On Wednesday 04 June 2003 07:58 am, zentara wrote:

On Wed, 4 Jun 2003 09:16:52 -0400

"Sharpe, Richard" wrote:

...

If figured that much, and as I remember ZIFF_DAVIS gets a lot of AD money from Miscro$oft too, but I figured this needed to be posted in case you get some histerical management like I have here.

Rich

Yeah, linux users should start plastering the net with messages like:

"Sco suit signals the end of windows."

" Major Corporations go to linux, is this the death knell for Windows?"

"Microsoft Employees flee the company, and cash out stock options".

etc, etc.

Yep, if you "follow the numbers" then one sees that M$ stock has been on a steady and slow decline ever since the dotcom bomb. Furthermore, your assertions are not without merit insofar that M$ had to report "actual" earnings and losses this time around (for the last fiscal year that is) and it shows that outside of the desktop XP and some luke warm server business the other divisions were were essentlally flat or in the negative (e.g. home and entertainment division -- read XBox and M$ TiVOesque ventures with negative revenues plus a couple of other divisions). The Q10 report stating Linux as the #1 threat, probably both seen as a fact and to indemnify M$ execs from any potential share holder wrath should the assertion be true and they failed to disclose it. Ballmer cashes out 1/4 of his stock (more would have sent a outright panic in the investors/market sector), steady stream of defections from M$, losses despite best efforts in China (a year ago), Taiwan (public schools mandate) and recently Munich (and Southern German police force) along with India (as if Munich wasn't bad enough - ouch). Also, Dvorak likes to play "devils advocate" alot - that's what he's paid to do. I generally like to read his columns but don't put much stock into his stuff - his track record is hit and miss at best (read "os/2 will take over the world?). Now we see them "suckering" SCO into a suicide pact. Cringley's take is more on spot AFAICT. The LKML (linux kernel mail list) has records of former Caldera devels talking about the unlikely and not implemented parts of Unix/Caldera/SCO going into the kernel because of the thick glue layer needed to make it work and therefore being rejected by Linus and the dev teams scrutiny. The SCO fiasco is the best effort to date of M$ to attack Linux using SCO as a buffer to shield them from accusation of anticompetitive practices. I further agree with Cringley that M$ will turn on SCO. Either by slipping back into the shadows and letting SCO whither on the vine, or outright attacking SCO (i.e. hostile takeover et al). Frankly, I think McBride has some serious inadequacies related to his ability to be an functional exec. Notice that Ransom Love has been conspicuously out of this - probably because he's smarter than McBride and backed out. Cheers, Curtis.