October 27, 2004
Ballmer on Linux
The periodic "executive e-mails" from Bill Gates and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer are particularly noteworthy as an indication of the issues the company considers most pressing -- or threatening. The topic of today's 2,500-word message from Ballmer: "Comparing Windows with Linux and Unix."
Posted by Todd Bishop at October 27, 2004 02:49 PM
Todd, is this the first time Microsoft's competing with its legal advantage rather over the technological merits of its cash cow?
Hi Jeff: Not really, at least as I see it. The indemnification passage in Ballmer's memo got a lot of attention last week, and it may be that Microsoft is now hoping to bring that issue more into the spotlight, but the company has actually been trying to use legal indemnification as an advantage for quite a while now. (see http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111705,00.asp for example.)
Also, since the SCO suits are in the middle of this whole indemnification issue, I think the answer to your question depends on how suspicious you are about Microsoft's past connection to that situation. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/164447_msftsco12.html
