MSFT

A collection of 22 posts

Linux

Microsoft: 'We love open source'

A couple comments on this NetworkWorld Article: Everyone in the Linux world remembers Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's famous comment that Linux is a "cancer" that threatened Microsoft's intellectual property. Ballmer is still CEO of Microsoft, but that comment occurred in 2001, a lifetime ago

Linux

Amazon Sells GNU/Linux down the River

From @glynmoody: Here's a particularly stupid move by Amazon: Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has signed a patent cross-license agreement with Amazon.com Inc. The agreement provides each company with access to the other’s patent portfolio and covers a broad range of products and technology, including

Apple

End Runs Around Vista?

BusinessWeek recently ran an article that indicated that HP may be working on a version of Linux to ship on its hardware: The ecosystem that Microsoft (MSFT) has built up around its Windows operating system is showing signs of strain. In one of several recent moves by partners that sell

Microsoft

Time To Change Microsoft - Yahoo (MSFT/YHOO), Here's a Better Deal

A quick update on the Microsoft - Yahoo deal.  Now that people have had a chance to digest the deal a bit, I notice the sentiment is turning negative.  Microsoft shareholders are walking and employees of both companies seem unhappy.  The value of the offer has shrunk over $2/share

Microsoft

Patent Firm Acacia Loses Case Against Microsoft; More To Come?

It looks like Acacia, who recent filed a suit against Red Hat and Novell, just lost its first court battle.  From a paidContent article: The notorious patent holding company Acacia Research, which first came to light in the digital media industry for claiming broad patents in the streaming media field,

Linux

HP CEO: Vista Never Had Its Moment in 2007

It's clear that OEMs just don't fear Microsoft like they used to.  From a recent CIO article: Wondering what's happened to momentum for Microsoft's Vista operating system in corporate America? Fact is, enterprise IT has continued to decline the Vista plate like

Linux

Linux wins Nigerian school desktops back from Microsoft

It looks like the open letter to Steve Ballmer from Mandriva may have had an impact.  From the article: Mandriva had closed a deal in mid-August to provide a customised Linux operating system and support for 17,000 Intel Classmate PCs intended for Nigerian schools, but found out last week

Apple

Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed Against Red Hat & Novell II

(A follow up to previous coverage) As you may have guessed, this topic is being discussed heavily around the web.  Mark Radcliffe points out that Open Source companies are likely becoming a more tempting target to patent trolls due to the stunning growth in the sector (keep in mind that

Apple

Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed Against Red Hat & Novell

Earlier this month, Ballmer reiterated his stance on patents and Linux: Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has warned users of Red Hat Linux that they will have to pay Microsoft for its intellectual property. "People who use Red Hat, at least with respect to our intellectual property, in a

Linux

EU Court Holds the Antitrust Line Against Microsoft, but May not have Stemmed its Dominance Tide

Yes, I am a bit late on this one.  I had a couple items on the blog TODO a bit longer than I anticipated.  I'm working my way through those now, but will still post the items I think are especially important. So, as you've surely

Microsoft

Microsoft Fails to Gain Approval for OOXML

There are so many posts flying around about this that it's been difficult to keep up (and I'm still digesting a lot of it), but the bottom line is that the OOXML is not an ISO standard.  Well, at least not yet.  A bit oddly, Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft to its hosting partners: Get ready. Here we come

From a recent Mary Jo Foley blog post: At its Worldwide Partner Conference in Denver this week, Microsoft officials are trying to walk the tightrope when it comes to explaining Microsoft’s plan to get into the managed services business in a major way. Microsoft officials have made no bones

Linux

Comes vs Microsoft Petition Shows How Microsoft Blocked Linux Sales

Some people wonder why OEM Linux preloads like this didn't happen sooner.  Don't forget that a couple companies did make small attempts, but were smacked down (PDF warning) by Microsoft: Microsoft’s Predatory Response to GNU/Linux 142. GNU/Linux is an "open source"

Linux

Red Hat CEO Says He Talked Patents with Microsoft II

A quick follow up on this post based on some questions/comments that I got via email.  First, no - I absolutely don't think Red Hat is currently in discussion with Microsoft to sign a Novell-style patent deal.  Note the bolding.  They may very well be in some

Linux

More Microsoft Patent Dealings

So, Linspire is the latest company to sign a patent deal with Microsoft.  They've even managed to wrangle some additional items they claim are not in the other deals: Linspire Inc. has announced an agreement to license voice-enabled instant messaging, Windows Media 10 CODECs, and TrueType font technologies

Linux

Linux leaders plot counterattack on Microsoft

This is from an article recently posted to Reuters about the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit: Dressed in the alternative software movement's casual uniform of T-shirts and jeans, the group is coming to grips with internal divisions that sap at its success -- Linux is now used to power

Microsoft

Cautiously Optimistic

(via tbray) Here's something you don't see every day.  A lawyer... from a large enterprise company (SUNW)... talking publicly about pending litigation... and sounding both reasonable and human in the process ;)  It's a brave new word.  The topic?  Patent troll cases.  Two of them,

Linux

Kudos to Bill Hilf

As the head of Microsoft's Linux Labs, Bill Hilf needs to have thick skin.  I've seen Bill speak a number of times and despite his employer I was surprised to see some of his recent quotes: "They are full-time employees, with 401K stock options. Some

Linux

Microsoft takes on the free world II

(a follow up to this post)  As was expected, nearly everyone is commenting on the recent Fortune article about Microsoft and Patents.  Even Linus has weighed in: "It's certainly a lot more likely that Microsoft violates patents than Linux does," said Torvalds, holder of the Linux

GPLv3

Microsoft takes on the free world

Some thought it was inevitable, while other thought it would never happen.  From a recent Fortune article: Free software is great, and corporate America loves it. It's often high-quality stuff that can be downloaded free off the Internet and then copied at will. It's versatile -

Microsoft

State Open-Source Bills Get Microsoft's Attention

(via Stephe)  The WSJ has an article up (also at MarketWatch) about Microsoft's battle with State governments over ODF adoption.  Stephe digs into the Microsoft site to see what their opinion was in the past.  From the WSJ article: The impetus for the Texas bill was similar to

Google

Microsoft Urges Review of Google-DoubleClick Deal

It's amazing how quickly things change sometimes.  Microsoft, the consummate anti-trust defendee, is now asking for help from antitrust authorities.  From the NYT article: Microsoft, a veteran defendant of epic antitrust battles in the United States and Europe, is urging regulators to consider scuttling Google’s plan to