2006 Software War Map between FOSS and Microsoft 311
Ant writes "Neatorama mentions Steven Hilton's Software War Map that depicts "the epic struggle of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) against the Empire of Microsoft. It was updated in 2006."
Just Wait till Vista (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:5, Funny)
1.) Vista is an operating system.
2.) Vista fights ALL the time.
3.) The purpose of Vista is to flip out and kill people.
Vista can kill anyone it wants! Vista cuts off heads ALL the time and doesn't even think twice about it. This thing is so crazy and awesome that it flips out ALL the time. I heard that Vista was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon Vista killed the whole town. My friend Mark said that he saw Vista totally uppercut some kid just because the kid opened a window.
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:2)
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:3, Funny)
s/ReactOS/WINE/g
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Just Wait till Vista (Score:2)
I love it! (Score:4, Insightful)
This belongs on webcomic or something.
No it wasn't (Score:5, Funny)
No... actually it was posted on Slashdot
"It was updated in 2006" (Score:5, Funny)
Re:"It was updated in 2006" (Score:3, Funny)
I don't know... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I don't know... (Score:5, Interesting)
Why isn't Visual Studio going toe-to-toe with Eclipse?
Where's VBScript vs JavaScript?
What's Web / AJAX services doing in the corner? MS has that capability, too.
What about DirectX vs OpenGL?
I'm sure it's missing quite a bit more, too.
Layne
Re:I don't know... (Score:4, Informative)
AJAX (Score:2)
Re:I don't know... (Score:2, Interesting)
Perhaps you somehow missed this, but both IIS/ASP and the Windows Scripting Host (WSH) support both VBscript and Jscript out of the box. I am responsible for the website for a Califonia tribal casino, and I am developing it entirely in ASP+Jscript since we were already on IIS. It's not my first choice, but actually it has turned out to be a surprisingly competent environment - I'd certainly choose ASP long before, say, CFM.
He thought abou
Re:I don't know... (Score:4, Funny)
Ajax not wholly on Mixrosoft's side (Score:3, Interesting)
In another very real way Ajax is working against Microsoft because it is enabling the creation of apps that are truly OS independant in a way that was not as true or as easy before. So even if Visual Studio ads a lot more AJAX support (which they are, I know they also
Re:I don't know... (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously. I am not being sarcastic or obnoxious (you may interpret it that way, if you're a FOSS-zealot), but Visual Studio 2005 is without comparison. Eclipse is stone age compared to Visual Studio. A while ago (pre-Visual Studio 2003), MS didn't have a decent IDE. Borland had the best IDE around, but like it or not, VS2k3 changed that and with VS2k5, noone, not even Borland, came close. I'm not particularly happy about it, but it *is* the best and coo
Re:I don't know... (Score:5, Informative)
Whaat?? As a full time Visual Studio developer (no zealotry here), I find that 2005 is far superior to previous incarnations(*), and quite decent in its own right, but it doesn't hold a candle to Eclipse. Note that I'm talking about the "native" VS-C# vs Eclipse-Java development here, because obviously both (especially Eclipse) are capable of a lot more.
VS 2005 only just incorporated refactoring support, and it's still pretty limited. It also catches a lot fewer errors (helped by the fact that Eclipse background-compiles your code all the time), and doesn't have half as many smart code-completion features (yeah, it has plenty of "dumb" completions, but Eclipse sometimes feels like it can pretty much write all your code on its own while you just wish it into existence).
That said, I find two big advantages to VS2005: its learning curve is a lot less steep (remember the first time you actually tried to run your program in Eclipse?), and its GUI (WinForms) editor is very simple+powerful (as long as you don't want to dig too much inside the code it generates).
But seriously, I'm interested: What do you find is so much better in VS2005 than Eclipse?
(*) Note: VS2005 is pretty cool when it works. Aside from Windows ME, it has got to be one of the buggiest pieces of software ever to come out of Redmond. In the past 8 months I have bumped into innumerable problems all around: the IDE, C++ and C# compilers, libraries... you can tell they rushed it out the door. I had found plenty of bugs in MS development tools before, but never so many in such a short timespan. Also, it's bloated, but I guess when comparing it to Eclipse that doesn't count :)
you listed a couple (Score:3, Insightful)
>That said, I find two big advantages to VS2005: its learning curve is a lot less steep
>(remember the first time you actually tried to run your program in Eclipse?), and its GUI (WinForms)
>editor is very simple+powerful (as long as you don't want to dig too much inside the
>code it generates).
but here's the main reason visual studios outclasses eclipse. Visual studios provides uniformly good support for whatever programming needs you have
Re:I don't know... (Score:3, Insightful)
Eclipse is stone age compared to Visual Studio.
