Microsoft faces off with Linux fans

[Nomad559]

Microsoft faces off with Linux fans

-Snip-

Taking the bull by the horns, Microsoft sent an executive to field questions from LinuxWorld Conference and Expo attendees here.

Martin Taylor, general manager of platform strategies for Microsoft, jokingly donned a flak jacket before making the case on Thursday that people should buy Microsoft's software for its quality, security and legal protection.

The move was part of the software giant's marketing campaign to debate the merits of its software based on facts rather than emotions, but some resentment and skepticism about Microsoft's practices bubbled up through the questions.

"Do you promise not to engage in unethical or anticompetitive behavior against the Linux community?" asked one attendee, while another shouted, "Open the protocols!"

Many questions indicated demand for Linux versions of Microsoft's applications, such as Internet Information Server for delivering Web pages, Office for word processing and other desktop tasks, Internet Explorer for browsing the Web, and SQL Server for housing databases.

[T Roosevelt]

1. quality, security and legal protection

now there's three terms I would have NEVER associated with Micro$oft...