Article by Giuseppe Sanna
The mythology and history tell us of great struggles between sworn enemies. David and Goliath, Caesar and Brutus, Robespierre and Louis XVI are only a few. But for some years now in addition to this huge list we have two big names in the information technology! The multinational Microsoft and the GNU/Linux open source operating system. The struggles between the two never ends!
While Microsoft is trying by all means to keep under its control the market of the desktop, Linux itself in recent years is reaching incredibly important goals, mostly on the servers and embedded systems (Android ?). Despite the low blows of Microsoft, we can just take a look at the mythological UEFI chips, Linux does not give up though. Indeed, it always win a larger slice of users thanks to its distributions. Each of which, of course, choose a different path.
Today I’ve introduced this hot and contested topic primarily for a reason. Something that will appeal to many of you. Not so much for the news itself, but for what this represents. For what this choice means for all of us, followers of the philosophy of the Open Source.
We are talking about the fact that, very recently, Microsoft has chosen to make available some of the most successful Linux distributions on their virtual machines that can be generated with Windows Azure . We’re talking about openSUSE 12.1, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Ubuntu 12.04 and CentOS 6.2. These Linux distributions are in addition to all versions of Windows Server available. This is just one of the new update of Azure. Others are the upgrading of some libraries and additional support for Windows Server. But are not the upgrades in itself that I want you to notice. Rather, I want you to notice the step that Redmond had to do. A step that undoubtedly costs a lot to them, but seen that due to the increased demand from Linux users has been an inevitable thing to do for Microsoft.
Enough to tell! Let ‘s reflect on all this … First of all, but what does this choice say about the house leader of the Desktop OS? I am sure many of you will think differently. But I want to say mine. The humble opinion of a person that works in the world of computers for some years. This choice is certainly not made for the benefit of the Open Source. Undoubtedly, this choice was dictated by economic reasons and user requests. But what are the consequences of this choice? They can be so many!
One of the many is undoubtedly at the detriment of Microsoft. This is because if a person can finally test an Ubuntu 12.04 on Azure and realizes that it is actually better than a complex and expensive Windows Server, what’s the future of Azure and all Windows servers? You can imagine! You may even think that the exact opposite can happen, a Linux user that start to use Azure because now it supports Linux Distributions, and ends using only Microsoft products. But I am sure that what will happen more is probably the first case.
What do you think? Do not you agree with me?
We all know the superiority of Linux distributions in many areas, and this can be a good way to bring on the Free side some Windows Users !
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I haven’t used Microsoft for years. I don’t plan on it either. Therefore, yes I’m excited because I believe everyone should at least try Linux, not just because it works better and is free, but because it gives people more control of everything. User experience and options. Yes there is a bit of a learning curve, but only by those that only know MS. I gave my mother a linux laptop and walked away from her thinking man, she’s never going to understand. (Dell+Fedora+Cinnamon).
One week later she was facebooking and emailing with no issues. She had never used a computer before!
I actually think she had less of a struggle adapting to it then I did.
“keeps your friends close, and your enemies more closer”
I’m sorry for the linux admin that go for the azure path… some newbie like me or forced by the high not so clever CEOs… Someone remembers the 29th february 2012 in New Zealand ?
its not just Linux vs Windows [that is the popular visible fight]
its FOSS vs Proprietary !
do we win when windows is dead ?
we win when all proprietary sw have superior alternatives in FOSS
we win when there is superior FOSS search engine to kill google propreitary search engine
we win when all new sw is FOSS
we win when all software development is done as community/social service
we win when there is no such thing as software development business
long live FOSS !!@#$$#!!
long live Communism
PS: killing competition gets us nothing; competition must be encouraged with monopoly checks
@ vijay:
yes, we’ll win if windows dead, because Ms isn’t a fair competitor.
Ms is a dictator-firm, an absolute monopolist.
No, not Android. Success in the embedded computing means that if you live in a digital world you propably have several Linux-computers in your house/apartment. Networking gear in consumer level (dsl-routers, switches) and enterprise level (Cisco routers, switches, mesh APs, AP controllers), TVs, set-top-boxes, so on. But the funniest thing is that when some idiot writes “Linucs sucks!!11” on the forums on his Windows computer, the penguin-kind has him by the motherboard (Splashtop, Asus ExpressGate) 😛
Robespierre e Luigi XVI finirono entrambi ghigliottinati…
Using only Linux and FLOSS since 2008 i’ve found Microsoft ecosystem totally unnecessary. People should understand that:
-word processing is not same as MS Office Word
-internet is not the same as Internet Exploarer (75% of people have already realized it)
-computer operation system is not the same as Microsoft Windows (only some 10% have realized it so far)
Of course i understand that some people really have to use Windows but honestly how many of 3 billion people using computers weekly really needs AutoCad or some other “only Windows” professional applications (some of them have to use e.g AutoCad in both home and company)? My guess – hardly even 10%. Majority – perhaps about 90% – are using pc’s just for internet browsing, Facebook, Youtube, e-mail, nonprofessional photo/image editing, multimedia etc…
Huge majority of people actually don’t need MS-products.
I have only used Linux for years and in most cases, Open Software, with the only exceptions being drivers for equipment that have no open source drivers. Microsoft is great for the people that want to make money cleaning viruses, restoring broken or missing files, etc. Other than that…………I have no use for them but I respect other’s rights………..
my son who has Windows/Linux dualboot machine is good example because he mostly use internet on Linux partition. Windows is only for those “Windows only” applications. He has kept Windows off-line. His wife had several problems with Windows 7 so my son installed Ubuntu to her machine too. They are both on-line with Linux, hardly never with Windows.
Huge majority of those who have tried Linux beside Windows has lately become only or mostly Linux-users. They know how insecure and unstable Windows really is. There ain’t much difference between Windows 7, Vista and XP. Some people are claiming that Windows 7 is “amazingly stabile” but that ain’t true. I’ve soon so many Windows 7 machines in terrible stage. Personally i tried Win 3.1, 95, 98 and XP and they are were more or less disasters. I don’t trust Windows at all.