[/quote]
R-O-F-L.
Muahahahaha, whahahahahah. *drags himself back to chair*
OK seriously now, can I have some of what you've been smoking?
War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. (Score:5, Insightful)
It seems to be missing some things.
Yes, the war includes all kinds of media and it's creators. Programmers have been joined by all kinds of artists and creators. There's a free media revolution going on. The incumbents have shown their hand and it stinks.
And who says it's a war anyway?
Microsoft and big publishers say it's a war. The goal is TV and Radio broadcast style control of all media. They will sue you in your home (RIAA), at your business (SCO), and at your kid's school (BSA). They don't really care what you do, but they will try their best to have you do as they say.
The goal is to take your money without your consent for any information exchange. You will pay for a M$ license each time you buy a computer. You will pay per minute or byte of conversation on any electronic device, per play of your music, movies novels and textbooks. Your taxes will pay to encoded your information into secret formats and pay again to retrieve it. The new media, paradoxally, will be more expensive and restricted than it's analog and physical predecessors. All of these intentions have been openly declared and loudly demanded by all of the bad actors.
If that's not a declaration of war, I'm not sure what is. The less you know and care, the easier it will be for them to make the world as they wish.
The world does not have to be that way. People do not mind sharing if it cost them nothing and brings greater returns. Excellence thrives in competition and everyone prospers. Success stories are the whole free software movement, which has obliterated the need for non free, and free media: archive.org and creative commons instead of the big three music publishers; YouTube instead of TV; VOIP instead of Telco; Wikipedia instead of expensive paper publications. The economics of electronic data exchange doom the monopoly publishers unless they pass truly unAmerican laws. Fight the bastards by not giving your money to those who would enslave you.
Re:War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. (Score:2)
-h-
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. (Score:3, Interesting)
Where I depart
Re:War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. (Score:2)
-nB
Slavery is not a binary value (Score:4, Insightful)
Here in America, we have been gradually increasing the slavery quotient from a few percent at the turn of the century, to about 50% today. (Estimate based on middle class wage slave paying 50% taxes. Add 'em up - 15% SS [employee+employer], 15% federal, 5% state, 5% state sales tax, 5% real estate tax, 5% utilities+gasoline+medicare+whatever else they can get away with.)
Once you are used to someone making decisions for you, it is scary to go back to making your own decisions. For example, we just switched from HMO to HSA health insurance. Before, the HMO told us when we could and couldn't go to the doctor (and have them pay for it). We could do the same thing with HSA by maxing out the deductible, but now we have the option of saving the money instead. Seems like a no brainer, but is scary nonetheless.
Re:War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:War? It's a revolution. Fight for your Freedom. (Score:2)
twitter is a known troll and a hyperbolic shill
Shill for who, Asstroturfer? Yes, I do mean the two "s" version.
Suing Public Schools (Score:3, Informative)
your kid's school (BSA) Please provide proof of this. Thanks.
That's funny because I love to point out how the non free software way is anti-social by pointing to just that. Yes, the BSA has sued public schools for copying text editors. The dumb ass administration handed worker bees M$ Word Docs without purchasing Word for them. The BSA set up exam time ambushes, which cost everyone tons of money and heartache. The same threat is still held over every publ
Re:I don't know... (Score:2)
Might be time to remove SGI... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Might be time to remove SGI... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Might be time to remove SGI... (Score:2)
Re:Might be time to remove SGI... (Score:5, Informative)
Confused (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Confused (Score:2)
Re:Confused (Score:2, Funny)
No, but make one with him taking a bath and shaving then it might get traction.
Re:Confused (Score:2)
Re:Confused (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Not only will they publish it, (Score:3, Funny)
I believe those are called Emperor Gnus.
Re:Not only will they publish it, (Score:2)
But you're right, I was having trouble sticking in that extra adjective.
Mono and .Net (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Mono and .Net (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Mono and .Net (Score:2)
Re:Mono and .Net (Score:2, Insightful)
Does that help?
So much for brevity. Mono allows a lot of things to run on Free software platforms. You chose to ignore this in favour of a vague appeal to untested patent problems. Many people would see this as bias masquerading as insightfulness.
Also, you're kinda defensive.
Re:Mono and .Net (Score:3, Insightful)
Nevertheless, Mono is as lazy and blatant a rip-off of chunks of Dotnet as it is possible to contrive, so if Microsoft choose to make use of the large number of patent lawyers they have hired recently I think it's possible to guess what might be an open goal for them.
You can choose to ignore this
Re:Mono and .Net (Score:3, Informative)
Not really. It's still oblique wording that doesn't communicate well what he was he's trying to say. It ins
EVERYTHING is encumbered by patents. (Score:3, Insightful)
WTF do you think free software people are freaked out about it? BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT NOT AVOID PATENTS.
