Microsoft invades another free open source conference (this time in Romania)

Instead of ignoring open source conferences, Microsoft continues to invade them. The latest example: John Frederiksen (pictured), general manager of Microsoft’s Response Point business, is scheduled to speak at Digium AsteriskWorld on February 3. Why is Microsoft paying such close attention to an event for open source IP PBX advocates? The answer is obvious.

When the Open Source Business Conference starts March 17 in San Francisco, The VAR Guy will be watching and listening closely for signs of corporate open source momentum from upstarts like Canonical and giants like Microsoft, Oracle and even SAP. Yes, Microsoft, Oracle and SAP. Here are five trends to anticipate at the OSBC conference.

"...Shane Coughlan will represent FSFE's FTF at IOTC 2008 in Dublin, Ireland. He will deliver a speech to open the conference on Wednesday the 18th of June discussing Free Software in business..." -- via http://www.fsfeurope.org/events/#2008-06-18-2008-06-20

"Three big names from the world of community movements: Free Software Foundation Europe, Creative Commons and Wikimedia come together under the banner of Free Society at this years FSCONS in Gothenburg Sweden.

The lectures and events surrounding the conference will range from modern Kernel design over citizen journalism all the way across to licensing in the 21st century.

Microsoft's business partner and ally SAP lobbies against Oracle and then issues demands for Java, pretending to be a friend of the very same thing it is attacking

The South African minister of public service and administration on Monday addressed the opening of the Idlelo 3 free software conference in Dakar Senegal, saying software patents posed a considerable threat to the growth of the African software sector.

Its been almost two years since I attended any of the free software events, I least expected the National Conference on Free software here in Cochin, kerala would see such a large gathering from from all over India.

Microsoft still uses the language of money to "infiltrate" events of the very same entity it's competing against and suing