music publishers; YouTube instead of TV; VOIP instead of Telco; Wikipedia instead of expensive paper publications. The economics of electronic data exchange doom the monopoly publishers unless they pass truly unAmerican laws. Fight the bastards by not giving your money to those who would enslave you.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  6. Re:Just Wait till Vista by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Facts:

    1.) Vista is an operating system.
    2.) Vista fights ALL the time.
    3.) The purpose of Vista is to flip out and kill people.

    Vista can kill anyone it wants! Vista cuts off heads ALL the time and doesn't even think twice about it. This thing is so crazy and awesome that it flips out ALL the time. I heard that Vista was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon Vista killed the whole town. My friend Mark said that he saw Vista totally uppercut some kid just because the kid opened a window.

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."