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Microsoft Hires Director of Linux Interoperability
Posted by
kdawson
on Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:37 AM
from the over-to-the-dark-side dept.
from the over-to-the-dark-side dept.
AlexGr sends us to Todd Bishop's blog in the Seattle PI for news that Microsoft has brought someone aboard to serve as its Director of Linux Interoperability and head up the Microsoft/Novell Interoperability Lab. "...his name will be familiar to people in the open-source community. In an e-mail late Thursday night, a Microsoft representative said the role will be filled by Tom Hanrahan, who was most recently the director of engineering at the Linux Foundation, the group created through the recent combination of the Free Standards Group and the Open Source Development Labs."
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Microsoft Hires Director of Linux Interoperability
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no... (Score:3, Funny)
Microsoft Director of Linux Interoperability(TM) (Score:4, Funny)
(Last Journal: Friday December 05 2003, @03:51PM)
Finally (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Finally (Score:4, Funny)
(http://www.dolemite.com/)
I hope they will release
Re:Finally (Score:5, Insightful)
For example: better NFS client / serving from Windows server, Office being able to read (not write) ODF, running Linux applications on Windows, stuff like that. Things that help people migrate OFF Linux. There may be a side effect that some things in Linux will work better with MS, but that is a side effect and not intended behavior.
If MS was serious about working with Linux in a positive way, they would be releasing proper documentation on their file formats and network protocols with no strings attached (such as massive license fees.) Unless forced to do so (by the EU) this will NEVER happen.
That's what the patent deals are for... (Score:4, Interesting)
With Linux, this is harder. They can't use a price advantage to 'choke off the air supply'. Or can they? To me, that's what the Novell patent deal is all about (from MS's point of view, at least). To un-freeify Linux. Microsoft is confident that they can compete on a level playing field. After all, they have a huge starting advantage, plus they still have the ability to tie their server products to their desktop products. But they can no longer undercut on price. That is, unless they convince the marketplace that free Linux is illegal, and the only way to get Linux is to pay Novell's price. Then they can once again price Novell out of the market.
At least one of the Linux-esque ways of doing business is running servers for free, or at least without per-seat licensing. If that goes away, at least a large part of those Linux fans will lose some of their attachment.
Re:Finally (Score:5, Funny)
HELL, Earth. June 8th, 2007. (NASDAQ: HELQ) Hell has Frozen Over.
In a shocking event, Hell has taken on an icy interior today. Says one demon, "It's actually quite nice, what with the flying bacon and all." Operators of the Infernal Furnace spoke to us briefly: "All the sudden our computers froze", "We were installing a Microsoft Service Pack and all the sudden a penguin came on the screen and the whole environment changed." Hell has scheduled a press conference to happen later this week where we will receive an update on this situation.
Representatives at Microsoft were not available for comment.
Contacts:
Lucifer,
666-666-1234
lucifer@inhell.com
Steve Ballmer,
666-666-1233
therealdevil@inhell.com
Wow... (Score:3, Funny)
Razzing doesn't break bones (Score:5, Funny)
Are you sure you don't mean... (Score:2, Funny)
(http://blog.macb.net/ | Last Journal: Monday March 05 2007, @04:38PM)
Are you sure you don't mean... SATAN!???
I recall Netware and NT interoperability... (Score:5, Interesting)
Great! (Score:2, Insightful)
hehe (Score:3, Funny)
(http://rtfm.insomnia.org/~qg/ | Last Journal: Wednesday November 16 2005, @07:11AM)
Evil is insidious.
Re:hehe (Score:4, Insightful)
No need to assume he'll become evil.
Not yet, anyway.
How hard can that be? (Score:1)
(http://www.hyperlogos.org/ | Last Journal: Wednesday July 18, @08:19PM)
Itsatrap (Score:2, Funny)
(http://www.pembo13.com/)
I still think.. (Score:1)
(http://www.everybodysucksbutme.com/)
They have the resources, support and money... it's just not a huge threat to them at the time being.
It's all about MS-Office profits (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd say much sooner than that. These days Microsoft's cash cow is Office, not Windows. As GWB is having some trouble in maintaining his Google bomb [google.com], Microsoft will soon realize that MS-Office in Linux is a better business model for them than OpenOffice in Linux.
re (Score:5, Funny)
Tom: Really?
Bill: No, but I hve tons of money for you!
Tom: Dark side it is!
Typo. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.guff.se/)
ODF (Score:4, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Tuesday October 30, @10:59AM)
Or, hell, send some developers over to the Wine project.
Since none of this is happening, I can only assume that this "Linux interoperability" guy is either a complete hypocrite, or is going to have no real power within the company.
Re:ODF (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.ev4.org/)
Why? because linux has a significant server marketshare, and they are FORCED to interoperate with it or face losing marketshare themselves.
Linux however has very little desktop market share, so it's more profitable for microsoft to ignore it and thus make it harder for people to migrate to linux.
Ever noticed how a lot of the interoperability between windows and other os's centers around those os's implementing proprietary protocols from windows, rather than windows implementing standards from other os's. There have been a few other cases where microsoft have been forced to implement standards to interoperate (tcp/ip, image formats etc) but they have always preferred to force their own proprietary implementations on people if they will stick (netbeui, bmp etc).
Re:ODF (Score:4, Funny)
(Last Journal: Friday February 21 2003, @05:17AM)
What an easy job (Score:2)
(http://www.winckle.co.uk/)
Connections (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Connections (Score:4, Interesting)
fixed.
