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Microsoft Acknowledges Open Source As a Bigger Threat Than Google

Posted by Soulskill on from the i've-been-waiting-for-you-obi-wan dept.

ruphus13 takes us to ZDNet for an analysis of comments by Microsoft's Chief Software Architect, Ray Ozzie, about how open source is "much more potentially disruptive" to Microsoft's business strategy than Google. Ozzie also spoke about the future of Microsoft's search technology, which will develop with or without Yahoo. There is a related interview at OStatic with several Microsoft employees about how they view and interact with the open source community. The head of Microsoft's global open source and Linux team is quoted saying: "The other thing I think is missing is implementation of a basic principle of economic fairness. Thousands of developers have put very hard work into building software used by millions of people and companies, yet only a fraction of these developers are rewarded financially. Currently there are perfectly good projects that have been abandoned by their developers despite being used by large corporations. Subsequently the projects fall out of use. This is unnecessary waste that would often be prevented by making it easy for companies to pay the developers directly. I think it's important to solve this so that the sustainability of open source projects is improved."

4 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. False Dichotomy by posys · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Google is based on Open Source, is very open and free, so for MS to create this false dichotomy is par. http://roboeco.com/

    --
    The Future is already here, just unevenly distributed... THE ROBOTIC WAGELESS ECONOMY NOW! http://RoboEco.com/slash
  2. Please... by pblaker99 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Think of the developers.

  3. Gandhi meet Slashdot by hansraj · · Score: -1, Redundant

    1. They ignore you
    2. They ridicule you
    3. They fight you
    4. ???
    5. Profit (You win)

  4. Re:No all we need... by oodaloop · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I heard that they made Goobuntu, a modified Ubuntu, but later learned that was an urban legend. Is there another distro they've made?

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.