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Hilf Claims Free Software Movement Dead
moe1975 writes to mention that Bill Hilf has taken a rather aggressive stance with regard to the status of the Free Software movement. With claims like; "The Free Software movement is dead. Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even Linus has got a job today" it would certainly seem that the next offensive is going to be sponsored by denial. "For the desktop, Hilf sees a new frontier in terms of rich client programming. With more and more services by Amazon, Google, Yahoo and, of course, Microsoft being run as services rather than as software installed locally, it will be up to the desktop to provide richer functionality."
Thank you.
I though the headline read, "MILF Claims Free Software Movement Dead."
You could try reading the article. He's the head of Microsoft's Linux division. Which is a bit like saying that Sun's Windows division just declared Microsoft Windows irrelevant. Who cares?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
TFA claims that just because IBM and Redhat are involved in free software development, the code is somehow less free. The fact is that anyone can fork off Redhat and give away or sell support for their own distribution. In fact, this is commonly done.
From TFA: "The Free Software movement is dead. Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even Linus has got a job today." Controversial statements from the head of Microsoft's Linux Labs, Bill Hilf.
They purposefully left the last sentence out of the summary to drive hits. This guy's just another paid microsoft shill. Nothing to see here, move along.
The Farewell Tour II
Wow! And aren't the Japanese getting ready to migrate to this non-existant software ecosystem? How very philosophically Eastern of them! It's like some sort of crazy Zen thing!
random underscore blankspace at ya know hoo dot comedy.
This article does not exist in 2007.
Move right along.
Except that there's a minute chance OJ might have actually not done it.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
FUD confusing open source with free software by unpaid programmers, making up windows server base numbers and referring to _AMP as "Visual Basic of open source" that pulled Linux along and what the programmers really want is to run their apps on Vista. Interoperability should only happen after a decade or so, because no one wants it anyway. A guy develops a 3d interface but can't figure out how that would work with Linux. Just FUD, nothing happening here folks, keep moving along.
LOL
Ssshhhh. Just don't let my notebook know that linux doesn't exist on it. It works pretty well so far with making up this fantasy-OS in function. Dont wake it. Nor my PC. Nor my linux servers. Nor any of the kernel developers. Let them dream they still actually do stuff. A free OS, really :)
<on a highway>
radio: pls be aware of the one guy driving in the wrong way!
guy: one? All of them!
</on a highway>
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Hax-fu?
You might even say that the Free Software Movement is in its "Last Throes".
This person at InfoWorld thinks Microsoft must really be hurting for them to be saying these things.
If Free Software and Linux is dead then why is Microsoft claiming that it violates 235 of their patents.
People aren't moving to online services. They're still moving to "free". Just happens it's online instead of locally installed. Woop-de-fucking-do.
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
Can we moderate this story "Troll" or "Flamebait"?
You can go Hilf yourself, over the Gratis part.
Verdict? Obfuscation, misdirection and deliberate misinformation. Linux has ad a day job since he left University.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
So, apparently, "Free Software" only exists if the people making it are unemployed?
Does this even begin to make sense?
Oh, wait, its from the "head of Microsoft's Linux Labs". Microsoft sayibng "Free Software is dead and Linux doesn't exist" isn't news, though I guess the fact that they've changed how they are saying it might be.
Having failed with the "Free Software is unreliable stuff put out by hippie slackers ideologues that have no idea how to make software usable in the real world" line, Microsoft is apparently now trying out a new line of FUD which doesn't even superficially make sense. "Big companies are involved in open source and people are getting paid, so, whatever the licensing terms say, its somehow not really free"?
His statements are an amazing mix of half-truths, selective reinterpretations and marketing drivel. I don't think he says anything that is a flat out lie, but every single word is on the edge. Congratulations to Microsoft for hiring the best spin doctor in the industry?
Try out fish, the friendly interactive shell.
erm, isn't he the guy that changed his name to Bill to be more like billgates?
lanc
ps: what, are they the only ones allowed to fud around?
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
His logic is absurd. Assuming these web apps are standards compliant, they are the death knell of Windows hegemony. The only question is whether Microsoft can somehow manage to make their apps only work (or at least only work fully) on IE/Windows.
What comes first, finding a teacher or becoming a student?
How am I able to read this article? It is running LAMP.
Netcraft on bangkokpost.com
Even more strange, over 56% of the web must not exist either?
LOL... The guys picture in the article looks like an idiot. If anyone is believing this bullshit by some Microsoft shill... I got a deed to the Atlantic Ocean I want to sell, $1 billion dollars its cheap!
Software as a Service will never become popular as long as the open source movement exists. This is why Microsoft is trying its hardest to make everyone believe its dead and doing all the sabre rattling with regards to patents.
Proprietary software has its place in the marketplace but trying to force people who are already operating under the licensing model of software to switch to Software as a Service(SaaS) scheme... Even the most financially irresponsible person can see that paying $10-20/mo over the course of your computers lifetime is more than buying a single copy at $100-120 (oh wait sorry for Vista thats like $400 for Ultimate, this in comparison to Server 2003 which is $600).
