Posted on 08/14/2007 10:46:11 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The software giant is falling short with its technology and, because it cannot win against open source on price, it is trying to encourage inertia in the IT industry, the creator of the Linux operating system said.
Microsoft has been at the centre of considerable controversy over the last 12 months, mainly ;arising from its statements on open source and its technology partnerships with a range of Linux distributors.
Microsoft has claimed that open source software violates 235 of its patents, but says it will not sue open source users at the moment. It is this type of claim which angers Torvalds.
"I personally think it's mainly another shot in the FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt] war," Torvalds said in the interview with Computerworld in the United States. "Microsoft has a really hard time competing on technical merit, and they traditionally have instead tried to compete on price. But that obviously doesn't work either, not against open source."
"So they'll continue to bundle packages and live off the inertia of the marketplace, but they want to feed that inertia with FUD," he said.
As well as making assertions over patents, Microsoft has also caused a stir in the open source world by forming partnerships with Linux distributors, the largest one being Novell.
But despite the controversy, Torvalds remains nonplussed. "I don't actually think the Novell-Microsoft agreement kind of thing matters all that much in the end, but it's interesting to see the signs that the sides are at least talking to each other.
"I don't know what the end result will be, but I think it would be healthier for everybody if there wasn't the kind of rabid hatred on both sides," he told Computerworld.
Torvalds also addressed the issue of the slow uptake of open source software in businesses, saying that there is considerable inertia when it comes to operating systems.
"These things don't take a year or two. They take a decade or two," he said. "We've come a long way in those 16 years [since the creation of Linux]. Is there a long way to go? Sure. There are technical issues, support infrastructure and just people's perceptions that just take a long time to sort out."
Microsoft could offer no response to Torvalds' comments at the time of writing.
fyi
Its no wonder Linus has started to become the defunct, and quite unwilling, spokesperson for the OSS community.
Linus is always a breath of fresh air in open source. It counters the stink from Stallman and our resident troll.
“defunct” ??
oops wrong word *I’m am so sick today it defies all reason that I’m here* I meant to say De Facto..
Like your tagline!
Welcome to the club.
he was using open office for spell checking.
it happens............
Yes, this is certainly the kind of thread that GE can't resist. Since there's no chance in hell that Stallman would post on FR, I'll add this note:
Linux Torvalds is NOT "the creator of the Linux operating system".Personally I don't give a crap what Stallman thinks or says any more, but it annoys me when Torvalds gets all credit for the entire operating system. I used the GNU tools for years before I'd even heard of Linux, and appreciate their value independent of Linux (I mainly ran them under BSD).He is the primary author and maintainer of the Linux kernel, which with the GNU operating system utilities and tools developed by Stallman and others, forms the operating system known popularly as "Linux", or to the righteous followers of RMS, the "GNU/Linux" operating system.
In other news, frogs were found to have watertight rectums, wild bears were discovered to defecate in wooded areas, and in this development just in, we have received reports that the Pope is Catholic. Details at 11....
Linus needs his blanket back apparently, with several web counters showing Linux use on the decline and even Apache dropping like a rock at netcraft he better find it quick.
Wow GE, it sounds like he's talking directly to you. Is it sinking in yet that you are swimming with the leftist free software radicals in the same stagnant, stinking pool?
I have no problem with it anyway. IIS 6 is the first IIS that is a decent product (Finally, multiple sites and worker processes!!), doubling the Microsoft "third time's the charm" rule, although it still has serious basic problems. And IIS 7 might actually be as good as Apache since Microsoft is copying the modular architecture.
As I say: May the best software win. Or would you prefer I be a "TW" and stick with Apache just because Microsoft has done bad things?
BTW, for reference, here are the relative architecture (sys call) diagrams for IIS and Apache:
IIS
Apache
Now you see why IIS has problems.
There aren't many of you here, actually. Just a few motormouths that post a lot, mostly to yourselves.
It's called features. And why most https sites and Fortune 1000 companies use IIS. More secure too, according to secunia. Only 3 known holes in IIS 6 after almost 5 years, amazing.
There are none of us here. There's only one Stallman-esque philosophical software radical on this board.
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