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Microsoft Sells Linux To Wal-Mart

Posted by kdawson on from the devil-you-know dept.

Several readers wrote in to let us know that Wal-Mart is planning to buy SUSE Linux vouchers from Microsoft in the course of building out its infrastructure. These are the support vouchers that Microsoft must distribute to hold up its end of the bargain with Novell. Wal-Mart has been a customer of Red Hat Linux. CBR Online notes that the deal is not entirely unexpected because Microsoft's COO, Kevin Turner, is the former CIO of Wal-Mart.

3 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. and so, then Lucy says to Charlie Brown by yagu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And then, so Lucy says to Charlie Brown, "Come on Charlie Brown, I promise not to pull the ball back this time when you kick it!"

    Does anyone imagine in any way or any context this Microsoft -- Wal-Mart relationship for Linux could be a good thing? I can thing of many reasons and many ways Microsoft can undermine and even try to bury Linux with this Novell Suse bargain (with the Devil?), but I only need think of one.

    Suppose as Wal-Mart moves forward doing "stuff" with Linux things go terrible wrong, or get terribly hard. "No problem", says Microsoft... you need only switch to our SQL Server which of course needs to run on a Vista Server, etc. It's win-win for Microsoft.

    Microsoft gets additional customer share from Linux, and has a diamond-crusted public whipping boy to prove once and for all Linux can't cut it in the big boys' world (business). We all know Linux can, but with big publicity coups I fear Microsoft gains more purchase in the PR war.

    Maybe none of this will come to pass, but do you think for one minute a company that sold out its business partners with "Plays for Sure" (sorry, I know I keep using this as an example...), won't think twice about short-shrifting any value Linux brings to the table? Microsoft has shown itself a predator many times before, there's no reason to think this isn't just one more opportunity for them (and a big one at that).

  2. Classic FUD at work by CheeseTroll · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The company now uses Linux in the data center of its current Web presence but had some trepidation with the idea of expanding it a much larger operation. "To think about using it pervasively, we were very concerned about it," she said. The larger Web operation would have "significantly higher legal exposure."

    Fear? Check.
    Uncertainty? Check.
    Doubt? Check.
    ...
    Profit for MS? Check.
    --
    A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
  3. Re:Walmart is stupid by coldsleep · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No IT manager wants to take the blame for having a critical server crash.

    Especially when the only guy they can reach internally just switched from supporting Windows and the guru is on vacation.

    And the data center is operating on generator because a tornado knocked out the power.

    You get the drift. Non-free Linux == CYA for managers.