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Sam Ramji, Microsoft's Open Source Guru, Is Moving On
barking_at_airplanes writes "Some called him crazy a few years ago when he joined Microsoft to run the Open Source Software Lab, but Sam Ramji endured and made real differences to how Microsoft treats open source and how open source people view Microsoft. Ramji is now heading back to Silicon Valley to join a cloud computing startup. Sam comments in his announcement: '46 months later, I am amazed at the changes that have occurred for the company, for the team I belonged to, and the sentiments of the industry.' It's a statement which, 46 months ago, few Slashdotters would have thought could come true! With Sam leaving, can Microsoft's positive momentum into open source continue successfully? Bill Hilf says they're 'actively seeking someone to fill Sam's shoes.'"
Hire Stallman!
Sam Ramji... made real differences to how Microsoft treats open source and how open source people view Microsoft.
[Citation needed]
deus does not exist but if he does
The article claims Ramji has improved relations between Microsoft and open source people? Since when have relations between Microsoft and open source been anything but negative? We read stories on here almost every day about some new point of conflict.
Here is how Bill Hilf explains Microsoft's Open Source Strategy:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=203100965&pgno=3 ... versus LITIGATE."
".. our PREFERRED plan is to LICENSE
Gee, where have we heard that before? Oh yes. Darl McBride, CEO of The SCO Group:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2003/07/59701
"We would PREFER LICENSING to LITIGATION,"
Such a nice bunch of guys.
Microsoft has announced Microsoft CodePlex, its new Open Source foundation.
"We want to be more responsive to your needs," said Sam Ramji of Microsoft during a Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit panel this week as he wiped rotten tomatoes off his suit.
"We want all open source innovation to happen on Windows. In practice, Windows is too slow, and just putting Linux underneath the same software stack triples performance. So we're running the Windows versions of the software on Linux using Wine. We'll also be funding the Wine on Windows initiative."
The new Microsoft Amazingly Open And Genuine Public License allows you complete freedom to use, modify and redistribute the software provided that every copy comes with a DVD of Windows Vista Ultimate, you acknowledge that Microsoft's FAT patent protects a remarkable and valuable innovation in computer science and all accompanying documentation is in OOXML. Also, all your data belongs to Microsoft.
The overwhelming dominance of Microsoft was assured, he said, pointing to their success in paying netbook manufacturers to use Windows XP and paying US retailers not to stock the Linux versions of the computers. "We're also enforcing our patent on right-clicking. And on the number seven." Ramji reassured journalists of his absolute faith in the power of Microsoft's vision, just before quitting to work somewhere -- anywhere -- else.
http://rocknerd.co.uk
that all depends on what Ramji means when he refers to MS's "positive momentum". Did MS become viewed more as more positively against open source because they tried to sell patents to patent trolls? Did they become viewed more positively against open source when instead of joining the existing open source community at large they created their own "open source" foundation?
I would have to say, yes. So, in that aspect Ramji is correct. MS has created increasing distrust of them. So, I guess that is a positive movement, as it is an increase, not a decrease.
"while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." de Tocqueville
This is the first I've heard of him. If I had heard of him before now, I sure as hell didn't remember him.
"Success", "open source" and "Microsoft" can only come together in one way: the release of ALL of Microsoft's source code under the BSD or MIT licenses. We're talking .NET, Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, SQL Server, and all of their lesser-known business software.
That clearly hasn't happened, so there hasn't been any success here.
they still do all these "little things" like screwing Grub after Windows installation, something they can fix in one person/day. Not to mention "big" things, like document formats etc. I don't know what this guy is really talking about...
839*929
fauxking fiddles is to the softwar 'business'. ie; a threatening parasite with just one goal.
I just hope he doesnt screw up Spiderman 4..
Er... Wait..
The overall direction of the company is evil. They have done plenty of evil things. Balmer is still a patent troll. But Microsoft is a giant company win tons of divisions. And many of their employees are real, decent human beings. Not all Microsoft divisions agree with patent trolling, FUD, extinguishing open standards, etc. In fact I talked to a Microsoft employee who once said you have to realize this is a company that doesn't have the management or foresight to have the Exchange team directly tied to the Outlook team, because Exchange is a separate server product, where as Outlook is merely part of the Office team.
I think a lot of people fail to notice that Microsoft is LESS EVIL than they were before. No doubt, guys like Sam Ramji played a part in that. For that, I am grateful.
Kudos to you, sir.
That being said, does his non-compete kick into effect since Ray Ozzie said Microsoft's future 100% lies with cloud computing, and Ramji is going to a competing cloud computing company? And do you want to run a start-up trying to compete with a multi-billion dollar behemoth that likes to crush competition?
