Is Microsoft Open Source's Friend?

Does Microsoft's interoperability pledge mean it's truly opening up? Alex Wolfe, InformationWeek's Wolfe's Den blogger, opines, and we also hear from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and chief software architect Ray Ozzie.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• microsoft
• software
• informationweek
• alex
• wolfe
• open
• source
• steve
• ballmer
• ray
• ozzie
• wolfe's
• den

[KohrsAKT]

I don't know why Ballmer scares me.

[rml695]

I agree; it sounds like Microsoft is now trying to standardize open source, and thus make it closed source, and that's not right.

[Worfox13]

Steve Ballmer looks mad when the other guy speaks.

[SketcherMan2]

Microsoft wants to keep us shackled to their crappy virus prone software.

[MsPwain]

@Fisaren Completely agree, the man is a complete jooke. But don't say it too loud, we wouldn't want him to be fired too soon. He is EXCELLENT for open source. I really like him to be the leader of Microsoft, because then Linux will have a chance.

[MsPwain]

And then after having this speech... Steve Balmer accepted Vista.

WHAT A BLOW AT OPEN SOURCE!!! WOW, HEYA FOR WINDOWS!!!

Well, goood ol' Balmer, I really like you. Because of You I realized the power of Linux. Now Windows is completely gone here, and I will NEVER EVER USE MICROSOFT AGAIN :) Isn't that great? Microsoft will NEVER again get ANY money from me!

[rimtotem]

^_^; i think Ballmer should be closed source...:P i don't want his insanity open sourced at all..

[Gurkenstolz]

Thanks for Open XML...

[Fisaren]

Steve Ballmer is a doucebag, I seriously HATE that asshole.

[vme64]

Microshit is crappy

[jeroeniskoning]

Fuck massive software companies....

[youdanieltube]

steve ballmer may be an idiot, but he's not on his own; there's plenty of really smart people in M$, and they must have told the mutt - we gotta do something, and do it now; the first whitepapers about linux and opensource go back to 1999 (jim allchin etc.) customers and data centers are also putting a lot of pressure on M$, so they have to take it into account, whether they like it or not; otherwise they're going to lose in the long run, so they don't really have a choice, they HAVE to do it