Microsoft Sells Linux To Wal-Mart 245
Several readers wrote in to let us know that Wal-Mart is planning to buy SUSE Linux vouchers from Microsoft in the course of building out its infrastructure. These are the support vouchers that Microsoft must distribute to hold up its end of the bargain with Novell. Wal-Mart has been a customer of Red Hat Linux. CBR Online notes that the deal is not entirely unexpected because Microsoft's COO, Kevin Turner, is the former CIO of Wal-Mart.
Maybe is this the reason (Score:4, Interesting)
Ooooh (Score:5, Funny)
Let's Call It... (Score:5, Funny)
Let's call it Wal-Lix
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Ooooh (Score:4, Funny)
At first I thought Microsoft was trying to pull a fast one on Wal-Mart.
Then I realized Wal-Mart would immediately recognize the OS they were running was not Windows when they stopped having crashes.
MS Support (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MS Support (Score:5, Funny)
That is still an improvement over Clippy!
Re: (Score:2)
and so, then Lucy says to Charlie Brown (Score:5, Insightful)
And then, so Lucy says to Charlie Brown, "Come on Charlie Brown, I promise not to pull the ball back this time when you kick it!"
Does anyone imagine in any way or any context this Microsoft -- Wal-Mart relationship for Linux could be a good thing? I can thing of many reasons and many ways Microsoft can undermine and even try to bury Linux with this Novell Suse bargain (with the Devil?), but I only need think of one.
Suppose as Wal-Mart moves forward doing "stuff" with Linux things go terrible wrong, or get terribly hard. "No problem", says Microsoft... you need only switch to our SQL Server which of course needs to run on a Vista Server, etc. It's win-win for Microsoft.
Microsoft gets additional customer share from Linux, and has a diamond-crusted public whipping boy to prove once and for all Linux can't cut it in the big boys' world (business). We all know Linux can, but with big publicity coups I fear Microsoft gains more purchase in the PR war.
Maybe none of this will come to pass, but do you think for one minute a company that sold out its business partners with "Plays for Sure" (sorry, I know I keep using this as an example...), won't think twice about short-shrifting any value Linux brings to the table? Microsoft has shown itself a predator many times before, there's no reason to think this isn't just one more opportunity for them (and a big one at that).
Re:and so, then Lucy says to Charlie Brown (Score:5, Informative)
If Walmart was dissatisfied with Linux, somehow I think Windows would be their last pick. Which makes me wonder, what are they using now? Linux? Solaris?
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
--K
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
As a former Arkansan (Fayetteville, ab't 15 minutes south of Bentonville/Wal-Mart HQ) I remember a buddy of mine who worked there, and IIRC he mentioned AS/400's... a whole farm of them.
Mind you, this was 1998/1999, but it makes sense that they would use 'em for that time frame. No idea what they're using now, though.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
SPAM ! (Score:2)
Oh... So, THAT's the infected/trojaned windows massive distributed botnets that are supposed to be behind the recent increase of SPAM !
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Please explain how Microsoft sold out its partners with "Plays For Sure". Do they no longer support PFS in Vista? Did they revoke the licenses to their PFS DRM or codecs? [note: the answer is "no" to both of those questions] In my view, if they *had* made Zune a PFS-compatible player (Zune uses a different DRM scheme, as does Urge, their affiliated music store) they
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft gets additional customer share from Linux, and has a diamond-crusted public whipping boy to prove once and for all Linux can't cut it in the big boys' world (business). We all know Linux can, but with big publicity coups I fear Microsoft gains more purchase in the PR war.
I wonder if you might be correct. I'm just coming off of a two week run of suse 10.2. I usually use freebsd as my desktop, but I thought I'd try 10.2 because it comes with xorg-7.2 and I wanted to try some of the gl mode desktop toys. From the get go, it was really slick. I installed it on an employer-provided Dell Inspiron 9300. Everything worked pretty easily, wireless wasn't too tough to get going, the touchpad scroll areas work which was a pleasant surprise, the front multimedia keys worked ri
Dear God (Score:2, Funny)
The forces join... (Score:5, Funny)
I've seen fuzzy math before, but this takes the cake.
