Mac Observer: Microsoft: We Have No Plans To Remove Linux Support From Virtual PC For Mac

“Fueling Linux-related angst was the fact that Connectix
announced a new version of VPC that would come bundled with Red Hat
Linux less than a week before the Microsoft acquisition was
announced. Some have asked if the Virtual acquisition was prompted
by the RedHat bundling deal, though the timing makes that highly
improbably, if not impossible. Microsoft’s stated opposition to
Open Sourced software (OSS) has also figured prominently in the
discussion. The company has been campaigning against called OSS for
years, going so far as to call it ‘un-American,’ bad for business,
and a threat to Intellectual Property.

“With all that as a backdrop, the concern for Linux support
under a Microsoft-branded Virtual PC for the Mac seems well
founded. According to a statement given by Microsoft to TMO,
however, those concerns are unfounded. Tim McDonough, director of
Marketing and Business Development for Microsoft’s Macintosh
Business Unit, told us point blank that ‘Microsoft has no current
plans to remove Linux support within Virtual PC for Mac.’ While not
a promise of Linux support forever, it is the first indication of
Microsoft’s plans for this aspect of Virtual PC for the Mac since
the acquisition was announced…”

Complete
Story