MS's Hilf Named Windows Server Marketer

netbuzz writes "The director of Microsoft's Open Source Lab, Bill Hilf, has added a new duty — general manager of Windows server marketing — to his already established role of shepherding the company's efforts to have open source software peacefully coexist with Microsoft technologies. What the company calls a 'natural evolution' of Hilf's job description may not be considered quite so natural among segments of the open source community that eye every Microsoft move with suspicion if not hostility." Bill Hilf answered Slashdot's questions two years back and sounded quite friendly to OSS; yet at other times he has come off like a hardcore Microsoftie.

Windows Server a failure?

[gcnaddict]

Active Directory has to be one of the single most important things ever implemented by Microsoft. I can't think of a single coorporation that I have worked for which doesn't use it.

Just stating a point.

Re:What's with all the fud?

[webmaster404]

Although I don't know much about the Server edition MS software does not work well with OSS software. First off, playing of Ogg s are impossible without installing a third party codec (And its not patent-restricted like mp3) Second, Windows doesn't show Linux drives, yet Linux can see FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, ETC. Linux can also play WMAs (provided you installed the codecs) Linux can open up .zip files while Windows can't open .tar files. Linux recognizes many different formats by default, unlike Windows (Windows can't even recognize an ISO by default...) MS has done too much trying to make Linux look like a small project, yet Windows (And OSX) recognize that there is competition and can detect the filetypes and such. As I said though, this might not be true about Server 2008, this is based off of XP and Vista Windows editions.

Re:If at first you don't succeed ...

[Locutus]

neither punished or rewarded, just that he's the best person for the job because of the reasons you stated. He knows the OSS they are fighting against and therefore, he knows how the Windows Server marketing should be spun to leverage what they have. You know, integration with MS Office, nice point-click GUI's and that kind of stuff.

Hilf didn't fill his MS Linux Lab with all kinds of OSS just because he likes Linux and OSS. It was to find their weaknesses and how to spin that into Microsofts strengths. As head of Windows Server marketing, we'll soon see where he feels Microsoft can tell the masses how Windows is better.

Oh, and he never was hired to make Windows interoperate with Linux. He's a Microsoft employee for crying out loud. His job is to sell Windows, protect Window, believe in Windows and not change Windows to allow Linux and OSS to fit on the server anywhere. One Linux server in a Windows shop is deadly to Microsoft and they know this. Hilf was hired to control this. First through education by letting Microsoft employees know what they were fighting against. And secondly, by controlling marketing directly and steering the Microsoft Server marketing people to take advantage of the holes he's learned by running OSS in the MS Linux Lab for the last 3+ years. IMO.

LoB

Re:Embrace, Extetend, Exterminate

[Zombie Ryushu]

The whole point however is that the days of installing the Client32 Novell Libraries in Windows is over. Nobody wants to do that anymore. People wants Domains. I have a Linux Domain at my house and two Linux Domain controllers. Its just easier if the whole network is interconnected and attempting to Alter the Linux Client Software to talk to anything else is extremely dangerous.

Re:What's with all the fud?

[MightyMartian]

Of course, Windows Server, in particular the upcoming Windows Server 2008, co-exists better with open source software better than any Windows version to date!

What the fuck does this even mean?