Hi friends, Pls allow me to clarify.
1. We had informed most speakers in advance about Microsoft's presence, and sponsors too. At least all who had signed in after the deal. 2. We never intended to hide the fact. We had mentioned the possibility of Microsoft coming in as a sponsor even during our first meeting with ilug-D officials. And yes, we had agreed to not have Microsoft sponsor the Tech track is ILUG-D was there with us, but since that deal fell apart, we did not push that clause with Microsoft. 3. No topic or theme got changed after Microsoft came in. Infact some topics were tightened to promote Linux/OSS--which you can simply guage from the copy of our ads in ET. 4. VERY IMP POINT!!! Interestingly, the para selected for the discussion SEEMS TO BE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF SELECTIVE EDITING. No URL for this story was provided for all of us to view the complete story. Our PR agency recently sent us press-clippings of LinuxAsia. A story published in ET (Delhi) seems to be same as the one stated to be from ET (Blore). PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TITLE IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT! I am pasting the original piece (and the URL) with IMP sections marked by "*****". PLEASE READ IT. I feel this news item itself indicates that Linux/OSS emerged as a strong contender (and Microsoft's presence proved it). Looks like we won't need to send those letters/emails to the editors and journos.... ----- story starts here ------- Publication : The Economic Times Edition : Online Date : January 31, 2007 URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/MS_to_debut_at_Linux_Asia_07/articleshow/1541733.cms MS to debut at Linux Asia 2007 (remarks: this seems to be very different from the stated title, "MS takes linux world by storm") TIMES NEWS NETWORK [WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007 03:51:13 AM] NEW DELHI: ***** If you can't beat them why not join them. This could well be Microsoft's new mantra. ***** (Remarks: It seems to us that Linux/OSS emerged stronger--right from the start!) For the first time ever Redmond Giant Microsoft will be rubbing shoulders with its arch rival, the Penguin (Linux mascot) at Linux Asia 2007. For quite some time Microsoft has been concerned about the growing open source movement, the increasing appeal and adoption of Linux in enterprise servers and by governments. ****** Participation in the Linux party, starting on Wednesday in the national capital, attests to the fact that Microsoft is worried about competition from the open source community. ******* In the last several years Microsoft has been facing the heat from its smaller rivals. Many like Google are seen as thought leaders of the internet era, and not Microsoft, one of the world's largest commercial software vendor. ***** Participating in Linux Asia is seen by experts as Microsoft's bid to ensure that it is not isolated in some of the fastest growing markets for software in the world. ***** When asked about its participation in Linux Asia Microsoft said that the company will try to educate clients and communicate about its new stance towards open source. Radhesh Balakrishnan, director, platform strategy, Microsoft told ET, ``open source software is turning commercial and commercial software is becoming more open to open source. We believe that interoperability between the two is the way to the future. People have created a myth in the minds of clients that the world can work only either on open source or on commercial software. Rather than being carried over by rhetoric, clients should rather look at lowering TCO (Total Cost Of Ownership). According to a Frost & Sullivan study, Windows offers 15.9% lower TCO than Linux on server side." (Remarks: this is the only para that was chosen for this discussion) ****** Microsoft Windows market share is going on a roller coaster ride thanks to Linux. ***** (Remarks: did Linux/OSS lose at all????) According to IDC Windows accounted for 68.1%, 65.3%, 69.5% and 68.2% of the total x86 servers shipped in India in Q3 2005, Q4 2005, Q1 2006 and Q2 2006, respectively. Open source supporters have long accused Microsoft of security flaws but Microsoft counters that. "Microsoft also has a record of patching up vulnerabilities in one-third of the time compared to Linux. You need to pay to get security updates in Linux whereas in Windows its free," Mr Balakrishnan said. Adds Sandeep Menon, Forum for Open Source Initiative in India (FOSII) and director of Linux business for Novell West Asia: "Microsoft's decision to participate in the Linux Asia 2007 for the first time shows maturity on its part. It indicates that the industry cannot operate without open source and has become its integral part." Nevertheless, Microsoft did face apprehensions from the Linux Asia organisers on expressing intent to participate. "They inquired about our intent behind the interest to participate. We told them we wanted to bridge the two worlds and educate clients," Mr Menon said. When contacted by ET, Linux vendor Red Hat, refused to comment. -------- message truncataed --------- We do not believe we have erred--though we do agree to disagree, and appreciate the point of view of those who have a different point of view. We truly appreciate the efforts of those who supported us and those who differed. Through this open and healthy discussion, we DO NOT intend to sound apologetic, but walk the talk of 'engaging' the community and sharing our thoughts. Hope this helps... Regards Rahul Chopra Editor LINUX For You & Member, FOSII.org PS: Interestingly, I CANNOT find any news item on the ET website with the title "MS takes linux world by storm"...can you? Must add, I did try to google this title....there's one find...of an ET entry...same date...but no news turns up...just the statement stating... >> Page not found The page you have requested might no longer exist, has had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
