Truesong Tech: "I recently set up Arch Linux (which is awesome, by the way) on my laptop, and noticed a bit of a problem... despite my resolution, 1680x1050, which usually makes fonts look tiny, all of my system fonts were huge."
Late last night I was surfing the web and reading the news on CNN.com, where upon I noticed their search bar at the top of the page. I decided to place the keyword "linux" into the search box; I clicked the search button to see if there was any Linux-related news that I might have missed. What I found in the paid search really shocked me and upset me. In the number one position, it said the following:
"Compare Windows to Linux www.Microsoft.com Making a Server Platform Decision? Read About Windows Server vs. Linux " The site in question: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/compare/default.mspx - I will not hotlink it. (Tired of all the hate? Check out our Linux love connection here.)
Microsoft is actually paying for a Linux smear campaign on the Google syndicated network! I had been to that site a long time ago before it was any where near as developed as it is now. But what surprises me the most is that they are paying people to visit this site; while it does look like a large, thought-out website, there is no substance to it at all. All the points made are flat out lies. For example, "people choose Windows Server for better security than Linux." But when you click on this precarious statement to learn more, it simply states that Windows Server 2008 is the most secure windows server ever; no explanation; no details; no truth; no actual comparison to a Linux-based server. Saying Windows Server 2008 is the most secure version of Windows isn't saying much; it's like having constructed planes without any roof for years, while hundreds of your passengers flew out of the plane, only then in the year 2008 to construct a plane with a tin foil roof and say it's the "best Microsoft plane ever."
What I found interesting also is they try to convince you that reliability is more than just up time. The site states “Organizations define reliability as more than uptime”. Anyone want to guess what is wrong with this statement? Does it assume Linux has better uptime? Sounds that way to me. There is a huge difference between usability and reliability and whomever came up with that line is a flat out idiot. The site also has a large number of case studies, which are pretty much given by computer illiterate executives (not IT people) discussing how Windows Server helped them. I cant help but be infuriated by the fact these people are commenting on issues about which they have no real knowledge or acumen. The whole site just reeks of Nazi era propaganda, and they take the stand that there is no other choice but Windows for a server. Nothing could be further from the truth. A good webserver should be running anything except Windows for reliability!
What are your thoughts about Microsoft's smear campaign?
I think they are doing this out of fear. They know that more and more people are going to Linux for a solution. For example, Google runs its software on Linux; current estimates are that they employ roughly 450,000 Linux servers - making them THE largest company in the world to rely on Linux for speed and security. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_platform
Well actually Windows has always been very strong at publicity and advertisement (45 billion dollars is a lot to get your hands on yahoo though!!), and a little less strong on operating systems. It takes a while however for people to notice that, but I have good faith that people will understand this sooner or later....
So why don't you just do them the favour and click on the ads?
That makes everybody happy - Google, because the make money from Microsoft, Microsoft, cause they think there is a lot of interest in their products, and us Linux users, as we know that Microsoft just wasted 10 cents.
I always click on every MS ad - because I am curious about their next FUD campaign and because I know that I spend some of the huge MS money pile with every click.
Guest
6. 02-02-2008 06:01
Ridiculous article...
boohoo! You didn't even look at the site obviously, and you falsely stated that they didn't provide any reasoning behind their statements when they obviously do.
You just want to cry about evil microsoft.
All you do is repeat the phrase "smear campaign" over and over. If you want to talk about something with no substance, its your ridiculous article...
Guest
7. 02-02-2008 10:29
A few stories about the Microsoft embrac
A few stories about the Microsoft embrace and extend Yahoo nightmare..
Euro lawyers see tortuous road ahead for Microsoft's Yahoo! bid.. Microsoft is likely to face a torrid time from European regulators before it can even think of closing its proposed takeover of Yahoo!. A leading UK competition lawyer told the Reg today: "Any big Microsoft acquisition is likely to be looked at very carefully, especially if it is in an area where they have been complaining about their rivals - I wonder if there is anything in the documents Microsoft filed in its complaint to the EU about Google which they are now regretting."
Read more about here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/01/ms_yahoo_competition
Yahoo! buy would give Microsoft ownership of open source e-mail & projects. Ugh. Let’s forget about search for a moment, and Microsoft’s obvious need to buy a leading online company or face extinction. Microsoft’s proposed $45 billion buy of Yahoo would give the Redmond, Wash company control over a top open source e-mail company, open source projects and an open source infrastructure. On September 17 of 2007, Yahoo bought Zimbra for $350 million. Yahoo’s infrastructure is built on BSD. Yahoo has released a myriad of software to the open source community and even sponsors some open source projects. So this deal would put Microsoft directly into the open source software business.
Read more about here: http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=1962
Will The Open Source World Welcome Microsoft-Yahoo Combo? Microsoft has confirmed that it’s seeking to acquire Yahoo! Some folks — you know, the open source crowd — will likely bash a proposed Microsoft-Yahoo combo. The VAR Guy, however, is willing to give Microsoft a chance to explain the proposed business combo. Here’s why. First, a little background. Search engine giants like Google and Yahoo rely heavily on Linux, the LAMP stack and custom open source projects. And Microsoft has been trying to re-invent the LAMP stack with WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, and related tools), notes Mary Jo Foley’s Microsoft Watch blog.
Read more about here: http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/02/01/will-open-source-world-welcome-microsoft-yahoo-combo
Zimbra Proponents Fear Microsoft-Yahoo Combo When Yahoo acquired Zimbra in September 2007, some Zimbra backers worried Yahoo would mismanage the open source email asset. Fast forward to the present, and some Zimbra proponents have gone from concern to outright panic over Microsoft’s bid to acquire Yahoo (and, by attachment, Zimbra).
Read more about here: http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/02/01/zimbra-proponents-fear-microsoft-yahoo-combo
Our only hope is that the EU will kill this deal.....
Guest
8. 02-02-2008 10:56
BOOK zYIER0O0
While this page loaded I had to wonder, is it the lousy SERVICE I'm receiving, or is the slowdown due to the fact I'm using WINDOWS XP, and this article speaks "ill" of Windows. Linux is likely my next OPERATING SYSTEM if I don't go MAC.
Well, if anyone is dumb enough to base any purchasing decision on a 'comparison' done by one of the companies involved, they probably deserve to be screwed in the end for their own incompetence. "Oh, so you say YOUR product is better then your competition!? Okay, I'll buy!!" I'm not saying it doesn't happen (it does, a lot) I'm simply saying people probably deserve what they get.
Guest
10. 02-02-2008 14:20
I had to buy ads
Just did a quick post and ad for "windows or/vs linux"
Truth is I'm totally clueless, but it's all fun and games, right? Where's the balance?
Late last night I was surfing the web and reading the news on CNN.com, where upon I noticed their search bar at the top of the page. I decided to place the keyword "linux" into the search box; I clicked the search button to see if there was any Linux-related news that I might have missed. What I found in the paid search really shocked me and upset me. In the number one position, it said the following:
"Compare Windows to Linux 
boohoo! You didn't even look at the site obviously, and you falsely stated that they didn't provide any reasoning behind their statements when they obviously do. 
