In Europe, Microsoft aims to mute open-source 'noise'

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Microsoft is a "local company" in Europe

From the article:
"What we have in Europe is a different situation to the U.S. We have a better job to do explaining and demonstrating the added value Microsoft has as a local company," Dumont said. "We need to make sure we have less of these emotional debates around a move to Linux and open source creating independence from the U.S. We need to get back into more of a rational discussion about what is the cost of running Linux and open source."

As part of Microsoft's argument, this is important. Remember that one of the primary open source arguments is that the money expended on IT stays local. What Microsoft is doing is opening offices around the world so that they can claim to be a local company, too.
Before you comment on the falsity of that argument, think of SuSE. I don't know how much SuSE employment has stayed in Europe after the purchase by Novell, but probably a fair amount. If SuSE can be considered European based on payroll, so can Microsoft, with what's probably a larger payroll.

Remember three other pieces of Microsoft's argument: ease-of-use, features, and lower cost of administration in certain circumstances ("the cost of running Linux and open source").
Each of these deals with the speed and simplicity of software use and maintenance. The added value includes greater efficiency from the features and greater effectiveness of both the included software and the tools that can be used to enhance functionality.

In short, the reasons some people detest Microsoft are exactly what Microsoft considers its best sales points.
Please don't think of Microsoft as stupid. They've been in the game for a long time, with some success.
Microsoft believes that what makes open source attractive to some can be seen as effective reasons not to use it. That's worth careful consideration.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 06/30/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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