Microsoft memo to staff: Clobber Linux

usa today ^ | 01/03/2002 | Byron Acohido

[Walkin Man]

SEATTLE

[coloradan]

Linux getting flak? Must be over the target.

[goldstategop]

That's why Microsoft is trying to kill Lindows. A viable alternative operating system on PCs would erode their Windows dominance. Bill Gates ain't worried about Apple since in view of its puny market share, it has never been a real threat to the Big Boys in Redmond. Lindows on the other hand would force MS to start making Windows a better product to keep ahold of its market. I love the sound of competition. Sure the company can clobber Linux but Linux will never die.

[Genesis defender]

Ransom Love, CEO of Linux distributor Caldera International...

'Ransom Love'? On the name weirdness scale, that's a good 7.5-8.0

[Walkin Man]

I guess so but there is no corporate entity\target for MS to bomb!

[Walkin Man]

I agree with you about Apple. This Linux thing is interesting because nobody owns it and it is being improved\upgraded all the time, for free! How will MS compete??

[Walkin Man]

heh heh Maybe his parents were Hippies?

[kickme]

Where's Linux now? Will it run Word and Excel Photoshop, etc.? I am having so much trouble with Win 2K and Win XP pro. I'm ready to give it a try if I can get a stable environment.

[Billy_bob_bob]

I would say that the new Apple OS X is really quite impressive, and could be Apple's ticket to increasing their market share. As an old time unix user, I'm impressed by OS X.

[AKbear]

Microsoft memo to staff: Clobber Linux

Trying to clobber Linux would be like trying to clobber fog. Who do you go after?

[Billy_bob_bob]

You may want to check out what Apple has to offer. I can tell you for certain that OS X 10.1 is very powerful and very stable. If you can find the apps you care about ported to OS X you might find a solution that will work well for you. I know that Microsoft Office has been ported to OS X, and everyone is raving about how great it is, the reviews have been fantastic. I'm sure Photoshop is going to be Carbonized (ported to OS X) any day now. You really should check it out, especially since the new crop of Apples is going to be announced and shipped on Monday.

[Brad C.]

Run out and pick up a copy of SuSe Professional for about $80 bucks. Set it up as a dual boot on one of your machines. It won't run any of the MS stuff, but the Professional advertises 2,300 programs packaged with the operating system. They also advertise 20 minutes to a working Linux system. Mine took 14 minutes two months ago, and I have not had to turn it off, reboot or anything else since then. Just learning the software. Don't get me wrong, MS has an awful lot of bells and whistles that Linux doesn't, but how much of them do you use?

[goldstategop]

I'm sure it is. People would buy Apple if it weren't so overpriced. Steve Jobs really needs to cut prices if Apple is ever going to be competitive. Until then Gates can just continue to pocket the cash on Windows installed on OEM PC's and on aftermarket upgrade sales and keep claiming the title of "world's richest man."

[toenail]

The big drawback to Linux, as I see it, is that there is no real BASIC environment. I like Visual Basic -- it's quick and easy and gets the job done. There are a lot of VB programmers who can't migrate to Linux without learning another programming language. (And yes, there are those of us who don't care to ever learn C/C++.)

[July 4th]

If Microsoft is so worried about Linux, why don't they just make their own distro? There's nothing stopping them. Jack up the price and sell it with support. Make migration software.

As for Linux, this article has a point. It's not just another OS. It has a hardcore following that isn't going to dump it for a Windows product. I was playing with MandrakeLinux the other day, and must admit that it's pretty cool.

[goldstategop]

Microsoft could buy out Lindows. They have the cash to do it and it would give them a foot in each market.

[Billy_bob_bob]

Don't think of Apples as being "overpriced", think of PC's as being cheap. It's kind of like the choice between a Nissan and a Mercedes. They are both good cars, but one gives you a nicer ride and better overall service, and lasts longer.

[tbeatty]

Linux server are now 27% of Servers? That's HUGE!! Considering it went from 0 only a couple years ago.

[Walkin Man]

If Microsoft is so worried about Linux, why don't they just make their own distro?

Good point, why don't they?

[Big Bunyip]

Maybe his parents were Hippies Knew a gal once called Rosey Hughes, and her dad was a parson.