Chill the still (Score:3, Funny)
Just another step in validating their IP... (Score:3, Interesting)
And Who Did They Hire?? (Score:5, Funny)
I guess this is the embrace part (Score:1)
Hanrahan...Where have I heard that before? (Score:1)
Guy must have gone through hell when that movie came out.
the patents (Score:1)
"Ministry of Linux Interoperability" (Score:1, Funny)
Predicted further Ministries:
how's it been going with Sun (Score:5, Interesting)
BTW, Microsoft does not want to interoperate with Linux and OSS. They want it gone, so any "talk" about deals and smoke-mirror agreements will only flounder, stall, and drag on forever. Anybody who believe otherwise is just fooling themselves.
LoB
Worst story ever? (Score:3, Funny)
* Ballmer throwing chairs
* Embrace, extend, extinguish
* Clippy hate
* Funny BSOD jokes
In the meantime, I'm curious who took the job, because people will hate them for no reason now. Ah zealotry, without thee, what would I do on this site?
Disappointed (Score:2)
(http://www.millioninchange.com/)
I've said it before (Score:1)
(http://www.gamehound.net/ | Last Journal: Saturday August 25, @08:53PM)
Microsoft is becoming more evil, I don't like what they're doing one bit.
There are definately alterior motives going on for M$, and I hope all the Linux distros stand up again them.
Competition fosters innovation. If M$ gets rid of the competition, they will have no innovation.
Oh wait...that already is the case. Can anyone remember the last real innovation that come out of M$?
Forgive my ignorance but... (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Doing the right thing???? (Score:1)
This looks like window dressing.
If somebody is lulled into a false sense of security , so much the better.
In a year or two we may know if this is sincere. I doubt it.
Smoke and mirrors (Score:3, Insightful)
Anything else is just smoke and mirrors.
Pesky tags... (Score:5, Insightful)
itsatrap would be completely apropos here.
Just sayin'... the tagging system currently may as well be a checkbox list of categories. Not exactly user generated.
The MS strategy seems clearer now (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm pretty sure this is one of their main goals; don't know if it's the first or a secondary one though.
"Windows Ain't Done Till Lotus Won't Run" (Score:2)
Oblig... (Score:1)
PR stunt to bolster the Novell and Xandros deals? (Score:1)
It's probably just a PR stunt to advertise how serious Microsoft is about making sure that every large corporation that uses Linux signs a Novell or Xandros style deal.
Linux isn't free until you pay Microsoft. That's free as in unencumbered by lawsuits, not free as in beer or speech.
Finally in HD (Score:1)
Bugs, Virus, hacks, etc. (Score:1)
Quick Question (Score:3, Insightful)
Sera
Obligatory (?) Denis Leary quote (Score:2)
(http://www.fylo.net/)
"Hanrahan! What are you doing?"
"Nothin!"
"Well, keep it up, you're doing a great job."
Microsoft Hires Dir. of Linux Interoperability (Score:2)
* War is Peace
* Freedom is Slavery
* Ignorance is Strength
Tom Hanrahan, huh? (Score:2)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Oh, NO!!! (Score:1)
Classical case... (Score:1)
his task... (Score:2)
(http://reallydodgy.org/ | Last Journal: Thursday January 05 2006, @03:54AM)
Cynical? You bet...
They already have a Ministry of Truth... (Score:1)
Re:Once again (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://rtfm.insomnia.org/~qg/ | Last Journal: Wednesday November 16 2005, @07:11AM)
If we lived in that universe where "Director of Linux Interoperability" actually meant what you think it means. Unfortunately, out in the REAL WORLD, that title actually means "Director of increasing the perception of interoperability with Linux system while actually making them less compatible."
So yeah, keep living in your dream world.
Re:Once again (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Once again (Score:1, Insightful)
In addition, on your next post, please spend at least 1/2 of the time talking about the subject rather than about your mod points. For all of that whining, you should be modded down.
Re:Once again (Score:2)
(http://pietersz.co.uk/ | Last Journal: Wednesday May 04 2005, @05:22AM)
Not having cash put into it has NEVER been an aim of Linux, or of open source in general.
In the case of Google, Sun and IBM their interests are aligned with improving Linux. On the other hand MS can only lose if Linux improves (and increased interoperability with the dominant OS would be an improvement), so it is reasonable to expect that they are somehow trying to damage Linux - it makes no sense for them to do anything else.
Re:Once again (Score:3, Funny)
OMG MS copies Apple again
Re:Once again (Score:1)
(http://mybabylon.homelinux.org/blog | Last Journal: Sunday April 08 2007, @04:50PM)
If you want to be taken seriously (as most people who are saying M$ at times drop it when they're making a more sober, interesting point), drop the High School Nerd flamebait attitude.
And, while you're at it, saying, "I know you're going to mod this flamebait" only works when its a slightly offensive statement, not a statement filled with sophomoric jargon. (not to mention that you don't know what you're talking about).
Can we get an Inappropriate? (Score:1)
(http://mybabylon.homelinux.org/blog | Last Journal: Sunday April 08 2007, @04:50PM)
Re:Once again (Score:1)
(http://unbuenservicio.com/ | Last Journal: Monday June 11, @12:29PM)
How can you team up with someone who's stealing from you? or so they say......
In my opinion the open source community should be more careful in deciding if they are gonna team up with a giant corporation which basically is showing you 2 faces...