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
Declare victory and get out.
It is like I stepped into a time warp or something. The exact location on the hard disk holding the timestamp field for your comment must have been hit by some neutrino or something and fiddled the bits so instead of "Sept. 12, 1997" it read "Sept 12, 2009".
I mean seriously, comment is *ancient*. It is like those hippies on Height and Ashbury who are still all dressed up for the 1960's--same signs, same slogans, same everything. Like they are trapped in time.
Move on man. Update your slogans and chants. Embrace and Extend was awesome for its time... back in 1998. It is 2009. The world has moved on. Reading your post fills me with sadness and pity. Find something else to protest or at least come up with pithy new lines. ... PS: You should be ever so thankful that the neutrino didn't flip the bit so it was "Feb 31, 2009" or "00-00-0000" because those perfectly valid MySQL dates aren't so valid in the real world :-)
Don't forget their involvement with JQuery.
In recognition for his outstanding achievements in bridging the gap between FOSS and Microsoft, let me suggest Miguel de Icaza. I doubt there's another human who's done more to embrace Microsoft patented technologies and extend them into popular Linux distributions. With his advocacy on OOXML, his dedicated efforts on Mono and Moonlight he's proven himself a capable mimic who can transform Free and Open Source Software from the type of innovative cauldron that gave us our current rich selection into a uniform platform that consistently replicates Microsoft, only perpetually two years behind.
They should get him - if only they have what it takes to lure him away from Novell.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
You forgot to add corrupting an international standards body...
When I visited Microsoft and listened to spiels from their open source group, Sam Ramji was the only one with a clue. This is Microsoft's loss.
How does the above post do anything but spew outright bullshit?
Most companies attract talent with grants of restricted stock which matures to unrestricted shares over the course of about 39 months. He made his money its time to move on. The rumors blowing in the winds of Redmond indicate that there will be considerable organizational changes announced before this thread scrolls off the 'Older Stuff' page. I am guessing many golden parachutes will deploy in the coming weeks.
So, the point is that nothing changed?
What are you smoking?
Copyright infringement is "piracy" in the same way DRM is "consumer rape"
My turn!!!! -1 Flamebait.....
Sam won't leave M$; he will continue to astroturf like Joe Wilcox, Steve Ballmer, Paul Allen, and Bill Gates has while being paid by M$. Sam Ramiji is the anagram for I Am Sam Jr. and M$ is the acronym for evil. M$ will not only continue to hamper the efforts of free software, but hold onto a monopoly through the offerings of crappy non-free software, crappy specs, , and act as the so-called friends" of the free software movement. M$ will stab the free software movement in the back once M$ gains the undeserved full trust of the free software community. It is time for the Obama administration to send the FBI over to M$ and arrest all M$ executives for their illegal monopoly. After that M$ should be forced to free all of their code and specs for all file formats under the GPL 3 then turn all available money over to the free software movement. Once that happens the stock holders should be turned loose on the brooke M$. M$ should cease to exist.
--
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Friends do assist M$ addicted friends in committing suicide.
But you have to admit, it would make for an awesome reality show.
Seriously ;-) still a great read: The Microsoft Memo
No Schnoogs. You're just a jackass. I wonder if you are same 'Schnoogs' who has been banned from gaming forums (like this one) for similar asinine behavior?
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
Do you know why you consistently get modded down? It's not for the content of your posts; as there are other people who pose the same or similar opinions who regularly get modded +1. It's because of the combative, insulting, and generally petulant nature of your posts.
/. (since, as you have so often mentioned, we are all morons anyway), or start articulating your opinions without attacking those that disagree.
There are those who read all of your posts and start down-modding them just because they get tired of reading your misdirected rage. I would recommend that you stop posting on
We are not your enemy.
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
That much is obvious.
If 'rarely' is defined by you as nearly daily and often several times a day, then I guess I agree.
Again, I do not know what you are calling an 'anecdote', but I have read through all your posts and cannot find a single one. Mostly just you saying something like 'HAHAHA You are teh moron and I love Sony and you are such a loser!!!!'. Can you provide a link to a post you have made proving me wrong here?
There is no grand conspiracy here. You are not being modded down for speaking out against the consensus. I lot of other people do that are not modded down. It's is only your apparent inability to disagree without being a total jerk that gets you modded down.
Buddy, you are not being silenced. You are not being oppressed. You are just being a dick.
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
That's why I said: "Can you provide a link to a post you have made proving me wrong here?". Of you course you did not. Because you could not. Because there are none.
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.