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Why Microsoft Cozied up to Open Source at OSCON

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the guarded-optimism dept.

This year at OSCON it seemed that you couldn't throw a stone without hitting someone from Microsoft (and in fact, I'm sure several people did). They were working very hard to make themselves known, and working desperately to change public opinion of Microsoft's involvement in the open source community. Linux.com's Nathan Willis took a look at what they were preaching, with a hefty dose of skepticism, and tries to postulate what the "angle" is. Of course, the powers that be at Microsoft may have finally seen the writing on the wall and felt the pressure from Google enough to alter their strategy a bit. For now I guess we'll have to wait with guarded optimism (or laughable contempt, depending on how old/jaded you are).

5 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. MS cannot be trusted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches.

    --Steve Balmer

  2. yeah right... by sm62704 · · Score: 4, Informative

    working desperately to change public opinion of Microsoft's involvement in the open source community

    After years of calling it "open sores" and saying open source is a "cancer", I'd say they have their work cut out for them.

    Do they really wonder why open source people don't trust them?

    --
    mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
  3. Re:All together now: by value_added · · Score: 4, Informative

    Embrace, Extend....

    No doubt that approach remains dominant, but it's too simplistic. The article seems to conclude that Microsoft is after hearts and minds, developers, specifically, but anyone else within earshot would help just the same.

    That would make the latest developments more akin to Walmart's "our valued associates" commercials, oil companies touting "green" initiatives, US car makers promising economic turnarounds with concept cars, or, if you're so inclined, presidential political political strategies that ranged from compassionate conservatism, to "restoring honor", to the latest "I'm Different (honest!)" by McCain.

  4. I think you mean PDF by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    *IF* MS wanted to be open source friendly, things like OOXML would just vanish

    So, to be friendly to open source, they should get rid of the only open document format that can handle billions of legacy documents without losing fidelity???

    Grandparent said OOXML not PDF.

  5. Re:MS Open Source is a Web Fallback by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Informative

    that goes against google's core principle of hoarding as much data as possible

    Google sells a server you can drop in to index your internal corporate network, dropping in a similar apps server doesn't seem any different from a 'data hoarding' perspective.

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.