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Microsoft Buying Skype for $8.5B
Approximately one trillion readers wrote in to tell us that there is a big rumor that Microsoft is buying Skype. This follows an earlier rumor that the
suitor was Facebook. Unsurprisingly many people are already wondering what it would mean for Linux users of the popular VoIP platform. Many major publications are running versions of the story.
But why would anyone buy a Mac in the first place? Ahh oh yeah status, sorry. Ok, enjoy the headaches that come with your "status".
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Oh so fucking bullshit. I'm sorry but the fanboi horseshit in this place is getting a little deep. What MSFT tried to do with Java is EXACTLY what Google is trying to do now to Java and yet you see the fanbois tripping over their own damned feet trying to get in line to be Google Apologists!
And in case you ain't notice there are these two little words called "vertical integration" which everybody in their damned dog is doing right now. Just look at how Apple ties everything to iTunes, even crap like Safari that the user would have no need of just to load some tunes on his iPod, or how Google is spamming the living shit out of Chrome worse than Google Toolbars. What MSFT needs is vertical integration because customers want simple and the way you give them simple is to tie everything together nice and neat so everything talks to everything and to steal an Apple meme it "all just works".
What you are gonna see with Skype is integration everywhere and it'll probably make them a ton! Replace your business VoIP services with a bundled Skype WinServer backend, all with nice little GPOs and controls for OUs so any MCSE can control the whole smash, have Skype on your X360 at home and your WinPhone in your pocket, probably with a nice little plugin for Windows 7 that gives you features based on which version you have, such as business features for those on Win Pro, and maybe even a deal with someone like Cisco like what AT&T has for their mini cell base stations to have Skype routers for home and business, everything together all nice and neat.
Finally as for Linux support? If the businesses scream for it they may keep it but in the end they will probably let it wither on the vine and why the hell shouldn't they? Linux users last I checked were something like maybe 1% of the market (hell according to this even Java ME beats Linux) and Linux users are notorious for being "free as in we'll never spend a damned dime" so why the hell would MSFT bother with that market? Especially after not only giving .NET as a standard, not only giving a legally binding community promise that would ensure they'd get laughed out of court if they tried anything, but after all that even invited the head Mono guy to developer conferences to give lectures and STILL after 11 years it is looked at as some trap that is just taking a really really REALLY long time to spring?
In the end Linux just isn't a good market unless you are gonna TiVo some hardware and want an OS for free (MSFT don't need one) or you want to try to scrape by selling support (with their profits MSFT don't need the chicken scratch). Because despite all the talk of "support us and we'll support you!" the Linux guys are frankly a bunch of cheapskate hypocrites. Despite RH giving back more code than all the other Linux bunches COMBINED a good two thirds last I saw the numbers of web servers out there are running CentOS, which BTW was started by a company that wanted to sell hardware but were too damned greedy to even buy the RH licenses their hardware needed, and despite AMD doing EXACTLY what the community asked of them and giving every spec and code not nailed down the community tripped over themselves to this day to recommend Nvidia.
So I'm sorry Linux guys, and if you want to waste mod points go right ahead as I have more karma than God, but I got to call it as I see it. Unless you want to just snatch shit away from the community doing the TiVo trick in the end Linux just ain't worth the trouble, especially for anything by MSFT. The users are paranoid, have a seriously bad attitude and sense of elitism that they don't have the numbers to back up, and you KNOW anything owned by MSFT even if they gave it away would be treated like poison, even if the community has to recommend a piss poor pile of hacked together bullshit to "kinda sorta but not really' give you the same functionality. Frankly MSFT would have to be nuts to bother wasting resources on the Linux client.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.