Microsoft continued to make its case on Tuesday that it is a friend to open source, listing a number of efforts it has undertaken in spaces ranging from Linux to virtualization and rich Internet application technology.
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lozz
15 years 31 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago
More M$ bunkum
M$ + Novell will never = Free Software.
aboutblank
15 years 31 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago
Open Source is not Free Software
Microsoft are talking about open source and not free software. Microsoft would be hypocritical if they ever cared for software freedom and still continue practising the act of subjugating users of their freedoms. Instead, Microsoft are praising a software development method and also disregards their users' essential freedoms.
Please do us a favour and recognise that when people refer to open source, they aren't referring to software freedom.
lozz
15 years 30 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago
Blurring the perceptions
Yeah, I'm aware that there is a difference in definition between Free Software and Open Source and M$ is aware of that too. The M$ game-plan is to further blur public perception of these terms. They realise that there is a degee of confusion in the minds of the general public that equates these terms as being one and the same and they try to exploit that to their own advantage.
M$ certainly wouldn't bother to spruik on about Open Source if there was no Free Software and my comment was intended to reflect that reality.
aboutblank
15 years 30 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago
IMO, MS are ignoring the
IMO, MS are ignoring the free software movement entirely. I believe this because of the lack of any public recognition to the free software movement. Free software may be a threat to them but since the public cares for convenience, I note of no action by Microsoft to directly address software freedom (which regards freedom above convenience).
Instead of that, they show a much greater attention to open source. The concept of open source has a greater public perception than the concept of software freedom and so, open source is a greater potential threat to MS's current business model than free software. I saw possibilities that MS are afraid of open source and took action to try and limit the attractiveness of open source. Now that there is news of Microsoft embracing open source, my opinion has changed: Microsoft is attracting open source proponents to itself in addition to limiting the attractiveness of open source.
So I guess I still disagree with you: Microsoft are talking about open source, not software freedom. They aren't doing anything to blur the distinction between the two - they are doing nothing obvious to hinder the free software movement. However, it doesn't help that the free software community is very closely related to the open source community.
motters
15 years 31 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago
Outreach now, tax later
Given Microsofts historical outright hostility to open source I wouldn't trust them at all. "Working with the community" from Microsoft's perspective probably means "well pay you to insert our patents into your open source applications".