Microsoft Searching for New Open Source Director
However, the new position takes aim at the Linux desktop.
Sunday, February 8th, 2009
Microsoft has a help wanted ad on LinkedIn looking for a “Director, Open Source Desktop Strategy.” However, before you fire off that resume, excited about the prospect of affecting some change at MS around FOSS, you should check out the description:
The Windows Competitive Strategy team is looking for a strong team member to lead Microsoft’s global desktop competitive strategy as it relates to open source competitors.
Clearly this position is slightly different than the one held by the Director of Open Source Strategy, Bryan Kirschner, who’s job it is to lead “Microsoft’s efforts establishing strategy and practices to foster constructive and complementary relationships between Microsoft and OSS.”
I think the responsibilities of the new position can be summed up with the following line from the ad: “Build a fact-based marketing plan that articulates the Windows Client value proposition to partners and customers.” Which roughly translates to “duplicate our ‘Lower TCO‘ Windows Server campaign for Windows Desktop.”
But would something like this work? Or would it be the biggest ad campaign Linux on the desktop ever had?
Comments on "Microsoft Searching for New Open Source Director"
Heh…. Microsoft still trying to figure out how to fight off competition from the FOSS folks, only this time, they’ve admitted that the fight is moving from servers (admitting they are losing ground?) to the desktop.
If this is preparation for another “Get The Facts” campaign I wonder if anyone at MS has considered the unintended consequences of the original one?
Fact is that it was so full of holes and used old, incorrect assertions that were easily debunked that I suggest that it actually increased Linux penetration on the server side.
GNOME, as much as I dislike it, is mature, easily run and stable. KDE 4.2 is the version of KDE 4 that is production ready, at long last. Both offer advantages over the Vista Aero desktop. Other choices such as lightweight XFCE exist for situations where you need one.
So, will all the attention have the same unintended consequences that the original “Get The Facts” campaign have as it focuses on old, incorrect assertions and silly examples? And it asks useless questions like “where do you want your ribbon to go today”?
ttfn
John
I can see it now, a Windows user sees a new “Linux Sucks” ad and goes “What’s linux?”, then proceeds to google it, downloads an Ubuntu CD, and never goes back. Can’t wait to see this one backfire. :)
Best case scenario, that’s how I sort of see this playing out as well. You give a lot of credence to something when you pay attention to it.
I think, more than anything, MS just doesn’t want to be accused of completely ignoring a threat like they did with Linux servers for so long. Ultimately, though, I bet a campaign like this never surfaces.
I do not believe for the sake of Linux and Open source that MS is in it for the sole purpose of Free for… If people want a loaded package, even Linux has its own commercial versions, but free is good and a rarity and something to believe in. I believe the two should remain separate, free versus commercial, Linux versus MS. {;-p
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