Bonum Certa Men Certa

Leaked 2002 Document: Microsoft Compares Windows XP and Office to GNU/Linux and StarOffice

Businessman



Summary: Antitrust exhibit shows Microsoft's fear of GNU/Linux and StarOffice

THANKS to generous help from our reader wallclimber, we finally have a text version of valuable antitrust exhibits. She has more coming. Today's exclusive leak is Exhibit px08604 (2002) [PDF], which shows Microsoft discussing the threat from GNU/Linux on the desktop and addressing this threat using FUD. This whole exhibit may as well be known as "Microsoft's Linux FUD presentation."



Bill Veghte and Brian Valentine (from Windows) are among the senior recipients of these instructions on how to ridicule GNU/Linux in public.

Here are a few highlights from the full text which is appended at the bottom. Microsoft is quote-mining Red Hat in order to make it seem like GNU/Linux does not believe in itself. For example:

"I hope to see continued work on interoperability and integration between the various Linux desktop components Mozilla, OpenOffice, GNOME, and KDE Unifying the MIME subsystem is one task that Red Hat can't take on alone, but we are actively working with community developers to find a solution..." -Red Hat Corp Developer


Further down it also shows:

* WindowsXP has 35+% lower TCO than Linux (using Gartner model. In study of 2 Finnish city governments)


Look back at the Microsoft-Gartner deal and accompanying antitrust exhibits.

Microsoft and Gartner invented a yardstick (TCO) with which to attack GNU/Linux based on perceived cost.The term "Cost of Ownership" is repeated almost endlessly in this presentation, which is funny because it was more or less manufactured by Microsoft to favour Microsoft.

Microsoft and Gartner used these methods not so long ago to intercept GNU/Linux migrations across Europe.




Appendix: Comes vs. Microsoft - exhibit px08604, as text








From: Pat Fox Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 4:16 PM To: Bill Veghte; Brian Valentine; Peter Houston; Michele Freed Cc: Rogers Weed Subject: I a little concerned - Research Board desktop content

Importance: High

Per the meeting yesterday, I've worked up a couple of slides for the desktop that are fairly hard hitting. (attached).

My concern: on the desktop side, we've been operating at about DefCon 2 (to use a politically incorrect, national defense analogy) because we don't think customers or partners and the overall business situation yet calls for a more public or proactive comparison on the desktop. I think the RB could implicitly push us up to DefCon 4 and I want to make sure we've considered the implications.

My assumption: * the RB will use the slides in their analysis * the content will become public at some point * we will need to publicize the studies that underly the content - the eTesting Labs studies, etc. Much of the content is available today for field/reactive use only. We'll need the web sites, etc to organize and explain this in a way that isn't alienating to customers and partners. * we need to explain why we're being so public and proactive at this time.

My concern is that we're not ready to do the above yet, both operationally (ie the web sites, the PR plans), nor have we said the customer environment is ready for this.

Options: 1. refute my assumptions (please!) 2. continue POR and get ready to react as quickly as possible - we have a month before the actual RB visits and when this would likely become public 3. water down the desktop content and risk that the RB won't fully consider all the issues.

Net is, we have more to lose on the desktop and I want to make sure we've thought through the issues.

Thx, Pat

Plaintiff's Exhibit 8604 Comes vs Microsoft

HS-CC-Sun 00000:1.220094 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL

(Contents of "RB InfoWorker Desktop PF.ppt" attachment - as text)

Information Worker Desktop Comparing Windows XP and Office XP to Linux and StarOffice

Windows XP and Office XP Most Productive, Integrated Desktop * Tight integration, comprehensively tested * Best user experience, best productivity - Office XP users had higher task completion rate vs StarOffice users - 93% vs 80% - Office XP users completed tasks in 1/3 time - MS enables a consistent UI across work PCs, laptops, home PCs, PDAs, Tablet PCs, and SmartPhones * Most integrated and comprehensive platform - Enables powerful and productive user experiences - Ex: Tablet PC w/ pen input, Ink data types, zero config wireless, range of hw offerings and configurations - Ex: Office XP Smart Tags enable rich analysis and integration with backend/LOB applications - Ex: Windows XP unicode support enables easier international collaboration - Ex: Windows Media 9 series and Media Center PCs Superior online learning, digital media * Windows and Office enable greater end user productivity, which returns greater business value to the organization

