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Microsoft Admits Being Half-Open Doesn't Work
May 29, 2008
Posted by: Glyn Moody
I was writing yesterday about Microsoft's desire to appear open, but it's not as easy as free software makes it look:
Microsoft has broken its silence about the successor to Windows Vista – currently codenamed Windows 7 - but essentially revealed that it will be "more careful" in the way it releases information about its next flagship operating system.
...
Flores defended the closed-mouthed approach, saying that public disclosures were, not surprisingly, taken at face value by users and customers - something that could present problems.
"We know that when we talk about our plans for the next release of Windows, people take action," Flores said. "As a result, we can significantly impact our partners and our customers if we broadly share information that later changes."
Telling people what is going on isn't a problem for GNU/Linux, of course, because the entire process is conducted out in the open. If information “changes”, people know about it the second that change becomes apparent – not “later”. It's being half-open that doesn't work, as Microsoft has effectively admitted with this latest U-turn.
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About the author
Glyn Moody Glyn Moody's look at all levels of the enterprise open source stack. The blog will look at the organisations that are embracing open source, old and new alike (start-ups welcome), and the communities of users and developers that have formed around them (or not, as the case may be).
Comments received
Jose_X said on Friday, 30 May 2008
Whether or not they speak a word, I have no intention that is contrary to helping get people off Monopolyware and onto Freedomware.
They don't have to say anything for me to know the essence of what benefits a closed-source for-profit monopolist.
I also don't need to know about their plans to see the value in the majority of the products coming out of the open source world.
Really. It sure is nice of them to want us to be open with them given how open they are...n't with us.
And their customers are really going to be happy with them as they find out all the open source goodies that won't run very well on their closed shifty OS.
Kulmegil said on Sunday, 01 June 2008
I can't be less "hype" about Win7 since Microsoft revealed that it's just a modified Vista core with some new, unknown futures. With all the feedback making Vista they knew exactly what customers wanted and still deliver something else. And as far as I see they didn't learn a thing after Vista relase.
OMG - whatever the tactic it won't help if it's gonna be bad (or just average) product.