Don't add, MULTIPLY! (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Good news! (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
The more I think of it in that light, the more I chuckle. Hello, reality check!
Maybe they think that 2 wrongs will make a right?
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Already done. It comes with Lotus Notes and a machine-gun.
Re: (Score:2)
Flying Pigs? (Score:2)
Wait for SCO to chime in (Score:3, Interesting)
Evil Empire + Evil empire = Super Ultra Evil Linux (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Evil Empire + Evil empire = Super Ultra Evil Li (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
I guess that gets abbreviated as "SUE Linux"?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
It would have to be attractive on all fronts.
Re: (Score:2)
"Super Ultra Supreme Evil"
"Super Ultra Sinister Evil"
There is no Windows, only SUEL? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
But ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
The obvious question (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Assuming Microsoft's business plan of "achieve monopoly status in computer operating systems at all levels" hasn't changed, there are actually a couple of explanations for this that make sense.
Explanation 1:
The kind of data centre run by a company like WalMart probably doesn't have a great deal of Microsoft software running. Probably does have a fair bit of Unix, and I'm sure WalMart's IT folks have been idly wondering if t
1 in 5 (Score:4, Funny)
WalMart Farming out Server Stuff (Score:2)
WalMart is seeking guarantees of 100% uptime, no doubt, and leaving it to the support contractor to deliver, by my guess.
Bo
Classic FUD at work (Score:5, Insightful)
Fear? Check.
Uncertainty? Check.
Doubt? Check.
Profit for MS? Check.
And add some FSF FUD for good measure (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
...not to be confused with the similarly-named Shatnix (which, is advertised, by a certain, fat and, old actor).
KHAAAAAAAAAN!!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Good deal for MS (Score:5, Interesting)
MS gets rid of vouchers without creating another Linux customer. MS wins
MS deprives Redhat of Revenue. MS wins
MS will get some Windows boxes installed at the same time. MS wins
One in 5 linux is... (Score:2)
One in five? (Score:2)
This is wonderful! (Score:5, Funny)
Walmart is stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Walmart is stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
Especially when the only guy they can reach internally just switched from supporting Windows and the guru is on vacation.
And the data center is operating on generator because a tornado knocked out the power.
You get the drift. Non-free Linux == CYA for managers.
Re: (Score:2)
Wal-Mart's IT infrastructure is so huge, though, that it ought to be handling it all in-house anyway. Wal-Mart's logistical prowess (of which the computer network is a large part) comprises the bulk of its competitive advantage, in exactly the same way that Google's computer network is the bulk of its competitive advantage.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
True, but the article is talking about vouchers for *support* for a particular Linux distro.
P.S. no disrespect intended to the author, but how the hell did the comment get modded to +5 Insightful ?
Sound business decision imo. (Score:2, Interesting)
Talk about embrace and extend! (Score:5, Interesting)
This takes the cake. Microsoft Linux is next. I predict within 5 years, Vista will become a legacy product, and all new computers will be shipped with Microsoft's Windows API hosted on a Linux kernel.
For those that don't know, Billy G. made his first big sale of DOS to IBM before he even owned it - or so the rumors go. He bought the rights to what would become MS-DOS from a third party, and then sold it to IBM.
And it shouldn't surprise anyone that Microsoft is selling what doesn't belong to them. I wonder how the Windows developers feel. Imagine if your job could be eliminated by Linux. Microsoft doesn't care, they're going to sell whatever makes them money.
When you think about it, it makes perfect sense for Microsoft to sell their desktop, rather than the OS:
So if Microsoft can hide the complexities of Linux under a familiar interface, they could produce a very compelling product.
Re:Talk about embrace and extend! (Score:5, Insightful)
You buy into the myth that MS isn't capable of writing a an OS as secure and stable as Linux. The truth is they can't write an OS as secure and stable as Linux and still be backward compatible with Windows. Neither can anyone else (not that they want to).
If the day comes when the financial benefits of compatibilty are outweighed by the costs, we'll find out what kind of OS MS is capable of writing when released from the compatiblity chains that currently bind them.
Until then, it will continue to be an Apples to Oranges comparison of OS design skills between MS and Linux.
