Re: IS MICROSOFT SECRETLY USING OPEN SOURCE?

[Jonathan Q <jq@example.com>]

Simon Cozens (simon@example.com) wrote:

> We should treat this as an admission that we've won, rather than an excuse
> to point fingers and say how nasty they are.

That's more or less how I take Microsoft's recent full court FUD press
in which they are trying so hard to demonize open source and free
software, and the GPL in particular.  I don't think it's an admission
that we've won, but it's evidence that MS looks at those things and
sees a genuine threat, not only to Windows sales (especially in light of
the arm-twist upgrade terms to Windows XP), but to the whole .Net 
scheme.  If more and more people either dump, or fail to move to, 
Windows in the server space because they go with Linux or *BSD instead,
and Linux further makes greater inroads on the desktop, that means 
the wheels are at least getting loose, even if they aren't coming off.

The world stopped believing that MS was invincible a while ago.
The escalated FUD campaign against free software is proof that 
now, even MS is no longer so convinced of its own invincibility.
They're nervous.  Very nervous.  Probably downright scared.

Jonathan