[Linux-aus] Microsft a Reality? Get Over It?? - A followup

[Con Zymaris]

On Thu, Mar 06, 2003 at 07:34:52PM +1000, Anthony Towns wrote:
> 
> I'm a sucker for stats.
> 
> Here are the first 20 links I get:
> 
  
...
  
> 
> I used google, naturally.
> 
> > You will more than
> > likely find that a majority of these are re-hashes of the press-release
> > from the IDC TCO report that Microsoft funded late-last year.
> 
> A lot of them are about it, but I wouldn't call any of them rehashes. They
> don't seem too dreadfully biassed towards either Linux or Microsoft,
> either. Maybe if I'd kept reading for 80 more links I'd've got some good
> stuff, but if it takes that much effort, I'm not terribly worried for   
> Linux's reputation.

The issue is that the IDC report has been out for under 3 months (part of
that over the Christmas/New Year 'dead period') and yet has managed to   
snare dozens of news articles. What happens over the next 12-18 months,  
when Microsoft fan the TCO boogie-man flame far and wide?


>
> > By not speaking out on this manufactured 'reality' we are helping reduce
> > our audience and our market.
> 
> Of course, if no one had written anything good about Linux in response to
> that report, the result would've been different. :)

Yes, I'm not saying that suddenly, all IT journalists have lost their
faculties for critical thinking. In fact, the fallout of the IDC report has
been quite minor, and would therefore (I assume) be quite galling and
exasperating to Microsoft. <g> This is mostly due to the goodwill and sense 
of fair-play and consideration shown by these journalists towards Linux.

That doesn't mean that I'm going to let it sit there, un-answered. :-)

con

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