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[Rigger]

In Microsoft emails obtained by CNN, Microsoft's chief sales executive Orlando Ayala authorized executives to offer steep discounts when the software giant competes for orders against the emerging license-free Linux operating system. "Under NO circumstances lose against Linux,"

Link to the story --> Microsoft discounts against Linux

[ikir]

M$ sucks :-D

[Kees]

nah ... they're just smart :-P

[alx]

Perhaps I should write to Microsoft, seeing if they can discount windoze down to the cost of the Linux ISOs I downloaded :-D

[Tesral]

They are running scartd, and it is causing them to lower the price of windows to almost what it is worth.

I figure that if they offer me 100 bucks a license and free 24/7 on site support, I'll switch back.

[olegil]

Well, maybe. I would need a free copy of the developer tools as well ;-)

[KennyR]

If Microsoft lowered the price of Windows to what it was worth, they'd have to give us money.

[cecilia]

M$ is just jealous beacuse Linux red hat (farms) was used to render the effects in the Lord of the Rings films! :-D

[Quixote]

Tesral tossed in:

They are running scartd, and it is causing them to lower the price of windows to almost what it is worth.

:-( Microsoft's worry over Linux is partly why they're pushing their TCPA legislation. Microsoft doesn't want only to sell the OS on every server in the Internet, they want to write the OS on every server in the Internet. They want every server to support their proprietary, undisclosed protocols.

This is an issue of control more than an issue of money.

[img align=left]http://amiga.org/images/subject/icon34.gif[/img]"Where do you want to go today? You'll go wherever we want you to."

[zudobug]

Of course M$ would like everyone in the world to be
running their software, but it ain't just them that
would like this situation.

I've read some pretty interesting theories, here's the
gist of them:

It's fairly well known that M$ share their source code
with the US government, "certain corporations" and
friendly nations. Therefore these chaps could well
know about, and be taking advantage of security holes
well before they are announced and patched. Heck,
M$ could even be holding the patches back (or putting
the holes in there on purpose.)

This is all very beneficial to the government who are
pushing internet snooping, Bush setting up legal
frameworks for government hackers and what have you.
The last thing these guys want is for ppl to be using
secure systems running open protocols that they cannot
control.

Throw paladium into the works and you can see where
this is going.

Why do you think M$ is able to get away with so much
####? It is against the law for a corporation with
such market dominance to do discounts in order to
shaft the competition... but this is what they want
to do and they will get away with it. Why is that?

My advice: be afraid. be very afraid ;-)

[DanDude]

http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=microsoftrevealsan1053082590&area =news

Quote from above: 'In particular the e-mail stated, “Under NO circumstances lose against Linux”.'

[size=x-large]SOB! STOP their monopolizing!![/size]

[SSSMoves]

Just a while longer and.....
The whole world is looking for an alternative......

Finally everyone understands what crap they used to.
One day i say to my children look hou stupid mankind was....

LOL

[Hammer]

Microsoft's worry over Linux is partly why they're pushing their TCPA legislation. Microsoft doesn't want only to sell the OS on every server in the Internet, they want to write the OS on every server in the Internet. They want every server to support their proprietary, undisclosed protocols.

Note that IBM also supports TCPA initiative.
http://www.ibm.com/news/2001/01/29.phtml
(one of the founding members).

IF Apple doesn’t support TCPA and IBM does support TCPA; then this indicates to us that the TCPA system needs both hardware and operating system be aware of TCPA.

This HW and OS chain must be unbroken for the TCPA system to work. In the Apple's scenario; It would be non-TCPA OS (e.g. MacOS X) on top of TCPA hardware (e.g. yet another IBM PPC). This principle can be applied to X86 world.

Thus, Linux will be OK under AMD64 (a.k.a X86-64), and PPC processors.

The real issue here is the “content” i.e. future “content(s)” may not work on non-TCPA eco-systems.

**Content may range from applications, music, movies, pictures, documents and ‘etc’. But any human devised security can be circumvented.

[Hammer]

I figure that if they offer me 100 bucks a license and free 24/7 on site support, I'll switch back.

Well, a MS Windows XP Home Edition OEM license (single) cost $185 AUD (Australian Dollars); ~118.807 USD. Is that close enough?

Location: Australia, Sydney.