READER COMMENTS: .net Jury Claims Microsoft/Siemens in Secret Joint Venture to Create Linux Distribution
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Dave Finton - Subject: Some thoughts... (Sep 6, 1999, 14:27:03 )

I've always considered the possibility that MS would release their own Linux distribution would largely end in failure? Why? Win2K. There is no way in hell the NT guys in MS would let MS do it. Hell Bill Gates would blanche at this. All these years of investing moneys (profits, stocks, etc) in NT and they suddenly decide to "jump ship"? That's just asking for a serious drop in profits (and present worth to shareholders). I still believe the more likel scenario is the porting of IE 4.0 to Linux. Why? Well, "Think Different". :^) Sure they might not control the Linux OS market, but what the hell, they might go for the Linux *application* market instead. And how do they maintain comptibility with current Linux apps? Are they going to have a "secret API" that will cut out free software projects the same way Windows has all but demolished the small software companies? If not, well, then their Linux is just another Linux. Big deal. But if so, well I don't see them succeeding all too quickly. Simply releasing a Linux distribution will help MS as much as releasing a PC did for IBM. Sure they had to do it too, but for a while there IBM's future looked a little shaky. A *long* while. I'm still skeptical. If they do it, it'll hurt them. I'd watch for IE 4.0 coming out soon... Remember their focus lately is on the internet, not the OS market.

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