[ Thanks to M.
Kincora for this link. ]
“At Fusion 2002 in Los Angeles recently, Peter Houston,
Microsoft’s Windows Division director of business strategy, said
Microsoft will focus less on arguing with the Linux community and
more on presenting real information to IT executives.“The change in style is a direct response from Microsoft sales
teams and resellers who have been requesting collateral information
for customers who want to know the value proposition of Windows
versus Linux and open source services. Until now, Microsoft’s
response was either to ignore Linux entirely or to respond
emotionally, Houston said.“The material has been long promised. In December of 2001, a
memo leaked from Microsoft’s Brian Valentine, senior vice president
of the Windows division, to the company’s sales, marketing and
service groups. Among other things, Valentine outlined plans for
Microsoft to begin a campaign that debunks myths surrounding
Linux.“Whether or not Microsoft can switch from its typical emotional
stance to a more pragmatic voice of reason remains to be seen.
Since Microsoft’s top executives have historically dealt with Linux
and open source by likening it to a disease or to the gobbling
video game PacMan, any response will probably appear hysterical,
said Dan Kusnetzky, vice president of system software research at
International Data Corp., a Framingham, Mass., consulting and
market research firm…”