Click here to learn
about this Sponsor:
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Polls  |  Forum

Keywords: Match:
Microsoft raps open source approach
May 03, 2001

ZDNet's Ben Charny reports that Microsoft today stepped up its long-running battle against the open source software movement. The latest attack came in the form of a white paper written by one of the company's chief strategists, which compares the open source movement to business practices that helped sink hundreds of dot-coms. Charney writes . . .

Microsoft on Thursday stepped up its long-running battle against the open-source software movement as one of its chief strategists compared the movement to business practices that helped sink hundreds of dot-coms.

"A common trait of many of the companies that failed is that they gave away for free or at a loss the very thing they produced that was of greatest value--in the hope that somehow they'd make money selling something else," according to a white paper authored by Senior Vice President Craig Mundie.

In the paper, which accompanied remarks Mundie made to an audience at New York University's School of Business, he argues that releasing source code into the public domain is "unhealthy", causes security risks and "as history has shown, while this type of model may have a place, it isn't successful in building a mass market and making powerful, easy-to-use software broadly accessible to consumers."

The speech by Mundie -- regarded as one of Microsoft's chief software strategists--is the latest move in a long-running public relations campaign by Microsoft to combat the open-source movement. Under the open-source model, which has created successes such as the Linux operating system, the underlying code of a program is freely available for other programmers to examine and modify.

As the largest independent software maker, Microsoft's entire business is predicated on selling new releases of its Windows operating system, Office business applications and other products. The open-source movement, and in particular the General Public License (GPL), is at odds with the company's business goals.

"That's their business," said Keith Waryas, an analyst with IDC. "It doesn't surprise me that they don't want to give away their product."

Proponents of the open-source approach say it helps to improve software quality by finding bugs more quickly and combining the talents of multiple developers around the world. Microsoft argues that giving software away is, at minimum, a bad business decision, and, at worst, theft of intellectual property.

Mundie's comments largely echo a similar message delivered by Jim Allchin, another Microsoft executive, in February. Allchin, at the time, said "open-source is an intellectual property destroyer. I can't imagine something that could be worse than this for the software business and the intellectual-property business."

The comments from Mundie and Allchin are in keeping with Microsoft's long-held positions, said Waryas. "When Microsoft first came out with DOS and Windows (operating systems), the entire software market was based on sharing and open source," said Waryas. "Microsoft was the first to buck that trend and start selling their stuff."

Not all large software sellers oppose the open-source movement. In the past year, IBM has been championing Linux, vowing to invest $1 billion on Linux development and marketing this year.

Microsoft itself seems somewhat torn on how to approach the open-source movement. While Microsoft denounces the move toward free software, it does recognize at least some of the value of open-source development. Since last year, Microsoft has made available to hundreds of its larger customers copies of its closely guarded Windows source code. The company hopes its best customers can help it improve Windows.

Microsoft is trying to reach what Mundie described as a balance between completely open and proprietary approaches. The company is shooting for a "shared-source philosophy," he said, that allows Microsoft to share source code with customers and partners while maintaining intellectual property.

Related stories: Talk back! Do you have a question or comment about this article? talkback here


(Click here for further information)


FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.

Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.

Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.

Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.

High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.

Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.

Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.

Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.

 


Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!
Free weekly newsletter
Enter your email...
Click here for a profile of each sponsor:
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
(Become a sponsor)

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Check out the latest Linux powered...

mobile phones!

other cool
gadgets



BREAKING NEWS

• Wind River buys Mizi Research
• Home automation panel runs Poky Linux
• "Green" integrated PC runs Linux
• Intel acquires Linux distro developer
• Linux Space Cube ready for blast-off
• Nettop is "almost fanless"
• Tutorial sounds alarm for Nokia tablets
• CG Linux distro supports multicore MIPS64
• Embedded Linux guide updated
• Patent dispute threatens GPS imports
• MIDs offer Atom, HSDPA
• Software connects Linux MIDs to PC media
• Linux radio keeps it simple
• Motorola U9 takes fashion "beyond thin"
• Location-aware social net app targets MIDs


Most popular stories -- past 90 days:
• Open source phone goes mass-market
• Updated! Linux Mobile Phones Showcase
• World's cheapest Linux-based laptop?
• Garmin Nav devices run Gnome Linux
• First Atom-based notebook runs Linux
• ARM9 board boots Debian in 0.69 seconds
• Open source camera records geotagged video to SATA HDD
• Linux-friendly Beagle fetches $150
• "PDA phone" runs Linux
• Intel offers $80 "Little Falls" Atom mobo
• Netflix Player runs Linux


DesktopLinux headlines:
• Summit debuts for Linux end users
• "UbuntuLite" reviewed
• Linux in the SME
• Linux: not yet photo-friendly
• Linux to gain anti-virus software
• Linux gains backup utility
• Testing Lenny
• HP offers Linux on low-end mini-notes
• Dell shipping five Hardy Heron systems
• IBM pushes "Microsoft-free" desktops


Also visit our sister site:


Sign up for LinuxDevices.com's...

news feed

Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Polls  |  Forum  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.