Is Linus working for MS secretly?

[ineo]

have a loot at these links i found and share your views

http://www.forbes.com/enterprisetech..._0831msft.html

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759...04dtx1k0000599

[mail2and]

this is the worst crap i ever heard!

[it_waaznt_me]

The page can be found Here .. ...

[ineo]

Originally Posted by mail2and

this is the worst crap i ever heard!

Those happen to be very good magazines.

[tuxfan]

Actually, I can imagine that some secret lab of M$ is making Linux viruses. But don't think Linux works for M$. This could be some mis-propoganda from M$

[wORm]

I suggest you guys read the Forbes article before commenting on it.

The line "Is Linus Torvalds secretly working for Microsoft?" included in the article is simply a metaphor, and not a conspiracy theory. The article is a well researched one and explores how Linux may have made people realise the value of Microsoft in a positive way.

[allajunaki]

Well,
While i cant say that Linux is cheaper, But consider this. 15Years old Linux kernel is still stronger than "Latest XP Kernel".
Also cost of retraining IT staffs of Linux may be high, But once Trained they can do much better than any Windows trained staff can.
A few months back I wondered why Linux didnt have any load balancing tools like Midpoint Proxy (for Win32), its then that dawned upon me that linux didnt need such a tool, Why? It can do it by default in its kernel? I could easily program the kernel to assign priorities to each connection. now i know that sound too much for an end user. but one should understand that the it staff is paid to work, not to look at the pretty interface provided by windows... and linux gets the work done far more efficiently than windows...

[allajunaki]

I dont understand what "Catch Up" is forbes talking about...?

Can any version of windows run on a 64bit platform? (I dont know if win 2003 can) ? Event today AMD64 is bechmarked on linux platform.
Obviously the guy who wrote has no knowledge of OS from technology standpoint. One should understand Linux is modular, This has an advantage that any feature can ( well almost any) can be integrated into the system with modules.
How come the magazine doesnt talk from security POV ? surely any big company looks for security right? A Naked XP (with firewall has 25 Vulnerablites includin a couple of High and urgent Dangers Source: One of the reputed IT magazines). Now My little home test on my Custom Linux box, with the Built in Firewall disabled, and No Antivirus S/w revealed 3 Vulnareblities, of three 3rd one was High Risk. I little bit of probing revealed that it was a bug in the test suite, it was a false alarm. That leaves 2 Risks one in LOWEST and another in LOW, both related to ICMP services, but thats pose no threat and can easily be disabled using the firewall...
the key strength of linux is its ablity to clearly segeregate a normal user from power user. Even power user, like an adminstrator runs in normal user and elevating his privilidges only when he needs to do some important task.
Device capablities, See this I can connect my to my T610 and transfer Files in Linux in 2hrs, well 2 hrs because i use a Custom Kernel that i designed and i didnot install Bluetooth modules, so i had to integrate BT to my kernel... If it was some regular Linux u could have done it without difficulty....
Device support and capablity will Improve in linux once more and more ppl start adopting it...

[Ricky]

well.. winXP 64 bit is there..

btw about the articles ..

There is same old story which I read often .. There was nothing new in that!

[allajunaki]

well Xp for 64Bit is Beta dear... and performance is not even remotley close to 32bit XP, and driver support... well what drivers?
Linux has a proper running 64bit edition, why else does anandtech and tomshardware prefer Linux to benchmark these processors....

[wORm]

allajunaki, Forbes being a Financial/Business magazine looks at the Windows vs. Linux debate, strictly from the financial point-of-view. Technological superiority is of no consequence. If one can make the most of a 64 bit processor using Linux, so be it, businesses just want to know which OS will help them run their operations in the most cost-effective way. The author gives us a real-world exampe of this by reporting Newham's decision to forgo its plans to use Linux and continue using windows after commissioning a study to evaluate costs. Newham's director of information and communications technology contends that savings while using Windows would be twice as much, as compared to Linux.

[DKant]

First of all, nice avatar allajunaki

Secondly, the Forbes article was short-sighted crap. Think IBM is a big fool pumping millions into Linux? Speaking abt foresight, remember the now-celebrated Mr.Bill saying "who would need more than 640K of RAM?"

And the funniest part.."Microsoft charges you for upgrades, patches, research and development"...Why were those patches necessary in the first place, as allajunaki pointed out? And of coz, saying Linux has to catch up with Win was outrageous!! And may I add, rotfl as well.

