re: Microsoft Employee wears a RedHat t-shirt on campus following LINUX User Group Challenge at LUGRadio

Conor McDermottroe — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:08:16 GMT

I saw you at LugRadio Live 2006 and 2007. Thanks for coming along, you really does make a difference to the show. It can't be easy being such an obvious target for cheap shots from all sides. (Good talk at LRL06 too!)

I'm surprised that anyone would think that you'd be fired for wearing a RedHat t-shirt at Microsoft. Your bosses would have to be seriously lacking in a sense of humour to do something like that. That said, if I was meeting Steve Ballmer I'd duck to avoid any potential flying chairs. ;-)

What prompted me to comment was when you said "Microsoft products compete on their technical merit". IMO, that's not the whole story. Something like this might be more accurate: "Microsoft products compete on their technical merit, inertia in the marketplace and a well-honed FUD machine". The competing on technical merit is good, the inertia in the market is a fact of life but it's the FUD/dirty tricks that bug me. A good example on this is the "Linux infringes 200+ MSFT patents" claim. It's clearly FUD, if it wasn't then Microsoft would simply publish a list of the patents it holds which it thinks Linux infringes and the Linux community would rectify it by rewriting or removing infringing code (or possibly even with a licensing deal if it was possible). It would all be resolved quickly and amicably. The reason these tactics bug me is that Microsoft /doesn't need to do it/. You guys have a lot of talent and a dominant market position (and as far as I can tell ALL the money :-)) so you're well ahead of the game already. Straight competition based on all parties focussing on delivering the best technology to the end user will benefit everybody in the long run. Not just that, Microsoft would probably still end up being the dominant force in the industry.

Of course there's FUD going in the opposite direction too. The "Windows is less secure than Linux" red herring for example. Almost every argument I've seen on that topic from both sides has been bullshit.

Anyway, thanks for coming to LRL, hope to see you there again next year.

re: Microsoft Employee wears a RedHat t-shirt on campus following LINUX User Group Challenge at LUGRadio

Stodge — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 03:16:45 GMT

I'd send you a NAV CANADA t-shirt but I don't have any and they don't give them out for free. Ah well, the downside of working for a not for profit organisation. I see you're still a fine figure of a man, though I'm not convinced your hair is still real. ;)

Just kidding! It's good to see an open attitude and friendly competition with a touch of humour. Now where do I sign up to submit feedback. :)

re: Microsoft Employee wears a RedHat t-shirt on campus following LINUX User Group Challenge at LUGRadio

Jon Fautley — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:59:45 GMT

Hey Steve!

Nice to see you've not been fired ;)

As soon as I get my shirt, I'll provide photographic evidence of me wearing it around the Red Hat offices in the UK.

Funnily enough, I did get a salesman half-jokingly asking why I was wearing a Debian T-Shirt while walking around the customer training center the other day... lets see how he reacts to the MS shirt! :)

Cheers,