Steve Ballmer's Thoughts On Free Software

An anonymous reader writes, "Steve Ballmer during a 3-day visit to India was asked about whether Free software is the future of India. And he effectively circumvented the question and answered that in the future, software businesses can look at a number of revenue streams such as subscription fees, lower cost hardware, advertising and of course traditional transaction. What is amusing is that in answering the question, he refuses to use the word 'free' or anything close to it."

Comments

Make sense, dammit!

[Rob T Firefly]

Is Free Software the future of India? Steve Ballmer CEO of Microsoft answers...

This must be some new definition of "answers" I wasn't previously aware of.

"As rich and good be bridging the digital divide

Steve Ballmer is Ali G!

"It is not not about money but also not about short term profits".

This comment is not about chicken and is also not about chicken picatta.

"You can do three things ... you can stay in and do nothing, stay in and have a point of view or stay out".

In many cases you only actually have the first and third of those options.

Re:India and free don't go well together

[quokkapox]

The little asterisk next to his nickname means he's an anarcho-capitalist. They are able to think and type much more rapidly than garden-variety Pinko-Commie/Libertarian Slashdotters.

Re:let's give equal airtime to...

[MS-06FZ]

george:/usr/src/altra/test/monte_carlo/12:37:03 > bash, what do you think about Steve Ballmer?
c:\bin\bash: bash,: command not found

Python 2.3.4 (#1, Jun 13 2004, 11:21:03)
[GCC 3.3.1 (cygming special)] on cygwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> Any thoughts on Steve Ballmer?
    File "", line 1
        Any thoughts on Steve Ballmer?
                              ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

george:/usr/src/altra/test/monte_carlo/12:38:22 > perl
Would you like to make a comment on Steve Ballmer?
Search pattern not terminated at - line 1.

M-X could-you-tell-me-about-Steve-Ballmer-please [no match]

I am the psychotherapist. Please, describe your problems. Each time you are finished talking, type RET twice.
> I'd like to know how Free Software feels about Steve Ballmer.
Why do you say you might want to know how?
> Because someone on Slashdot raised the question and I think it deserves an answer.
Is it because someone on slashdot raised the question and you think it deserves an answer that you came to me?
> Not exactly. I couldn't get a good answer from bash, xemacs, python, or perl.
What makes you believe that?
> I asked them and they didn't provide me with a good answer.
Earlier you said you would like to know how?
> how Free Software feels about Steve Ballmer, yes.
Does it bother you that free software feels about steve ballmer yes?
> What?
Can you elaborate on that?
> On what?
Maybe your plans have something to do with this.
> What plans? What are you talking about?
Are you sure that what are I talking about?
> Am I... huh?
I would appreciate it if you would continue.
> Look, can you just tell me what you think of Steve Ballmer?
You mentioned that someone on slashdot raised the question and you think it deserves an answer?
> Yes, that's why I'm asking.
When did you first know that you are asking?
> Just now. When I asked.
What happened when you asked?
> You dodged the question.
Is it because of your life that you are going through all this?
> In a very, very indirect way, you could make that attribution. You could also say that I'm doing this because life developed on Earth.
Is the fact that you are doing this because life developed on earth the real reason?
> Not from my perspective, no.
Is it because of the people you hang around with that you say not from your perspective no?
> It's because that's not the direct reason, from my perspective.
Does the fact that that's not the direct reason from your perspective explain anything else?
> I'm sick of this. Please answer my question.
Do you really think you would like to know how?
> How you feel about Steve Ballmer, yes.
Are you sure I feel about steve ballmer yes?
> No.
Why not?
> Because you haven't made your feelings clear.
Is it because I have not made my feelings clear that you came to me?
> That doesn't make any sense at all.
Are you annoyed that does not make any sense at all?
> Yes.

As you can see, Free Software seems committed to avoiding the question - always changing the subject or feigning ignorance of the grammar being used. To be fair, I don't think we can consider this a reasonable position, any more so than Ballmer's at least.