THE REALITY-DISTORTION FIELD around Microsoft headquarters seems to have shrunk. Although it once reached cross-continent into editorial offices on the US East coast and even overseas in both directions, now it appears ineffective just down I5 from Redmond a piece, in Olympia. The Olympian is carrying a well balanced Associated Press article noting that "...Microsoft is shifting the battleground [against Linux] from schoolyard insults or techy speak to corporate notions of 'business value.'" (Olympia's the capitol of Microsoft's home State.)
In a few paragraphs that bring its general audience up to speed on Linux and that its Open Source business model is a challenge to Microsoft, the article quotes the Vole's director of server strategy whistling past the graveyard, then observes: "But Microsoft has reason to be worried."
The story mentions Meta Group's prediction that Microsoft will start to offer software for Linux by the end of 2004, as well as their projection that Linux will acquire 45% server market share by 2006 or 2007. Against these, it notes IDC's Vole-commissioned TCO study favoring Windows 2000 based upon IDC's attribution of higher Linux technical support costs. The AP article leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions on the value of IDC's TCO study. It doesn't even bother to mention that IDC found Linux to be less costly on web servers. (Microsoft pay enough?)
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News source: The Inq
