Microsoft statements are out of line

[nanode]

see: http://www.microsoft.com/SBSERVER/productinfo/linux.htm

Usually MS propaganda is simply a pile of subjective crap. In this case, there are out right lies.


While the Linux software is practically free, implementation of it is far from free because a rollout will take up substantial developer and administrator time due to the lack of complete programmer toolkits and consistent standards for things like object technologies.


Most Linux distros ship with several libraries, compilers and interpreters. Which of any of those does a win32 OS come bundled with?


The open-source nature of the product means that many Linux deployments are somewhat unique and custom built with various solution pieces pulled together.


That's a good thing - means the little guy can get exactly what they need and nothing more. Things like Samba, Apache/PHP/mysql are so ubiquitos, they might as well be standard.


Because Linux still represents an immature and fragmented market with limited company-based support, it lacks the same depth of channel expertise. This can make it difficult for small-business customers to find qualified technology providers who can support Linux-based systems. This also makes it problematical for technology providers to find qualified employees with Linux expertise.

Someone isn't looking very hard for Linux talent. How many people post here?


The open-source nature of Linux means that the company lacks a centralized strategy for keeping pace with emerging technologies and hardware.

I admit that a distributed movement does lack a central direction at times, but
Linux is not a company, you stupid *******!

It must scare the hell out of MS to think there are thousands of Linux geeks that all know better than to believe their garbage.

[X_console]

One word to describe their actions: FUD. Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Their public messages about how Linux is inferior to Windows is just proof of how desparate they are to convince future customers that Linux a bad choice and to stop current customers from leaving the Windows world behind. It's certainly not the first time that they've written up something like this. Remember the Linux Myths?

For me, I view their claims about Linux and laugh out loud. Those of us here who've used both Windows and Linux systems know which one is better. We know which side is feeling the heat. Didn't their CEO recently say they felt Linux was a threat?

[singlespeed]

I think it's safe to say that MS has officially moved to scare tactics. This is clearly aimed at the puchasing dept and not the IT dept.

Microsoft has shown it's hand now and it's not a good one. They're starting to bluf...

Look at it this way, if Linux wasn't a threat to the Small Business Server market, why would they post this article in the first place. If linux was so inferior and complicated, there would be no need for this propaganda. It's not surprizing if you think about it. I mean would you expect Ford to print a rave review of all the great features that Chevy has?

The real problem is that there are a lot of microsoft sheep out there who believe anything that micorsoft says as gospel.

Microsoft has some great products (I'm gonna get trashed for that one :rolleyes: ) it's a fact, but they aren't the only game out there. One prob with microsoft is that because the user interfaces have become so easy, you can have less and less knowledgable people running things. Good for a short term bottom line as far as personnel costs, not good when real disaster strikes. Linux users/admins (so far anyway) tend to be the more knowledgeable people in the tech world simply because the user interface isn't as simplistic as other OS's tend to be. Long live the CLI! :D

[ 06 February 2001: Message edited by: singlespeed ]

[Sensei]

Yep scare tactics because they fear the penguin.

Come on baby don't fear the penguin!
--Blue Oyster Tux ;)

[Minime80]

The part that really got me was this...

The open-source nature of Linux means that the company lacks a centralized strategy for keeping pace with emerging technologies and hardware.

It seems to me that the open-source nature of Linux means that updates and fixes come out a helluva lot faster than the Windows ones. In the Linux world, when a flaw is found, everyone works on it like crazy and usually a fix is found within days, if not hours. It seems like it takes MS months to come out with their stupid patches. The guys writing this article must be borderline morons or something to believe that trash.

[Whipping Boy]

I seriously doubt the people writing the article believe any of what they're saying. They work for Microsoft, and Microsoft has a responsibility to its stockholders to make as large a profit as possible. Microsoft has found that they can make more of a profit by doing things like this, so they do it. The people writing it are just doing their jobs.

