Linux vs Windows - Conquering a Windows Based World

The Microsoft “Flash Killer” plug-in is soon to be available on Linux.

Microsoft confirmed that it will work with Novell to deliver Silverlight support for Linux, called Moonlight, based on the project started on mono-project.com. 

Probably, what  amazes me most is the fact that Microsoft would dedicate any amount of time and money developing and releasing software for Linux.  Microsoft spends a ton of money telling you why Linux is awful, and why they just might sue the pants off you if you decide to use it.  However behind the scenes they are developing and releasing software for Linux.  So if Linux is such an inferior platform, why would they even bother releasing software for it?

Microsoft in a surprising move, has taken down its biggest Linux bashing site to date. Not sure if its feedback from users, that want unbiased information or the fact the Microsoft is now taking the stance that it supports open source software development. Mary Jo Foley has a good write up with more details.

It was a long time in coming. But Microsoft has finally acknowledged that its anti-Linux site had gone past the point of usefulness.

Yes, you read the headline correctly.  The same company that once called Open Source a “cancer” now embraces it, and in fact has opened a site to tout their commitment to Open Source. Still don’t believe it.

“By embracing diverse application development approaches and partner business models, Microsoft participates in a world of choice in which individuals and organizations can pursue their goals based on what uniquely inspires them, including open source.”

So if open source and Linux are cancers that erode value in the world, why does Microsoft now support it?

Study was performed by www.watchmouse.com and released on June 20, 2007.

“London, June 20, 2007 – Linux websites have better uptime and load faster than Windows-based websites. Research by WatchMouse, a website monitoring company, also shows that web server platform Apache outperforms the Microsoft IIS platform. Therefore, having a Linux website and an Apache webserver platform offers the best choice for professional web pages. “

This is reported by Gartner and covered at www.vnunet.com.

“More interestingly, the platforms on which databases are being deployed are on the move. While Unix (34.8 percent) and Windows (34.5 percent) continue to vie for supremacy, Linux grew 67 percent to account for 15.5 percent of the sector.”

Since database hosted applications need to be reliable, this information seems counter intuitive to Microsoft claims of Linux unreliability. Judge for yourself.

Gregg Ferrie manager of information technology for the school district believes it to be the “largest on-the-desktop implementation in Western Canada”.  Also generating interest among British Columbia’s 60 other school districts with their thin desktop client.

They ran into the standard glitches when adopting or changing to a new technology. What was the difference that made the transition successful?

“In the end, an advocate who was both an educator and an administrator, he maintains, made all the difference in getting the system accepted. “

I can definitely see how a advocate within the system who understands the needs, can make the difference between success and failure. Hope we can hear more about this.

Little damage seems to have been done by Microsoft’s latest threats to the open source community. Rather than creating fear in the population, Microsoft seems to have only succeeded in tarnishing their own image.

“But none of the half-dozen IT executives who were interviewed about Microsoft’s infringement assertions plan to change their open-source adoption strategies”

Redmayne-Bentley migrated to Linux last year for its mission critical business environment, to reduces processing time, support offsite disaster recovery, and upgrade business continuity,while at same time reducing software costs by half.

“Since making the move, the business has seen an 88 per cent reduction in overnight processing time - from 13 hours down to 1.5 hours - along with a tenfold increase in processing power.” 

Not wasting time, Linus Torvalds responds to the latest “Fear Uncertainty and Doubt, Summer Tour of 2007″ from Microsoft.

“Microsoft should name the patents that it claims have been violated so the claims can be tested in court or so open-source developers can rewrite code to avoid the violation, Torvalds wrote”

Of course this will never happen since that would remove any fear and uncertainty. This saber rattling will go on for years.