According to Microsoft it is. According to the New York Times; Microsoft has placed Linux at the top of their list of enemies. A chief Microsoft employee described Linux as a threat to the technology sector, businesses, and stiffles innovation.

Microsoft is apparently talking about the GPL (General Public License) which is basically a license that releases the source code of a product while the owner holds the trademark. Microsoft is afraid of this and Linux because it is free. Which is against the developing policy of Microsoft.

Lets take a look at it from MS's point of view and figure out why they are upset...
Microsoft is a business and like all businesses the life force is income from you and I. Now if a 100% free operating system comes along (Linux) and preaches the GPL; it will be threatening Microsoft's business. Which is why they are against it and calling it "communism."

Microsoft aslo believes GPL should be "illegal." Which I disagree with. You see, Microsoft is mad because Linus Torvalds did not build a company off Linux and didn't sell it. So now Microsoft is going to have a very difficult time defeating it since they arn't able to bankrupt companies or use their monopolistic powers to stiffle it. But I think they are going over the line by calling it illegal.

If I make a product, is it right for the government to force me to sell it? If my mother made cookies that were better than the ones you buy in the store and she gives them away for free; does that mean these major companies can sue her because of their lost revenue? Why? Because their product sucks? I mean if it is her product and if she decides to make it free...isn't that her decision?

If you ask me; by calling Linux illegal proves the fact that Microsoft is continuously trying to squash competition illegally.

If I could say one thing to Microsoft about Linux I'd say...BRING IT ON! Tux will knock Bill out in the first round! <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by jerry557 on 05/03/01 09:34 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

This is all old news.

Linux is 'Un-American'. That's the absolute point of Linux. It was specifically made to be 'Un-Amercian'. It's like someone telling you 'Guns are made to kill'. Hello.

But what I really enjoy is the msft philosophy 'We have the best programmers in the world.' The reality of the situation is that some poor university kid in Oslo completely reverse engineers everything it has taken them 4 years to put together......

Innovation rules.

The problem is that Microsoft is very cocky. And Bill Gates has a "I rule the world" attitude. I think they are going to push and push untill the public will take no more. They will put this subscription software in their XP line of products and then see what the public opinion shows. If it is an outcry...they will take it out but if noone says anything. Their next version will be even worse.

I don't think Microsoft knows how to fight Linux. And I think they waited to long to start fighting it. Linux is becomming an enemy because it is beginning to be accepted. Companies are starting to use it and it is now being taught at many schools in Computer Science courses which Microsoft enjoys a nice monopoly in.

And every defense department in NATO too. It's nice to be able to look into the source code and find those little 'Netscape programmers suck 3 holes, sideways' backdoors.....

msft Is going to have to 'innovate' (I love it when they use that word =) themselves a new 'mission statement'.

"I don't think Microsoft knows how to fight Linux. And I think they waited to long to start fighting it. Linux is becomming an enemy because it is beginning to be accepted. Companies are starting to use it and it is now being taught at many schools in Computer Science courses which Microsoft enjoys a nice monopoly in."

Linux is the biggest fight MS will ever have (and might even loose it). Why? Simple, they cant buy them out.. and they cannot send them to bankrupcy court. Why cause no one actually owns it.
It was kindda funny that about a year and a half ago i saw Bill Gates on CNN saying that MS was NOT a monopoly and that they did have competition and he mentioned the magic word "Linux". The next day my office started getting calls by the thousands asking a simple question "What is Linux?".

Well it seems like the master of marketing a product did it again but this time against himself..

Currently in my country the largest companies are starting to migrate to Linux. For me it is a boom as i give them support and it has been a great ride.

Personally i see Linux doing great in the future and actually taking over most of the current market. Simply cause it is a good product and it is Free. But i do wish MS good in this fight as it will finally force them to put their money in developing new products that will at the end benefit us.
Linux will live on even if companies like RedHat , SuSE , Caldera etc etc die out. And that is the true beauty of Linux.



Why do I use LINUX ? Cause its the BEST OS
Why do I use Windows? Cause its the BEST Nintendo..

Amen, Brother.