Musings and Rumblings (Score 1)

So Microsoft may be looking to get into Linux eh? All I can say is "It's about time!" Having the kind of financial muscle that Microsoft have funding open source development can only be a good thing. People hate Microsoft for a number of reasons, but I think the two main ones are: 1. The software is unstable. 2. Monopolistic Megalomania. Open Source removes both of these. Those of us who have read (and believe in) Eric Raymond's essay "The Magic Cauldron" ( http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr ) believe that the old way of selling software as secret bits is on it's way out, and that software companies will be making their money by giving away open source software, and then offering an incentive to send in a registration fee. Red Hat are already making a lot of money by letting anyone copy their Linux distribution, but only offering support, and exclusive ftp access to registered paid-up users. If Microsoft are to survive this upheaval then they are going to have to move with the times and restructure their business model. If they have seen the light and are changing from a manufacturing company to a service company and joining the Open Source revolution then (even though I have spat much anti-Microsoft bile in the past) I say "Welcome aboard!" Also, if Microsoft join Open Source then perhaps many other software vendors will as well. It may even encourage hardware vendors to open up their drivers, or at least write Linux drivers. Phil Ward.