Microsoft is spending money to come after Linux. I don't want to downplay the importance of this, but ....what of it? They will come after Linux with every weapon in their monopolist arsenal including but not limited to:
In short, the kind of action described in the recent Casmir (You know, the polish "Father of the Cavalry"?) document shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone (and likely doesn't!). The only surprise that accompanied its release is that this is the first we're hearing of it and that more underhanded attacks on Linux aren't out in the open.
Look at what they're up against with the Free Software world... hundreds of thousands of developers, even more enthusiasts acting as an informal marketing team, enormous companies like IBM and the rest with a vested interest in the sucess of Linux, they have a competitor who can truly hurt them now. I'm not trying to evoke sympathy for them, mind you, but its not like we're in the wrong weight class.
A ballpark figure that ESR bandies about in the document is around $100m dollars, I'd be willing to bet that an even billion has been set aside. I don't want to speculate on what it has been spent on, I would rather hear from you what you think they're writing the checks for today? What should we anticipate tomorrow?
And one last postscript: I gotta wonder....is this the best Microsoft can do with $100m?
Chris DiBona is the cofounder of both Konstrux Technologies, which implements gforge for companies, and her sister company, Damage Studios.
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