Agreed it wasn't a tech-article but u have to get ur facts right dammit! Forbes should've only talked about the financial/legal side.

[it_waaznt_me]

Originally Posted by DKant

Think IBM is a big fool pumping millions into Linux?

No sir .. Linux server means big business ... IBM has generated around $ 2 Billion as revenue from Linux in 2004 ...

You should read this article ...

[Nemesis]

i quite liked the article on forbes.com not bcoz im a windows fan or a linux hater but bcoz it poses some interesting questions....
1. y r we now being charged 4 linux??? it was meant 2 b free...agreed that u can still get some free versions but the best versions cost u money....so the whole point abt linux being free has been tossed out
2. if linux was really cost effective, y r some companies sticking with windows????
3. allajunaki, no offence mate. u r experienced enough 2 run ur own version of linux but what abt the common user???? isnt windows much easier 2 use??? and though some versions may have extensive hardware support, most dont causing a lot of trouble....
4. i totally agree that windows versions r always buggy and need patches and updates. and i think that nobody took the initiative in popularizing linux which is y many still look at it as a geek's OS...but u have so many ppl coming up with linux versions that no1 is really benefitting. as they say too many cooks spoil the broth....
and y do some versions of linux have the look and feel of a windows desktop????? and linux lacks support 4 a lot of software like games...

btw, i support linux although i dont use it....ive used knoppix and found that it was pretty good
but im gonna stick with windows until they start making games 4 linux.....

[GNUrag]

Hello Nemesis... I dont get your language, are you trying to raise some points here ? ... i'll try to put forward some of my opinons here...

Originally Posted by Nemesis

1. y r we now being charged 4 linux??? it was meant 2 b free...agreed that u can still get some free versions but the best versions cost u money....so the whole point abt linux being free has been tossed out

GNU/Linux is still Free... you are Free to make copies of it... adapt and change it according to your business purpose... and no one will raid your premises asking you to show your OS and software licence... Did anyone talk abt money ? Well... Free means Freedom... you have to pay your software vendour what he feels is right... you have to pay for that manual... you have to pay for that 24X7 on site support that they give....

Originally Posted by Nemesis

2. if linux was really cost effective, y r some companies sticking with windows????

Ask them...

Originally Posted by Nemesis

and i think that nobody took the initiative in popularizing linux which is y many still look at it as a geek's OS...

And who is to take that initiative ? Free/Open Source Software is not made by a single company who can run advertisements of their offerings in TV and Newspapers... Individual programmers just cant afford it!!!

Originally Posted by Nemesis

but u have so many ppl coming up with linux versions that no1 is really benefitting. as they say too many cooks spoil the broth....

You can call it different flavours also... people get to choose what they want... and feel confortable with

Originally Posted by Nemesis

and y do some versions of linux have the look and feel of a windows desktop????? and linux lacks support 4 a lot of software like games...

See, you might be a gamer....but you belong to only 0.1% of educated people who might ever benefit from Computer at all.... not everyone is out there playing games on their computers...

Anyways, my aim was not to argue on your points... you just made some good points... but people should think it this way also...

[Nemesis]

good points gnurag....as i said im not against linux... and im not even a big microsoft fan coz i know how vulnerable windows is....i think there is still some way 2 go b4 linux is widely adopted...some companies r using a windos like interface instead of developing a unique interface...i have used mac os x and i know it is way better than windows...linux can b better than windows too. in fact is is already more secure than windows.
and when i talked abt initiative, i didnt mean running long newspaper advertisements. i just meant that all the big companies like ibm should have done something 2 educate ppl abt the benefits of linux. as u migh tknow, when computer manufacturers bundle linux as an os, they generally give turbo linux with no support whatsoever...how do u expect a person who is new 2 computers 2 find his way around??
i agree that we gamers r a small community but is that y we should b ignored???? and i never said that i use my computer only 4 playin games....
but like u said, im not arguing just making my point of view known...

[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

some companies r using a windos like interface instead of developing a unique interface...i have used mac os x and i know it is way better than windows...

They are just trying to attract away the Windows users onto the GUI provided by GNU/Linux based window managers.... I aggree they should not just try to emulate something already existing...

Originally Posted by Nemesis

i just meant that all the big companies like ibm should have done something 2 educate ppl abt the benefits of linux.