[jbstew32]

<rant>Microsoft is bull****....sorry HAL's. but it just is...</rant>

<rant>They want everything....they want 100% market share in 100% of the market, and well, that just doesnt happen, ok? It just makes me sick. First, they have to dominate the OS market with there damned OS that is for the most part a piece of **** (except for playing the games that are specifically written for it), then they go and make Office and the various programming suites that companies flock to. Now these large corporations use little but MS products on their systems, with the exception of most large and important servers that are run by people that know a thing or to about computers.Today, a newstory says that MS is getting into the imbedded systems market....really, how much is enough?? Must they keep on going? Are the TRYING to get more court orders or what?

They are so afraid that something is going to come in and mess up their perfect little world, that they take great strides to make people believe that if MS makes, they want it. There frequent use of propaganda will be the end of them. One day users will wake up and realize that they dont need MS, and that they have actually been wasting their time. Even now, they have even go so far as to make ANOTHER page putting down linux and the free software movement.

Microsoft as a company, utterly disgusts me...</rant>

That's all for today :)

[TaeShadow]

It is true that the average Linux distribution comes bundled with an endless amount of libraries and utilities. However, you have to admit that the lack of a standard for application development could be very frustrating for many companies.

[lord sibn]

I think Microsoft is trying to impress PHBs with impressive sounding technical phrases. I strongly doubt there are any executives in ANY company who really know what all that stuff is. And I don't think they care, as long as it sounds good and they have it. Or don't have it, and believe they do.

[Wildfox]

Speeking of FUD tactics. Does anyone rembmer the Holloween Papers? A document leaked out M$ stating how they couldn't use the three E's (I think it was embrace, envelope, extingusish) How FUD was going to be useless. (the article posted at top is full of MicroSh*t) Anyhow. Do a search for it and if you want. Post it here in the chat. :) Then people can read up on it. Simply ask any ms exec what OS would they want running on their life support machine? ;)

Wildfox

[Mårten Olsson]

As mentioned earlier:
The really scary thing is that people belive it as singlespeed wrote earlier "I mean would you expect Ford to print a rave review of all the great features that Chevy has?"

[GuruWannabe]

It may be FUD, but people who haven't tried Linux yet (e.g. my coworkers) tend to believe it.

What MS also isn't saying is that even if you can't find people like us who know Linux, any experienced Unix administrator worth his salt should be able to figure things out.

But not to worry, as more companies try Linux, the truth (that it's not harder to install/configure than NT, but it is more stable and less of a resource hog) will inevitably come out.

[Whipping Boy]

Ultimately, it's corporate execs and not the IT people that make the decisions. Until that changes, business will (sadly) be using a lesser-quality product. But then again, that's their problem, and if Microsoft can make money from it, then more power to them.

[Sterling]

Originally posted by TaeShadow:
It is true that the average Linux distribution comes bundled with an endless amount of libraries and utilities. However, you have to admit that the lack of a standard for application development could be very frustrating for many companies.

If you think there's no standard, you haven't done development for Linux or any other POSIX. For some things, like GUIs, there are a number of standards, each suited to a specific goal. But command-line switches are standardized, file locations are standardized, and everything else is standardized by the Unix philosophy: lots of little bits working together to get stuff done.

[nanode]

Many people/dev shops that write Unix apps begin their projects on Linux. Some of the reasons for this:

It's becoming widely understood (as far as Unix goes)
POSIX
It has all the dev. tools

Linux will soon be THE standard unix - due to the large install base, more than anything else :)

[freaker]

It is easy to sit and trash M$, because their product at times can be crap. I dont not like Microsoft, I just prefer Linux. It should be that way for people, a choice. Windows is easier for the "newbie" to computers. You can't knock them.( at least too hard)
Yes they lie about Linux, thats because they can and they want to make money. Hey, I want to make money (i won't lie for it), everyone does. Yes I agree they are trying to take over the world, but its people like us here that won't let them.

anyway

freaker :cool:

[ 08 February 2001: Message edited by: freaker ]

[Morph]

well personally I think WINDOW$ is FAAARRR better than LINUX.