[Sheflug] How Ballmeresque !

[Richard Ibbotson <richard [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

I think some of you might not wish to receive this so apologies if 
it's not to your taste.

A friend in New York sent this to me the other day with the same 
subject line.  I'm just repeating what he said to me.  He's given me 
permission to send his comments to this list.  So, here it is... 



Microsoft has opened up a new front against Linux with a series of 
events around Britain in which UK companies are invited to take part 
in what the company calls 'an open and honest technology discussion' 
about open-source software.

ZDNet UK met with senior Microsoft executives at the first of the 
'20:20 Seminar Series' and would encourage IT managers and directors 
to get along to one of the remaining three events (which are being held in 
Edinburgh,Manchester and Newport - full details below).

To encourage an open and honest debate, we've compiled a list of 
questions that emerged from the first meeting. If you can't make it to 
one of the 20:20 events, perhaps you could put them to the next Microsoft 
salesman you speak to.

1: Total cost of ownership Microsoft is vulnerable to the claim that 
deploying Linux must be cheaper than Windows because it charges a 
licence fee for Windows while open-source software is, well, free. It 
now points to research conducted by IDC in 2002 that found that 
systems running on open-source software can cost more than Windows in 
terms of service and management costs over the lifetime of their 
deployment. You might ask:

When Microsoft says that choosing open-source software is "by no 
means a certain way of lowering whole lifetime costs", does that claim 
include projections for the damage that will be caused by 
vulnerabilities and security holes in Windows that haven't yet been 
discovered?

2: Support and maintenance
Microsoft is also keen to point out that there are more than 450,000
Microsoft Certified Software Engineers worldwide, which it says means 
a better support network than is possible with Linux. If you think 
there's a lack of support in the open-source community, you might ask:

Can Microsoft cite an example of a Linux project that was delayed 
because of a shortage of staff?

3: Interoperability
Microsoft says that Windows is a great choice for desktops because it
supports an 'ecosystem' of desktop applications such as Word, 
PowerPoint and Excel, and fits well with Microsoft's server software. 
However, many open-source applications also work perfectly well as 
replacements to Microsoft's own apps. Some experts say that deploying 
these programs can be a good first step in a long-term migration to 
Linux. You might ask:

Why shouldn't I replace Microsoft Office with Open Office, or Internet
Explorer with Mozilla? Won't this work as an excellent first step 
towards full-scale open source deployment, given Microsoft's 
commitment to openness and interoperability?

4: Deal cost
Journalists who attended last week's 20:20 Seminar Series Event were
presented with a long list of 'customer success stories' -- examples 
of companies who have recently chosen to deploy Microsoft software.

One of these was the London Borough of Newham, which has upgraded its
desktop and server infrastructure. After a long consultation process, 
Newham eventually decided that Microsoft offered better value than 
open source. Microsoft is trumpeting this win, claiming that Newham 
may make double the productivity savings than if it had chosen Linux 
instead.

Informed sources have alleged that Microsoft may have offered the 
Borough an uncharacteristically generous package, including a 
substantial amount of free consultancy, to sweeten the deal. There's 
even a theory that the real lesson is that if you can make Microsoft 
believe that you're genuinely considering Linux, you'll get a much 
better deal. One Microsoft executive even admitted to us last week 
that more companies are using this tactic You might ask:

If I come to Microsoft and say that I'm going to abandon Windows, what 
kind of incentives will you be able to offer me to make me stay? Is 
this why Microsoft is so reluctant to discuss its pricing policies?

5. Security
Sasser, Wallon, Netsky, Bagel, MyDoom, Nachi: just some of the 
security threats faced by users of Microsoft software this year. 
Despite this avalanche of worms, viruses and Trojans, Microsoft is 
keen to maintain that security is not just a problem for Windows.

A recent report published by Forrester Research calculated how quickly
Microsoft issues patches after vulnerabilities are found in its 
software, and compared this to the performance of Linux vendors. 
Forrester found that Microsoft was much quicker at releasing fixes 
than Red Hat, Debian, SuSE and MandrakeSoft. 

If Microsoft cites this as proof that Windows is a more secure option, 
you might point out that 67 percent of Microsoft's vulnerabilities 
were classified as high-severity, compared to 56 percent for Red Hat. 
Or, you might ask:

How many of the viruses that have hit the Internet this year have 
taken advantage of vulnerabilities in Linux?





Richard

___________________________________________________________________

Sheffield Linux User's Group -
http://www.sheflug.co.uk/mailfaq.html

  GNU the choice of a complete generation.