Re: (Score:2)
The truth is they can't write an OS as secure and stable as Linux and still be backward compatible with Windows.
I think that's why they're promoting the whole .NET thing. .NET was designed to be architecture-independent, and yet it was created in the time when nearly every desktop and server was x86-compatible (with the possible exception of Itanium). But .NET, just like Java only needs the VM and not the whole OS. If every application is written in .NET (and I'm seeing more and more .NET apps), making a backwards-compatible OS is as easy as porting the framework.
Re: (Score:2)
It would have to be "if every application ever written for Windows was written in
Since that isn't the case,
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
"Classic Mode": A Windows sandbox for legacy apps (definitely Win9x apps, probably NT/2000/XP and some Vista).
"Carbon": Apps based on shared Windows/Linux APIs - think Mono & WINE, only with M$ putting some real programming heft into the WINE project. Seeing as Novell is already a big supporter of Mono, this might not be far off. Microsoft would have a heck of a time getting Vista's APIs ported, but they do have the advantage of having all of the so
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
But seriously, have these emulators really been tested for more than a few well-known apps and does the performance match a native application?
Jeremy White the CEO of Codeweavers (the leading corporate backer of Wine) has stated:
"We're still...the problem is that's really hard to answer, because the honest answer is that Wine is never going to be 100 percent, identical to Windows, you're not going to be ab
Pulling an Apple (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
In two years, Microsoft will buy CodeWeavers. Each MS application will ship with the then-current version of CrossOver, for Linux and MacOS. Some time after that, Microsoft will do a premium distro that includes five years worth of service packs and CrossOver updates and their own desktop, so there's still scope for MS to do OEM and retail deals and continue to own the OEM space. Those who want to run MS apps under their favourite dist
Long time coming (Score:5, Informative)
MS-Novell I.P. can be difficult for Linux (Score:5, Interesting)
MS might not have a clear plan, but a close ralationship with Novell can be a way to keep close control over Linux as well.
Imagine a patent/copyright/licencing/enforcement mutual agreement. Now MS sits on the right to enforce any Unix IP rights violation that might occur. MS might also have rights to Linux code released by Novell. Noticing that MS has a lot of money and Novell almost nothing, this or more like a merger, may be inevitable.
If not a direct threat to Linux, this may make it more difficult for Linux developers in may ways.
Should Novell donate the Unix I.P. rights to the FSF or the Linux community before it is too late?
the evolution of corepirate nazi FUDgePacking (Score:5, Interesting)
1997: It's not a threat
When I was writing a feature about GNU/Linux for Wired magazine, I contacted Microsoft to find out their views on this new rival. At that time, they were so laid back about it, they were nearly falling over. In fact, GNU/Linux was such a negligible threat, they couldn't be bothered coming up with even a mild bit of FUD for me. They just said: "We have a very talented team of developers making sure NT is the most powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use operating system."
1999: It's not very powerful
By 1999, Microsoft's position that GNU/Linux wasn't a threat was no longer tenable. Articles started appearing in the technical press that not only dared to compare GNU/Linux with Microsoft's flagship Windows NT, but actually found it better. One, in a Ziff-Davis title called Sm@rt Reseller, for example, stated: "According the ZDLabs' results, each of the commercial Linux releases ate NT's lunch".
But help was at hand. In April 1999, a performance testing company called Mindcraft issued a press release headed "Mindcraft study shows Windows NT server outperforms Linux". It then emerged that Mindcraft had been commissioned by Microsoft to carry out the study - the first, but not the last time it would adopt this tactic. A fierce argument between Mindcraft and the open source community ensued about whether the tests had been fair, and how to make them fairer.
In fact, the end results of the re-run was not completely favorable to GNU/Linux, but something rather interesting happened. The open source community took the failures and used them to improve GNU/Linux to the point where it was indeed more powerful than Windows. By finding and drawing attention to free software's weak spots, Microsoft actually made it stronger.
