Microsoft set to open up software

[Wayne]

Seeing is believing :D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7257411.stm

Wayne

[bob]

Awwww...group hug.... :rolleyes:

[JN4OldSchool]

mmmMMM DRAT! I was just about to stick the nightly pin in the ballmer doll...

Why is it I just KNOW there is a razor blade in that cookie?

[pete_1967]

Why is it I just KNOW there is a razor blade in that cookie?
What cookie?


"Nonetheless, the Commission notes that today's announcement follows at least four similar statements by Microsoft in the past on the importance of interoperability."

Talk is cheap but where's the beef?

[JN4OldSchool]

***yep***!

[Demz]

M$ must be worried, why else would they be doing this, if they keep on getting sue'd by the EU they wont be able to afford Yahoo :D

[Wayne]

Yeah, but their 'open' licences are usually of the "Look but don't touch" variety.

Wayne

[bob]

Here's another look at the situation: http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9876090-39.html

[Betreden]

It's been talked(typed) to death, even on this forum. MS will allow access to it's code. It's already stated(not just an assumption) that they will sue anyone that tries to integrate the technology into a commercial product.

As long as you only use the technology to create a better personal baseball card sorting application, you are ok. As soon as you try to use the technology to do something that the code is intended to do, you are going to receive a visit from the suits that represent the software giant.

What a surprise. MS is trying to make those of us that are less observant feel better. It's what they do.

I hope they keep their current stance, scaring off the developers. Nothing good can come from using their code. It would be akin to accepting complimentary music CD's from the RIAA.

[scottro]

Which reminds me of a great line by a small-medium business--the name escapes me. At any rate, that software equivalent of the RIAA came after him for unlicensed software and wound up getting a good deal of money.

Afterwards he switched to open source. The quote was something like, "You can't send armed federal marshalls after your customers and expect them to remain your customers."

(Unless of course, you're Apple, but people will probably get wise to them sooner or later.)

[Wayne]

Wise words, wise move!

Wayne

[sideways]

Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer said: "Our goal is to promote greater interoperability, opportunity and choice for customers and developers throughout the industry by making our products more open and by sharing even more information about our technologies."

followed by a quick jig around the podium accompanied with a really loud (almost drunken) chant "I LUUUVVVVVE THIS COMPANY!"

[Wayne]

Developers, developers, developers...
Developers, developers, developers...
Developers, developers, developers...
Developers, developers, developers...
Developers, developers, developers...

Wayne

[venumus]

all source code should be made available at least for porting for gods sake

[Demz]

yes all should be to interop with each other but M$ wants Linux to fail flat on our shoes,

[Dan]

At the risk of repeating myself ... Beware!

In any deal with the Devil ... you will always be the junior partner.

[Wayne]

At the risk of repeating myself ... Beware!

In any deal with the Devil ... you will always be the junior partner.

I always use a line from Poirot: "If you put your head in the mouth of a lion don't be surprised if he bites it off" :)

BTW. Still out of your coffin? :eek:

Wayne

[Dan]

Ayup! But fixin to hit the rack right now.

[venumus]

2 years ago linux was hard as hell for me to keep a decent connection. now i can use it like a novice windows user. (though im taking unix at the CC), anyway what im tryin to say is its getting easier for the average user to use linux for webrowsing and email. let alone the other stuff if they wanted to

[shess01]

Lies, lies, and more damn Lies. Here again they are trying to re-define interop and re-define open.

Promise not to sue NON-COMMERCIAL open source developers.

Exactly how much open source code comes out of IBM? Sun? Red Hat? Google? And hundreds of other commercial companies trying to solve interoperability issues?

If they stopped we'd all be screwed, with a capital S.

I could not believe yesterday the trumpets blaring and the grand proclamations of "Victory over Microsoft! We won! We won!...... Hogwash! Make a note of those outlets that are celebrating the second coming...

The EU is not fooled. Listen to this..
"The Commission would welcome any move towards genuine interoperability. Nonetheless, the Commission notes that today's announcement follows at least four similar statements by Microsoft in the past on the importance of interoperability." (http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/106&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en)

Yeah?!!? , Ya think?

Get the good links to reaction from those in the thick of it over at Bob Sutor's blog (http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/)

Get the breakdown from PJ (http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20080221184924826)

[johannlo]

At best, its just PR

At worst, ITS A TRAP. promise not to sue non commercial developers - so how useful is any code that comes out of this if any major distro or any product that has any commercial application / implication still runs the risk of being sued?

MS's entire business model runs on being able to leverage their Windows monopoly and the ecosystem of applications built on top of that monopoly. If they let anybody write stuff that works with windows as well as stuff written for windows, there goes their monopoly. And thats the last thing they're going to do.

It will be quite a while yet before they go through an IBM style metamorphosis...

To paraphrase Dan's reply / Lock Stock & 2 smoking barrels, "when you dance with the devil, you wait for the music to stop, know what I mean?"

Off topic, but no I don't believe people are going to get wise to Apple anytime soon, at least if they keep making good products that just work (tm). Its easy to overlook the faults of a company if their products are actually good (look at Cisco LOL).

[venumus]

iv had so many problmes with ipods its sick. 3 have failed for no reason. just failed like wtf?

an Mac users (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant) ugh thats all i have to say

[techmatt]

<bad balmer impression>
sure you can see our code but don't touch
</bad balmer impression>

This is just another ploy to get people to think ms is a good an FLOSS is bad.
I say they can just kiss it :p

[cable_txg]

I'm always a pessimist; I don't think Microsoft plans on giving up information to it's underlying engine, just the design of certain applications. If they did do that, then they would not be out of business very fast.

:)

[venumus]

this shouldnt even be note worthy, and since it is it should be criticized more so publicly. do they think its gonna be like 'hey guys M$ is 'open source' now drop your linux boxs and come back to us now !!!........plz?"and we are all gonna get wet in our panties? i dont think so. vista sux. xp is ok if your in a pinch.

what ever

[Omega Blue]

Which reminds me of a great line by a small-medium business--the name escapes me. At any rate, that software equivalent of the RIAA came after him for unlicensed software and wound up getting a good deal of money.

Are you talking about this guy (http://www.news.com/2008-1082_3-5065859.html)?

[Dan]

Beware the BSA! (http://www.zianet.com/zyloo/Paper_Radio/BSA.htm)

Therefore, I run a completely Microsoft® free shop.

EDIT: During our trip to Texas, back in August/September of 2007, these same ads started running on 1520 KOKC (50,000 watts) and I think they also ran a large media slug on 1080 KRLD (50,000 watts) about the same time.


Dan