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Microsoft looking for FreeBSD Skills
After last Sunday's story about Microsoft looking
for Linux skills, Alfred
Perlstein wrote in with the news that talented FreeBSD admins can also find themselves positions with
Microsoft, in particular, at Hotmail. The Hotmail guys do seem to have
a sense of humour though; witness hostnames like
rotate-the-shield-harmonics.hotmail.com.
Hotmail in Sunnyvale, CA
[snip] We need someone to administer the Hotmail system of 45 million plus users...[snip]... solid troubleshooting skills, system installation and configuration, fundamentals of security, [snip]
No wonder Hotmail is easier to crack than a cookie jar.
_____________________________________
I can think of a couple of reasons that MS/Hotmail would want Linux/BSD people.
1. They wish to port various tools (Office, Encarta, FrontPage) to Linux or BSD. This is most definetly not a bad thing, and is, IMHO, good. The plethora of tools for LInux/BSD can only be a good thing.
2. They recognize the value of BSD(in Hotmail's case) and are willing to hire people to keep it going. This is also a good thing. If they recognize that BSD works well enough not to replace it with NT or some such, that can only be a good thing.
3. They plan to use it as a FUD generator. Inthis case, I don't think they would hire people with Linux/BSD experience, because generally, those people wouldn't find faults, only differences. IMHO, the most clued computer people are those who see things more as differences, and not faults.
4. They want to make Windows/Linux integration easier. SOunds good to me.
5. They want to make a Linux distro. Neither good nor bad, really - thanks to GPL, they can't possibly take over the market, and another distro probably wouldn't hurt anything.
Basically, I see this as a win-win situation all around. I hope we see more of this sort of thing coming out of Redmond soon.
judge-jackson-won't-look-for-us-here.hotmail.com
bork-bork-bork.consumers.hotmail.com
here-come-the-clowns.legal.hotmail.com
And don't forget:
what-me-worry.linux.hotmail.com
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
- 216.33.238.149: rotate-the-shield-harmonics.hotmail.com
- 216.33.238.147: ham-in-a-can.hotmail.com
- 216.33.238.148: 27eyedwalleyedbass.hotmail.com
And I complained when they called our server "mrhankey".It strikes me that BSDers have a much different attitude towards windows than Linuxers. I've seen this among my own circle of acquantainces as well as on newsgroups/mailing lists, etc.
Basically, BSDers promote BSD on the server and Windows (or Mac) on the desktop. They realize and accept that Windows is good on the desktop and resign themselves to the fact that BSD will never be able to compete in that area.
Linuxers on the other hand, tend to take the Linux everywhere philosophy and only use Windows with much bitching and moaning (sometimes hypocritically).
Wouldn't be interesting if Microsoft adopted the BSD attitude though?
(Please browse at -1 to read this comment.)
Somone jumps to an unwarrented conclusion, and then that person is moderated to the top the
The idea that MS is going to "port" (sic) their software to FreeBSD is entirely offbase, give the facts at hand. Uruk obviously didn't read the linked article, or the header which clearly indicates that this is Hotmail, which has always been a unix shop.
You'd think of Microsoft as the economic tyrant, sucking the life out of the economy and degrading technological standards. On the other side you'd think VA Linux and Red Hat as the saviors, putting money into the economy, creating new technology, and saving the world. Yet it's Microsoft who announces job openings for FreeBSD and Linux knowledge, creating a need for these people and it's VA Linux which announces simply: "I'm not going to minimize my attachments by giving it all away, though, so you evangelists for a zillion worthy causes can just calm down out there and forget about hitting me up for megabucks. I am *not* going to be a soft touch, and will rudely refuse all importunities." Quite ironic.
The Linux job was for a marketing person who would guide their strategy to respond to the competitor, Linux.
This job is for a support engineer for Hotmail.
Stop trying to read anything further into this. No, they are not porting Office applications to FreeBSD. No, they are not coming up with a Linux distro of their own. Just the simple fact that they'd require 100s of people, not just 1, should be a clue. Also, maybe actually reading the job descriptions might tip you off. *sigh*
Mmmm.. Donuts