2001: It's not very nice
In the face of the Mindcraft fiasco, and the growing strength of GNU/Linux, Microsoft changed tack. Steve Ballmer was wheeled out to bad-mouth the opposition, as only he can. In 2000, he said: "Linux sort of springs organically from the earth. And it had, you know, the characteristics of communism that people love so very, very much about it." In 2001, talking to the Chicago Sun-Times, he expressed himself even more forcefully: "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."
Powerful stuff. Unfortunately for the FUDmeisters at Microsoft, this kind of name-calling didn't go down too well with its intended audience. Even Microsoft's own research showed this, as revealed in one of the entertaining Halloween memos leaked to Eric Raymond.
2002: It's not very cheap
Once again, a massive change of tactics was required. Having failed to convince people that free software was either broken or bad, Microsoft decided to "prove" that it actually cost more to use than Windows - the famous TCO, or Total Cost of Ownership, studies. To achieve this, it drew on the "facts" to be found in a number of white papers from various analysts, all of which, by an amazing coincidence, came up with the result that running GNU/Linux was indeed more expensive than using Windows.
But it didn't take long for this story to unravel like all the others. First, it was not always clear whether Microsoft had commissioned the white papers that it liked to cite, or whether they were truly independent. This naturally tended to cast doubts on even those that were produced without Microsoft's input. Just as seriously, the TCO methodologies were often completely valueless, involving estimates of costs several years into the future, or the results were presented in a skewed fashion. When this became clear, people felt that they were being duped by Microsoft, and tended to discount the whole exercise.
The final nail in the coffin of this ironically-named "Get The Facts" campaign from Microsoft is the recent appearance of yet another white paper, which provided cast-iron evidence that GNU/Linux's TCO was actually better than that of Windows (well, as c
It's simply MSFT getting back at NOVELL (Score:2)
I bought a Walmart Linux PC... (Score:2)
I called tech support 2 or 3 times. Always got the same guy in India or Pakistan. He spent 30 miuntes or so trying to explain to me how to use Wi
MSFT sold UNIX in the past (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Interesting (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure Microsoft execs were able to get Wal-Mart to use Suse by continuing to offer them great Windows discounts. This way they aren't really compromising the integrity (sic) of their volume licensing.
Re:Interesting (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
But do people really buy computers from Wal-Mart? I'm trying to think of a place so remote that it has a Wal-Mart but no other place to buy a PC. Shit, Tiger Direct s
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Wal-Mart
5401 W 65th St
Chicago, IL 60638
(708) 924-1590
But do people really buy computers from Wal-Mart?
A) Yes.
B) This has nothing to do with the products sold in the store.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I think the store on 65th is planned and not built yet, but I live on the near West. I don't m
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Wal-Mart has used UNIX since 1991 (Score:5, Informative)
Wal-Mart installed UNIX-based systems in their stores in 1991. They use common systems and platforms in all their stores world wide. From an IT perspective Wal-Mart has been a pioneering and aggressive user of technology since 1969.
Re: (Score:2)
What better way to defeat the competition than to (legally) steal their product (support) right out from under them?
If they can't stop linux from spreading they may as well get their hands on a distro, offer it as a supported option, and offer deals if companies agree to purchase windows solutions as well. Ma
No Linux distro is well known among the public (Score:2)
No Linux distribution is well known among the public. You are lucky if you can find someone who has heard of Linux in general.
If Microsoft wanted a *NIX they could do the same thing that Sun, SGI, and more recently Apple had done. Just use BSD. Very few users will care if the underpinnings of a *NIX based OS
Re: (Score:2)
The title is misleading. Walmart is not buying Suse Support.. It's a package deal. They are packaging it together with MS server.
From the article..
"Microsoft offers coupons for Suse Enterprise Linux support services as well as legal indemnification for customers who use both Microsoft and Novell's Linux,
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I realize that the parent may not have been the most insightful post, but don't be stupid.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Because they hope to earn some karma by finishing their sentences with a question mark?
Re:MOD GP DOWN Re:Interesting (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
itstooobvious?
Re: (Score:2)
For some reason, I'm seeing Sergeant Debian marching right up to Private Novell, saying "You're no longer fit to wear this Penguin, boy", and angrily ripping the Tux symbols off Novell's epaulets.
Re: (Score:2)
So has London.
Oh, Wait ...