Linux CEO lashes out at Ballmer
After a chorus of peace deals between Linux vendors and Microsoft, it's almost refreshing to hear that some open-source companies still have fire in their bellies.
Fresh off seeing Microsoft move in at the last minute to grab part of a deal with the Nigerian government, Mandriva CEO Francois Bancilhon posted an "open letter to Steve Ballmer" in which he lays into the Microsoft chief for his tactics.
Bancilhon said that Mandriva was close to a deal, when Microsoft turned up the heat.
"I would not say it got dirty, but someone could have said that," Bancilhon said. Despite the competition from Microsoft, Bancilhon said that Mandriva managed to win out and get the order. But this week, just as machines were shipping, he said Mandriva heard that the Nigerian agency will still pay for Mandriva's software, but plans to replace it with Windows.
"Hey Steve, how do you feel looking at yourself in the mirror in the morning?" Bancilhon wrote in the letter. "You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics you and I, but I believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win too."
A Microsoft representative was not immediately able to provide a response to the Mandriva letter.
It's the latest war of words between Microsoft and the Linux world. Linux vendors have split over whether to sign a peace deal with Microsoft over patent issues, with Mandriva firmly in the "no deal" camp, along with Red Hat. TurboLinux signed a deal with Microsoft last week, joining Novell, Linspire and Xandros, who have all inked deals under which their users won't be sued by Microsoft for any Linux-related intellectual property claims.
Unlimited long distance $24.99/mo
Your reporting of it paints a different picture. Please correct it.
However, I do see the point on the other. For these guys to
agree to pay for the linux contract and still "purchase" from
Microsoft, MS must have made one hell of a deal! My guess is
that whatever the deal was would have gotten MS in plenty of
trouble if done in the states.
If a US company had already purchased a linux distro, there is
no way MS could have made an offer compelling enough that
they would honor the Linux contract and still switch to windows.
Dropping the price low enough, giving it away, or whatever it
took to land that deal would have obviously raised major red
flags and cause for investigation to anti-competitive,
monopolistic behavior. Microsoft has the cash to give away the
software or whatever it takes to seal the deal. They can afford
that type of loss leader. Think about what's at stake here,
they're setting a standard for the whole country basically.
Microsoft will get there reward at some point.
Business is business, but this definitely sounds a little shady. I
don't think our govt can say anything about though because it's
happening in Nigeria.
I'm not an MS hater, it's ok, for me it pays the mortgage, but
they do things like this and wonder why everyone hates them.
To me this clearly looks like a case of them doing whatever it
takes, flexing their "money muscle" to win the deal and
ultimately an entire country's business.
Having an Open Source strategy in place is a great way to get a better deal from MS. Probably cheaper to sign the OS deal which then forces MS to give you their software for next to nothing...
Personally I find MS business practices to be abhorrent and will not send them a single cent of my own money, regardless of the 'deal'. You'll regret it in the long run...
time. Linux people need to look at the facts and decide if they are
players or loser's. I don't like Microsoft bully practices myself.
But that's what it is so if Linux has customers that cave to
Microsoft pressure then you have to come at it from another angle.
Fight fire with fire.
Ridiculous? ....Yeah it is, but it's not really. Aside from language changes it's the same version of windows. What is the justification for the price difference?
If you think I'm being crazy let me suggest a valid analogy, this is for all my fellow Americans. Do you guys remember the uproar a few years ago about the price of prescription drugs here in the US as opposed to Canada or Mexico? Certain drugs here could cost as much as 15 or 20 dollars a pill yet up in Canada the very same drug would cost 5 or 6 dollars a pill? And no it didn't have anything to do with the value of the dollar compared to the Canadian currency. The drug companies we gouging their American customers.
So my question as a consumer is why am I being charged the amount I'm being charged when someone in China or god knows where is paying less than half of that for the same copy of windows?
- They can't Prove a thing! lol!
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by ceoballmer
November 4, 2007 8:09 PM PST
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See all 36 Comments >>François Bancilhon, CEO of some little Linux company has
written an open letter on his blog:
An open letter to Steve Ballmer
He accuses me of bribing the government of Nigeria into
replacing their stupid little Mandrovia OS on an order of 17,000
computers with Windows! His deal was already complete, the
computers being delivered to schools, the monies paid: when
suddenly the Nigerians informed Francois that on delivery the
hard-drives would be reformatted and Windows installed!
He rails: "Hey Steve, how do you feel looking at yourself in the
mirror in the morning?"
Well Frenchy! I feel pretty good, pretty darned good indeed! I
wake up with any of several different ... never-mind. But, I am
carried to the shower but my assistants, dressed, groomed and
briefed every morning. I feel pretty good indeed!
I would normally ignore any such accusations from you people,
but for some reason this one disturbed me, so I told legal to
reply, this is their message:
"Microsoft strongly believes that individuals, governments and
other organisations should be free to choose the software and
other technologies that best meet their needs. We believe
Microsoft offers the best overall option of value, integration,
interoperability and support, without complexity or added
dependency on services.
We are seeing strong market demand for Windows on low-cost
devices to help governments in the areas of education, local
innovation, and jobs and opportunity. We find that the
government agencies are looking at the complete picture -
bringing the benefits of technology to more people requires
software, hardware, training, well-designed curricula, and
stimulating sustainable local business ecosystems.
Microsoft has a strong relationship with the government in
Nigeria and will continue to partner with government and
industry to help meet their needs."
In other words, it was our strong friendly relationships with
certain key government officials, their families and knowledge of
their personal "needs" that influenced these persons to scuttle
your little OS on these computers. Thats just the way business is
done Frenchy! If you can't take the heat get out of the Smoke-
hut!