LWN: Comments on "Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)"

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

Seegras — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:38:32 +0000

Adrian von Bidder writes on hos Blog: http://blog.fortytwo.ch/archives/106-Open-Letter-to-Gianu...

"Release documentation without license and patent threats surrounding them (how about all protocols related to Sharepoint and Exchange?) Support stuff like Ogg Theora in HTML 5 for IE and the OpenDocument format in MS Office. Admit that you just bought the OOXML standard and that you can't even implement it yourself. Hand over your patent portfolio to the Open Invention Network."

That's about what I want to hear. And if the easiest part of this -- release documentation (hell, post them on the web, no strings attached) -- isn't done within this year, we will know you have failed.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

Ed_L. — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:03:42 +0000

Is why Fogerty performs his CCR classics only at benefits.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

tialaramex — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:25:56 +0000

It actually doesn't even matter whether the intentions were good.

The way this works is that Microsoft can't do what Free software people want. It's pretty good at obeying license conditions, but it can't open up, it can't co-operate, so after a few months either Gianugo ends up as part of the monster, believing that Free Software people are being unreasonable and computers are supposed to be controlled by an elite priesthood in Redmond, or else he quits in disgust.

Some of you will have read about the old A&R man job at record labels. The A&R man is cool, he wants you to sign with his label because he likes you and he likes the same music as you. He buys the beer. When the band signs they'll probably get to hire any studio they want. They could make a music video. They could tour Australia! The lead singer told that joke about drummers and the A&R man laughed and it didn't seem fake at all.

But the A&R man doesn't write the contracts, he's just a front. The contract doesn't say you can pick your studio, and it doesn't say you're going to Australia. It says the label own everything you do, whistling in the shower, tapping your fork on a glass. It says you already owe them more than you've got in the bank, and that you'll probably never see a dime of the money your fans spend.

Perhaps the first few times the A&R man is genuinely surprised that this happens. If the sense of betrayal gets to him he may quit. But more likely he'll accept that his career in music is over, and he's now a salesman, selling the record label to the musician. If he tells a few half-truths to make it happen, that's just what's necessary to pay the rent.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

jjs — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:30:17 +0000

Good point. So, which level is MS at now, and which level are they taking it to? So many options, so little time ...

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

Ed_L. — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:14:14 +0000

Not meaningless at all. Thinking Dante here...

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

Trelane — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:37:52 +0000

http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20071023002351958

A stacked panel, on the other hand, is like a stacked deck: it is packed with people who, on the face of things, should be neutral, but who are in fact strong supporters of our technology. The key to stacking a panel is being able to choose the moderator. Most conference organizers allow the moderator to select the panel, so if you can pick the moderator, you win.

http://techrights.org/2009/02/08/microsoft-evilness-galore/

Well, it turns out that the information was actually quite valuable to her. I mean, it was talking about a drug and a therapy that she was not aware of, and that her doctor wasnt aware of. So, I mean, I actually helped her and everything. She also owed me and she put my conference skedshe put my session on the conference agenda. I mean, what can I say? Im just too nice ofOK. So you want to love those conferences to death. Ive killed at least two Mac conferences. First there was the Mac App Developers Conference. I was on the Board of Directors of the Mac App Developers Association long ago, and after I left I worked to try to turn it into a cross-platform developers conference, and I did. I managed to make it.. their last conference was very cross-platforn, both Windows and Macintosh, which of course turned off their Macintosh audience; half of the conference was irrelevant to them. They didnt care about Windows. They were a bunch of Mac guys. Which diluted the value of the conference. And they didnt know how to advertise the Windows guys when the Windows guys showe dup. So they lost money that year and the group folded. Oh, well. One less channel of communication that Apple can use to reach its developers.

The other conference was called the Technology and Issues Conference. it had been going on for, like, ten years. It was an independent conference. it was by invitation only. They invited VPs and above at all the major Mac software companies. And they always held it in, like, Yosemite or Vienna or Hawaii. It was a big junket thing. And it was alwaysthey held the conference the last few days of the week before Fourth of July weekend, right, so it was just a junket trip. But Apple always hated this conference because, you know, all of their ISVs got together and received a message that they didnt control as much as they would have liked. Well, I sponsored a dinner and I broughtbecause once you sponsor a dinner, right, you get to talk to them during dinner. You get to do a dinner presentation, OK, once the clatter of knives dies down. And we were there being so helpful. Apple was still nickel and diming its developers to death. And so were there handing out free software developers kits to everybody there, and free copies of the Explorer PD and other things like that for their kids, because, you know, theyd bring their wives and families along with us, and so wed give them free games and stuff. And then I gave them this big presentation over dinner and so on. So it seemed like Microsoft dominated the conference. Well, Apple got so pissed off at this that they threatened the guy that ran the conference that they were never going to send anybody again, that they were going to schedule conferences that directly opposed it so that the VPs couldnt go to his conference, they could only go to Apples conference and so forth. So by injecting Microsoft content into the conference, the conference got shut down. The guy who ran it said, why am I doing this? Im losing money on it every year anyway. Screw Apple, they dont need my help. And so the conference died, so thats two. Im working on two other Mac conferences now.

The whole "Evanglism is War" and related sections of the Comes documents are very enlightening.

Meh

dskoll — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:45:44 +0000

The usual semi-annual press-release fodder from MSFT. Nothing to see.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

xxiao — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:53:34 +0000

that reminds me of the Gentoo's Daniel Robbins who once said something similar, http://www.gentoo.org/news/20050613-drobbins.xml

honestly i feel it's a physical pain for me if i have to work at MS now, it's just so different, from development env to everything else, can't imagine.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

stumbles — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:41:53 +0000

Aye. Tis be hard to say no to money.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

michel — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:34:40 +0000

If I hear 'take it to the next level', which is just about the most meaningless statement ever, one more time I'm going to puke.

"director of open source communities"

coriordan — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:24:53 +0000

The guy's title says it all. Since when did communities have directors?

I guess this is just another puppet to be rolled out whenever MS thinks a sprinkle of "open source" branding will do their public relations some good.

Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft (Network World)

orev — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:13:45 +0000

I was at a conference once where an MS guy was talking about their Novel collaboration. Every time he asked for some opinions of others there, he had to prefix it with "Other than licensing issues, what do you think of ..." They never quite seemed to get that *is* the issue. That was a few years ago, maybe things have changed. But how many times do you need to invite the fox into the hen-house?