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Windows Server Trusts Samba4 Active Directory

Posted by timothy on from the honey-it's-not-that-you-don't-trust-me dept.

Darren Ginter writes "A group of Samba v4 developers recently spent a week in Redmond to work with Microsoft on Active Directory interoperability(?!). The result? Windows Server will now join, trust and replicate a Samba-based Active Directory using Microsoft-native protocols. Although Samba v4 is still in the alpha stages, this is a huge step for open source. Or it could be a trap."

5 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, great by HangingChad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Windows Server will now join, trust and replicate a Samba-based Active Directory using Microsoft-native protocols.

    Now I have to get ready for the 4 horsemen, rain of fire and the end of time.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  2. It's a nice story... by rcolbert · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...and good to know the hard working Samba team came away from Redmond feeling positive about the progress that was made. I don't think it's an earth moving change in the relationship between MS and the free world, but it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

    1. Re:It's a nice story... by rliden · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm kind of surprised you don't get what's going on here. MS sees a way to make money from open source. I doubt they'll trumpet that from the rooftops, but I think it's exactly what's happening lately. This will be a selling point for Server 2008 and another reason for MS customers to upgrade from Sever 2003 to 2008. So this potentially has the ability to increase upgrade sales to existing customers and provide possible sales to new multi-platform customers.

      Everyone is so worried about the MS of 10 years ago that I think they're missing the dynamic now. Free and/or Open Source software and platforms aren't going away. If you can't make your competition leave then you might as well capitalize on them and make money. MS has far more to gain from interoperability with Linux, BSD, and other open source platforms than they do from not working together (it's just taking a long time for the boardroom to move it in that direction). FOSS on the other hand has far less to gain, in my opinion, by working together and everything to gain by not making things work together since the main business model of FOSS is support service oriented.

      I think what we're seeing with this and their VM offering is to make themselves a viable player with Linux in the server arena.

      --
      Don't think of it as a flame, more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage.
    2. Re:It's a nice story... by cetialphav · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think the point here is that Microsoft's behavior is being driven by the market. The market is clearly saying that they like a lot of the FOSS solutions. If Microsoft tries to pretend like these solutions does not exist, then they will allow a software ecosystem to develop in which they have no influence. A dominant player simply cannot allow that to happen.

      In the case of FOSS, there is no way to bankrupt or buyout the competition. They still try to compete with marketing FUD, but it is obvious that that is only good for trying to slow the growth of FOSS.

      This isn't about Microsoft turning over a new leaf. The real story is that market acceptance of FOSS solutions has grown to the point where none of the major players (including Microsoft) can afford to ignore it. For someone like me who has used Linux seriously for 15 years, seeing this kind of growth and acceptance is amazing. Linux used to be ignored, but now it is respected.

  3. Re:A question of trust by gbjbaanb · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Microsoft Windows" and "trust", do those two even go together?

    only when joined together with the word 'anti'.