SaaS has its place as well... I mean look at all the MMO's out there, they are all basically SaaS schemes. They work because they are providing something people want (a forum for interaction with both real people as well as computer AI 'mobs' and a sense of accomplishment). Of course one could argue that the servers the thing runs on is basically a service in which case a MMO truely becomes a Service as a Service scheme where you buy subscriptions (sorta like how Linux server distros sell service contracts to come help fix things if stuff gets broken)
09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
+2 Troll is Slashdot's way of saying groupthink is confused
These same commercial web services will benefit GNU/Linux.
At present I am an OS X user because I am willing to pay for the high quality, hassle-free user experience Apple provides.
But already 90%+ of my computer use outside of work is of web-based. So long as GNU/Linux continues to be - and continues to improve as - a viable platform for this content, I suspect a great number of users will continue to inch nearer to being able to use GNU/Linux as their primary (and sole) system.
I'd really like to see usage statistics for the general populace: percentage breakdowns of non-business related usage categories.
My guess: email, web browsing, multimedia, games, taxes.
I didn't recognize the name at first. Bill Hilf did a Slashdot interview a while back. He is currently Director of Platform Technology Strategy at Microsoft. Before that he was Senior Enterprise Architect at IBM.
He talks about being hired by Microsoft as an expert in Linux-based systems. Near as I can tell, he is a glorified network administrator.
As for his comments, stating that the Free Software movement is dead because Linus has a job speaks volumes about his ignorance on the topic.
Request a Linux Shockwave player here: http://www.macromedia.com/support/email/wishform/
I hope the next time some Microsoft shill comes around Slashdot telling us how MS is open source friendly, and wants us to supply some questions for him not to answer, we all ask the same one; Have you stopped beating your wife?
I'm serious. After Microsoft's positioning over the last few days, I don't think there's anything more to talk about. They are THE enemy of open source. They are THE enemy of free software. There are THE enemy of choice. They are THE enemy of competition.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
* Linux doesn't exist because it's actually everywhere, distributed by gigantic companies which make zillions of dollars off it.
.Net in the market (this makes me wonder if Hilf, back in high school, used to grumble that "the only reason Randy the Quarterback gets laid is because he has a Mustang...").
* The Open Source Movement doesn't exist because it's been adopted by companies both large and small, which are all merrily making a profit from it.
* Because Open Source is mostly commercial and very successful, making lots of money for the large and small companies that are involved in it, the only way to "grow the ecosystem" is to switch to the Microsoft products nobody wants to buy anymore.
* Linux is only popular because it's the foundation for the LAMP web-development stack, which has been trouncing
* Because Open Source Software runs on Windows too, all those Apache guys are probably running Windows.
* Standards are a communist plot started by those hippies at IBM because darnit, they just don't like Microsoft. It's not fair (hilf makes pouty face).
* WPF-E needs a better name so everybody will want to program in it. If WPF-E gets a cool name like Flash, everybody will use it immediately.
* Because Programming is Hard and that's Just Not Cool, Microsoft wants to make it like "turning a knob" so that developers don't have to work in high-paying jobs anymore, and can go find something new to do for minimum wage that'll probably be funner.
Did I miss anything? I swear reading his comments is like being hit with one Zen Koan after another, machine gun style. What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Phew. Too much, too much. I've gotta go do something fun for a while. Hmm...
Warhammer 40K! Death to the False Emperor! C'mere, you Eldar hussy, you...
NO CARRIER
Q: What did we learn from that case btw?
:)
A: Never try to frame a guilty man.
I kid I kid...
Saying "Linux doesn't exist anymore" is a strong statement.
And implying that "open source developers" have a "dirty little secret" is groundless and unnecessarily emotive.
I read into this that MS are worried. They are starting to see open source software as the serious threat that it has become to them.
Open source software has proven itself in the first years of the 21st century more than able to match closed source in terms of security and quality. Every day I am impressed by the countless free programs I use; Ubuntu, Firefox, VLC, VNC, GAIM, Kate, Krita, Ruby on Rails and yes, Mr Hilf, the LAMP stack.
And I sigh a little everytime I use Redmond's latest offering (which I have to keep on my laptop to use photshop and view youtube) and explorer dies or an IPC service fails, or it simply refuses to shut down, or Outlook crashes, or the sound is marred by pops and crackles because of the new improved audio subsystem.
If Microsoft with billions of dollars and thousands of dedicated programmers cannot improve upon Ubuntu, the product of - to use his words - a "small commercial firm" - I think it's pretty clear which software movement is dead.
It'll take perhaps 10 or 15 years, but the beginning of the end for Microsoft is on the horizon.
But please don't tell them.
This one's even better:
... of half of them?
"That's the dirty little secret. When I talk to open source developers, at least half are talking about Windows, from SugarCRM, MySQL, PHP. Every single one,"
Every single one
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
So, if he is head of Microsoft's Linux division, and Linux doesn't exist, I wonder why he has not fired himself and declared himself dead?