IBM had been busy promoting and developing their own proprietary OS

Originally Posted by Nemesis

as u might know, when computer manufacturers bundle linux as an os, they generally give turbo linux with no support whatsoever...

Yeah.... that is not fair... they could have bundled up Debian also...

Originally Posted by Nemesis

how do u expect a person who is new 2 computers 2 find his way around??

And you know what ? Have you ever seen a person totally new to computers ? Believe me or not .... He can not even figure out his way in Windows environment also.... just look around and you might find many examples... i'm not joking...

Originally Posted by Nemesis

i agree that we gamers r a small community but is that y we should b ignored???? and i never said that i use my computer only 4 playin games....

allright, but who is ignoring you ? Generally speaking , most of the random programmers that develop Free/Open Source Software also are not quite gamers.... Its up to us... If enough people are onto GNU/Linux platform, then the game developers also might develop games for GNU/Linux.... They want profits... and its some of us who are not ready to adopt anything other than Windows...

[Nemesis]

there u go...both of us had our own points of view...wqe put them forward, discussed them and we agree on some points, disagree on others...nice healthy argument...

[allajunaki]

well Guys One of my points was looked upon in wrong way.
Lets assume that linux is more difficult to use than windows, Then too an IT company should adopt linux, because of a simple reason, If they are paying for IT staff, whose sole purpose is to maintain the IT side of the company, then why cant they be retrained, so that they will be able to be much more productive (As i mentioned elsewhere, Linux can be useed like Dos and Windows, but linux goes much beyond dos 'like' arguments) .
Another intresting fact is that windows is not really all that 'user friendly'... Anyone who has used Mac OS X for half hour will tell u the definition of 'User Friendly' is... Unfortunatley OSX is available only on Mac platform. Imagine the first time u started using windows..!
The ease of use of Mac OSX realized when by best friends sis, who hates using comp, all of a sudden fell in love with her mac @ workplace. Interesting considering she hated windows.

But what has MAC OSX gotta do with linux? Simple OSX is based on Unix, that means someone may eventually develop an awesome interface for linux.

Few of the things User are scared of (including me!) about linux.
1. Very Difficult to install (Unfortunatley Partitioning and installing is still a lil difficult if u dont have an empty partition).
2. Alien interface. where the hell is Control Panel (My playground in win$)
3. Wierd OS Structure, Whats with usr,root,etc..blah blah?
4. Compiling? OMG I have to create my own S/W ?!?! (Actually once u can type './configure' , 'make' , 'make install', Its much more easy than installing in XP, you dont have to decide where to install, its decided by the package.
5. RPMs, whats with all those dependancies?!? (yeah even i hate that when u install stuff it says that it needs some more crap to install ).
6. Sound/Graphics, where is the sound/graphics , Linux needs some more spit polishing here. getting the sound card to work sometimes require you to mess around with configuration files, though autodetect works 98% of the times and u wont have the problem.
7. Installation of drivers, well point 6. is a subset of this point. But dirver installs are still a rough affair, needs a lil more work.

-------BUT------
we are Indians, we are known for our above average intelligence and our skill to adapt quickly. And only reason why so few of us migrating to linux is simple, how many paid for their windows OS?, The simple fact why Maruti 800 and Alto is selling in India so much is because of their low price...! same will be true if every one has to pay for their OS.!
Right now u have free windows and free Linux, so Windows is a lil more polished, so Windows it is...!

[Nemesis]

interesting point abt the mac osx...as a windows user, i find the interface irritating and it does take time 2 get used 2 it...i have an issue with the mouse i have used-it is a single button mouse without any scroll wheel. so it gets a lil irritating when u have 2 keep the ctrl key pressed 2 "right click" something....but it is a new interface and i quite like it except that it is not like windows...hopefully someday, some linux flavor will have a kick-a$$ interace, will support all hardware and b able 2 run all windows programs....i wish it happens soon.....
and u r right abt ppl getting windows 4 free....
and the 7 points u raised...those r the very reasons that linux is not being as widely adopted as it should b...it has awesome potential.
btw, nice avatar bro...

[GNUrag]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

.i wish it happens soon..... and u r right abt ppl getting windows 4 free....
and the 7 points u raised...those r the very reasons that linux is not being as widely adopted as it should b...it has awesome potential.

Yeah Nemesis, someday we'll be having a kicking interface for our GNOME/KDE or altogether a new Desktop... plus the added benefit of GNU/Linux being Free, to share... to modify... without any licencing issues....