Mono is actually using patents legally, at least as far as known patent issues are involved.
Mono is definately on the side of Free software. It's Free software through and through.
It's a hell of a lot better then Java, whic
Re:EVERYTHING is encumbered by patents. (Score:2)
Sure, IBM might bitch a bit, but they'll get consessions from intel and MS and eventually they'll get over it.
The net has been sold down the river, DRM is going to take over the next generation of desktop computers and MS and Sun w
Mono the loose cannon (Score:5, Insightful)
Pardon my ignorance, but isn't Mono on the wrong side of the fence? ... I mean, isn't Mono just an implementation of a MS technology that's already encumbered by many patents?
It's more of a damaged weapon than anything else. Use it if you can and fight to keep it. It might be loose, but you can't just surrender everything that's challenged. The whole point of free software is to be able to use your computer as you see fit. That includes running whatever code you want for whatever purpose you have. I don't have any use for Mono, but others might and I'm glad someone is working on interoperability.
Is this the PG-13 version? (Score:5, Insightful)
Still There (Score:2)
So it is (Score:2)
Re:Is this the PG-13 version? (Score:3, Insightful)
How many time before the giant dies ? (Score:2, Funny)
Not a united front... (Score:3, Insightful)
I love how... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I love how... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I love how... (Score:2)
Uh, from the story, "Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)" - It's a single link, for a SINGLE THING - FOSS. Free, Open Source Software (there's no need for an and there.)
Pedantry is more fun when it's correct.
Is there a key? (Score:2, Interesting)
It also seems top be very LOTR where it's the alliance of MAC, JAVA, and GNU against Microsoft. I dont think thats the way its actually happening.
google and apple (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:google and apple (Score:2)
Re:google and apple (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple is not FOSS but it is part of for OSS movement.
Since when did releasing a proprietary OS that happens to include an X Server and FreeBSD userspace tools make Apple a part of the open source movement? Sure, Apple benefits from OSS, but they hardly do anything to give back to the community.
I don't think Google qualifies as FOSS (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I don't think Google qualifies as FOSS (Score:2)
Re:I don't think Google qualifies as FOSS (Score:2)
Re:I don't think Google qualifies as FOSS (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I don't think Google qualifies as FOSS (Score:2)
Because they are using "stealth mode" and don't show up on radar.
I don't think that I agree... (Score:4, Informative)
I was expecting something more like the Eric Levenez's UNIX Timeline.
It is a Good Map (Score:3, Insightful)
One thing that this map conveys, is that Microsoft, as a company, has its products and markets all over the place, it is just not focused on doing one thing well. It is competing against dozens of other companies that are working on only the piece of the business that they want and are ultimately making their products better than Microsoft.
If you throw in some other stuff, like the entertainment division with the XBOX-360, you can add another 2 big competitors in Nintendo and Sony.
Also notice that some of Microsoft's competitors may compete against each other, but their focus is entirely on Microsoft, they cannot get a break anywhere. Though this really their own fault for not focusing only a few markets.
Re:It is a Good Map (Score:2)
Re:It is a Good Map (Score:3, Informative)
Freedom as a last hope ? (Score:3, Interesting)
You're not paying sufficent attention to the news. (Score:3, Funny)
FACT: OSS is doomed. For all practical intents and purposes, OSS is Dead.
"I love the smell of burning FUD ... (Score:4, Funny)
(apologies to Robert Duvall & Francis Ford Coppela)
Room for improvement (Score:5, Interesting)
Oblig Sluggy Freelance (Score:5, Funny)
Until YOU arrive on the scene. Sure, you'd rather have the OS wars conducted peacefully via Blogs, one user at a time. But someone just took a shot at you from the iPod-controlled building across the street. And that nice bald guy in suspenders just handed you a loaded missile launcher. Screw logic. This thang is ON!
Taken from the Sluggy Freelance Grand Auto Theft Shirt [sluggy.com]
My question: (Score:2)
Its a wiki (Score:2)
War? Epic struggle? Get over yourselves. (Score:3, Interesting)
The rest find themselves at the end of the unemployment line.
Why no highlights on the war against Apple, Sun or IBM? They weren't always OSS "good guys", and IMHO, still aren't. Just corporations with their own particular strategies.
So go fight your imaginary "war". Convince yourself that the next version of KDE will totally "kill micro$oft w00t we so rock" and then get all angsty and whiny when it doesn't.