I'm curious - does Vista really look better than enlightenment circa 1999? I know it's less functional simply by not having multiple desktops lets alone anything else.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi.
We have now moved from the ignore phase to the ridicule phase. Fasten your seatbelts kids, its going to get bumpy.
None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.
Bill Hilf is dead. That is all.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Geeze, I just can't keep up with all these application-specific html tags! I bet that doesn't render the same on IE and Firefox...
The enemies of Democracy are
Microsoft is desperate, really desperate. They see the writing on the wall, and they know their empire is about to collapse.
You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
A customer enters a pet shop.
Mr. Hilf: 'Ello, I wish to complain about this Free Software parrot what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.
Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Finnish Blue...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?
Mr. Hilf: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it!
(Parrot squawks noisily and flaps about)
Owner: Looks fine to me.
Mr. Hilf: Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.
(The parrot is attempting to move but seems to be having some trouble. It squawks loudly).
Owner: Are you sure he's not just pining for the fjords?
Mr. Hilf: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment I got 'im home?
(Owner inspects parrot closely. Looks up incredulously, then takes another look before raising his head again)
Owner: It looks like someone nailed him there! Look. (Owner removes the nail, and the parrot flaps about)..
Mr. Hilf: Well, erm.... of course it was nailed there! If I hadn't nailed that bird down, it would have nuzzled up to those bars, bent 'em apart with its beak, and started eating into our market share!
Owner: I thought you said 'e was dead?
Mr. Hilf: Ermm....... 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a..... OOOOUCH! Little bastard bit my finger.
Owner: I'd say that clearly proves your Finnish Free Software parrot isn't dead.
Mr. Hilf: Well, can I stick a nail through its head just to be sure?
Owner: Get out of my shop before I call animal protection, you sick bastard!
Mr. Hilf: This is the worst bastardisation of a Monty Python sketch I've ever been in. I never wanted to be this creepy Microsoft shill you know... I wanted to be a lumberja...
Owner: Get out!
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
... concerns over the 235 patents of theirs they claim Linux infringes?
Or maybe they are pretending Linux doesn't exist today so tomorrow when they recognize that it does they can claim all of Linux is infringing their patents... ya know a prior art thing.
and the only thing even more depressing than that is one with chair-marks on his face.
free software, open standards, open file formats, no software patents.
you should read everything on the internet as if it had "but I'm probably talking out of my ass" appended to it.
I have short stories and essays I created using Microsoft Word 10-15 years ago that I can't open with Word today. None of these used any fancier formatting than double spacing and varying font sizes. That is why standards are important. We can't apparently expect Microsoft to keep the formats backwards compatible, so it is up to us as consumers to seek standards that will ensure that the information we create today will be just as accessible tomorrow.
IANAL... But I play one on
"Hilf accused his former employers, IBM, of starting a standards war simply because they wanted a part of the Office market. People do not want ODF (Open Document Format), but they want a way to control the information they create, he claimed."
He lied.
Ever since the early 90s when someone handed me a floppy disk with a document on it and said, "Do you have WordPerfect" [Word, or whatever it was].
"No."
"Well, you have to buy this program if you want to be able to read this document."
"That's stupid."
"You're out of touch, it's the way software works. You need to buy the program to read the documents."
Well, it's still stupid. I can't control my document if all I bought was Office 97 and people are handing me Office 2003 documents. It didn't have to be "odt", MS could have helped develop a better standard, but they chose not too. A private comany's product never has been, and never will be, a good choice for a standard format.
They really used to be kings of FUD but this is laughable, at best. If it wasn't Microsoft, one could almost feel sorry.
They actually prove the point that MS never, ever invented anything and that huge ecconomical success was just due to a ride on top of monopoly wave. That doesn't cut it anymore - Apple and Free Software community are making supperior products already. Windows is in such a mess that MS is not able to make any real improvements without breaking everything and basically starting from scratch. This is the reason to sing 'software as a service' song - Windows is dead and their desktop market share will start shrinking soon. It is 90%+, so yes - wiles, l take some time but they are in trouble.
Oh, Hilf - yes, we still exist. We are here!
I doubt "ignorant" is actually accurate. The guy came from IBM, and he probably knows his shit.
/. reader stating the obvious, since he probably doesn't care what most of us say even if it isn't obvious.
His job, however, is to make MSFT look good and everyone else look bad. He is very well paid for this service. he's probably also not terribly concerned about some
Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
While I agree with you in that OSes aren't going any place, I think many slashdotters (and CIOs) are getting the whole Software as a Service phenomenon wrong. SaaS allows companies to outsource things which are not their core competency (like accounts, payroll, taxes, etc.) and focus on their strengths. This is especially true for small and mid-sized businesses, but I'm seeing even large corporations following suit.
You also have to remember that Google (for example) has "enterprise" versions that don't require you to store your data on their servers.
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. - Mahatma Gandhi