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Microsoft May Be Targeting the Ubuntu Desktop

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-not-with-lasers dept.

mjasay writes "Microsoft is advertising for a new director of open source strategy, but this one has a specific purpose: fight the Linux desktop. 'The Windows Competitive Strategy team is looking for a strong team member to lead Microsoft's global desktop competitive strategy as it relates to open source competitors.' For a variety of reasons, this move is almost certainly targeted at Ubuntu Linux's desktop success. With the Mac, not Linux, apparently eating into Microsoft's Windows market share, what is it about desktop Linux, and specifically Ubuntu, that has Microsoft spooked?" Reader christian.einfeldt notes Microsoft's acknowledgment of the FOSS threat to their business model within SEC filings, and suggests that this job posting could instead be about maintaining Internet Explorer's market share lead against Firefox.

8 of 583 comments (clear)

  1. Re:woo by nomadic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ok, SEVENTEEN. My point still remains. I'm just bad at math.

  2. Re:Alternate summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...what is it about Ubuntu that's making Microsoft target them specifically?

    Somebody showed Steve Ballmer this bug report?

    Bug #1 (liberation):
    Microsoft has a majority market share

  3. Re:woo by jgtg32a · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is slashdot if you are going to post something like that we require proper regex syntax.

    m/(ba|c|tc|k)sh/

    Thank you

  4. Re:woo by Z00L00K · · Score: 4, Funny

    In Soviet Mircrosoft the Operating System owns You.

    --
    If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
  5. Re:woo by BrentH · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know, usually things that are 17 years old are very ready for my desktop. If I like the performance, I may just take it to the kitchen table!

  6. Re:I'm not sure that either of you are correct... by mysticgoat · · Score: 5, Funny

    What did Linus say a few years ago? Here it is:

    Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
    Interview with the New York Times, September, 2003

  7. Re:woo by mrsteveman1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    pervert

  8. Re:And the other thing that scares them by NDPTAL85 · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's another way to look at it. That code is there to prevent people from stealing the OS since its thats popular. Linux on the other hand has trouble gaining marketshare even though its free. Its almost as if you literally can't GIVE Linux away. You have to come up with a philosophical 'movement' to talk people into using it.

    --
    Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.