Luxuries (Score:2, Insightful)
It would be nice if that could be the case. Unfortunately it is not possible as long as a company wields as much monopoly and market leveraging power as Microsoft does in the software space. At the moment, otherwise pragmatic people find themselves in situations where due to the various systems of lock-ins and anticompetitive actions Microsoft has assembled, they absolutely must use Microsoft products w
Re:War? Epic struggle? Get over yourselves. (Score:4, Informative)
I would love to continue to use the "tools best suited for the task at hand". Unfortunately, in many cases, Microsoft has, or is trying to, drive the "tools best suited" out of the market. No FLOSS developer has ever tried to prevent me from using MS tools (in fact, many bend over backwards to provide compatibility with MS), but MS is trying to deny me the option of using any other tools, FLOSS or not.
The real war is between Microsoft and the free market, and in that war, I am solidly on the side of the free market.
You get over yourself (Score:2)
Well done, dipshit, at least you were right about something. Thing is, this "war" happens to be a competition to build the best tools.
You know perfectly well that FOSS is competing to build better tools than Microsoft, and that the "fronts" vary greatly depending on whether you look at servers or desktops.
Please try not to post anything this stupid again.
Re:War? Epic struggle? Get over yourselves. (Score:2)
Don't know, but I friended him just in case.
Also, I've just noticed that someone has taken the time to draw a swastika in usernames on his fans page [slashdot.org], an honor usually reserved for people like CmdrTaco [slashdot.org]
Suggestion (Score:2, Interesting)
Huh? (Score:2)
Gentoo! (Score:2)
Kerrigan = Bill Gates??!!?! (Score:3, Funny)
Well....the Zerg infest, assimilate, overpower, and outnumber their opponents, and are led by a single all-powerful Overmind bent on galactic domination. That sounds like Microsoft to me.
Re:Kerrigan = Bill Gates??!!?! (Score:2)
I was hoping to see (Score:3, Insightful)
I actually think it would be pretty interesting if someone did this - maybe once every 6 months or so- and kept track of it over a several year period. I think it would give a lot of insight into the complicated dynamics of the relationship between open and proprietary software, between Microsoft and some of the big Linux distributions, and between Microsoft and Everyone Else.
It would at least help to settle the question of who rips the most off of whom.
Just noticed ... friendly against unfriendly (Score:4, Funny)
All the OS software has those friendly icons. Tux smiles, the GNU gnu smiles, the mozilla dragon smiles, heck even the SuSE animal smiles.
The Closed source software, doesn't want to have anything to do with animals. The Windows "flag" looks kinda like a torn battleflag, the SCO tree looks like you have been drinking for a while and then looked at the tree, passport looks like it wants to invade your wallet. That's just what I noticed...
Apple's so tiny.... (Score:3, Interesting)
They overlooked computer games (Score:3, Insightful)
Linux / Apple / Solaris, etc don't have much vs windows in the games department, and, even if they did, there's still a 15 year legacy of windows/dos game supremacy, and alot of those games still WORK with newer MS OS.
The funny/sad thing is that microsoft operating system "game supremacy" (in terms of overall game availability) has been evident for a very long time, yet none of the other operating system developers have done anything (with their knowledge of that fact) to boost their own OS sales. (unless i'm mistaken?) They could have opened game houses of their own, for instance.
Anyhow, it's silly to look at Microsoft as the enemy even if you don't like their prices or their policies. Like em or not, microsoft made a good, reliable operating system, and they maintained it, (unlike amiga, or next or be-os or any of the dead os's), and grew it over the years. You might complain about bloat, or pricing, or historical policies / unfair competition, but they've done alot of good things, and I believe that the fact MS is still around is GOOD for us, even if we don't use their OS. (which I DO use)
At least I can play Half Life 2 and WarCraft3 on Windows. Those are nice games, and there's no linux equivalent. Kill MS? Can you linux zealots spell "Don't shoot yourself in the foot"? Kill MS and you can't play half life.
Microsoft is large, it contains multitudes. =)
Parody is fair use of trademarks (Score:2, Informative)
Re:It's pretty (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Londo Mollari sez (Score:2)
Also, imagine how much ass Windows would kick if it were all Microsoft made. Instead, effort spread out making videogame hardware, writing a browser, videogames, office software, and so on and so on.
A useful, stable OS with lots of well-documented interfaces. It'd be kind of like Linux except with decent 3rd party driver support.
Instead we have this lurching monstrosity of an OS. It includes 'everything you need' in the same way as a microwaveable meal does. In the words of Mick Dundee, "You can eat it, b
Re:Huh ...Mac is in FOSS camp ? (Score:2)
Webkit [apple.com]
Bonjour [apple.com]
Quicktime Streaming Server [apple.com]
Open Directory [apple.com]
Header Doc [apple.com]
CSDA [apple.com]
BTW. That's F/OSS, not FOSS. Not everyone agrees with RMS on everything and the FSF does not represent all of open source.