eWeek: The Microsoft spin on Linux

"...Some would say that we're actually being too charitable in letting Microsoft Group Vice President Jim Allchin restate his original remarks on the open-source model. As quoted in an interview that Allchin surely must regret, he warned that "open source is an intellectual property destroyer," adding, "I can't imagine something that could be worse...for the software business." We disagree, vehemently, with that original statement."

"If anything, open source has the potential to bring the software industry back to the marketplace, following a decade in which one company determined what innovations would take place, when and at what price. Many IT buyers are discouraged by the resulting accumulation of complex features, piled atop an unsteady foundation of aging but inaccessible proprietary code."

"In consequence, the software business is suffering, with savvy IT buyers regarding "upgrades" with suspicion and with individual buyers literally afraid to install new applications on currently working systems. The hardware business is showing sympathetic distress."

Complete Story

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