I just read an interesting article today about the linux vs. Microsoft battle. The author’s thesis is that the latest division among linux distributions and companies, those who are making deals with Microsoft and those who refuse to do so, just adds to the list of differences but won’t totally fracture the linux world. His last two paragraphs were the most interesting to me:
At the end of the day, Microsoft wants to sell you a unique, proprietary product. No matter where a business falls on the open-source/free-software spectrum, it wants to sell you support and the freedom to make your own IT way. You can argue endlessly about Ubuntu being better than Vista or Windows Server 2003 delivering a higher TCO than Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, but here’s the part that Microsoft really, really hates and can no longer deny: Both approaches create workable software.So, here we are: Microsoft is making Linux partners. Microsoft is making patent claims. Microsoft is trying to stir up controversy. But, as my grandpa might have put it, “Microsoft is still bringing cards to a horseshoes tournament.” No matter how Microsoft tries to stack this deck, Microsoft is not going to win.
A friend and I had a discussion yesterday about why attempts to drive Ubuntu (or any other linux distribution) into the mainstream OS market will most likely fail. Simply stated, Microsoft has created a good product that works well enough. Normal people are used to it, and IT departments like it because it’s easier to support. My friend also said that a Microsoftie he knows told him linux is ill-prepared for the security challenges of the real world. I don’t know if I agree with that, but he may be correct.
I don’t like Windows any more than the next linux geek, but I do have to admit that they have a monopoly (call it what you will) on desktops and even servers. We’ll see who wins in the end: Microsoft, Microsoft + Novell, or open-source.
By the way, Java != Just Another Vague Acronym, but all the same…