Linux and StarOffice Lower Productivity Components * Independently developed components * Inconsistent user interface across system components

"I hope to see continued work on interoperability and integration between the various Linux desktop components Mozilla, OpenOffice, GNOME, and KDE Unifying the MIME subsystem is one task that Red Hat can't take on alone, but we are actively working with community developers to find a solution..." -Red Hat Corp Developer

* Users take longer to complete tasks * Users are less successful in completing common tasks * Requires heavy customization & manual integration * Required significant end user retraining * Requires duplicate or significantly more costly helpdesk infrastructure * Lower overall business value

Windows XP and Office XP offer richer, more integrated experiences http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.asp http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/tours/default.asp http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/default.asp http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/smartphone/default.asp

Interview: Havoc Pennington Systems Developer, Desktop/UI Tech Lead at RedHat http://www.redhat.com/advise/ask.html "Q: What advances in Linux desktop technology can we expect to see in future releases? A: Printing and multimedia are big areas that we want to tackle. And we want to be looking at improving the security and manageability of Linux desktops -- meeting the needs of administrators who are looking after a few hundred (or a few thousand) client workstations.

I hope to see continued work on interoperability and integration between the various Linux desktop components. Mozilla, OpenOffice, GNOME, and KDE Unifying the MIME subsystem is one task that Red Hat can't take on alone, but we are actively working with community developers to find a solution. There should be one place to configure the applications and plugins for a given file type."

Microsoft Confidential 1

MS-CC-Sun 000001220095 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL

10/2/2003

Information Worker Desktop (cont'd) Comparing Windows XP and Office XP to Linux and StarOffice

Windows XP and Office XP Lower Total Cost, Better Overall Value * WinXP IT deployment time is 57% less than Linux (eTesting Labs study) * WinXP IT deployment success rate was 95% vs 65% for Linux (eTesting Labs study) * Documant sharing was much more successful with OfficeXP vs StarOffice with <1% of documents having errors with Office and >35% having errors with StarOffice (eTesting Labs study) * WindowsXP has 35+% lower TCO than Linux (using Gartner model. In study of 2 Finnish city governments) *Windows XP and Office XP have well-documented features for people with disabilities - Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates available on www.microsoft.com/enable/, meets US Govt Section 508 standards - Many applications and Assistive Technology addons available for people with disabilities

* Windows and Office result in lower deployment and operational costs and consequently lower TCO

Linux and StarOffice Potentially lower acquisition cost, but higher total costs * Higher Total Cost of Ownership * Higher deployment costs * Higher ongoing management costs *Poor document conversion capabilities * Significantly weaker capabilities for people with disabilities

* Linux and StarOffice result in higher Total Cost of Ownership

Better support for people with disabilities Meet US Govt Section 508 -- VPATs (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) for MS Prods: http://www.microsoft.com/usa/government/section508.asp www.rhat.com - NO VPATs available

Industry Analyst Discussion of Linux/StarOffice on the desktop: - Licensing cost< 1/3 of total cost when implementing new productivity software - There are significant unforeseen doc conversion and training costs when moving to StarOffice from Office - Significant costs due to IT labor and lost productivity

Ecosystem benefits around Windows and Office are significant. Assume they will be discussed in other section of presentation.

Microsoft Confidential 2

MS-CC-Sun 000001220096 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL


Credit: wallclimber

Recent Techrights' Posts

GNU/Linux Grows at Windows' Expense and Microsoft Trolls Infest and Maliciously Target Articles About It
Microsoft is - and has long been - organised crime
They Say I'm Mr. Bombastic
They didn't take good lawyers
 
Computers Got Smaller, So GNU/Linux Got Bigger
Many people here recognise the lack of urgency (or need) to get expensive new laptops
BetaNews is a Plagiarism and LLM Slop Hub, the Chief Editor Isn't Addressing This Problem Anymore
SS Fagioli is basically a parasite leeching off or exploiting other people's work
Links 09/06/2025: Chaos in Los Angeles and Hurricane Season
Links for the day
Links 09/06/2025: Windows TCO and Many Data Breaches
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VI: Political Stunts by Former President Edyta Demby-Siwek and the Connection to Profound Corruption at EUIPO
it's like a money-laundering operation where one politician rewards another at taxpayers' expense
Gemini Links 09/06/2025: Pipelines and Splitgate
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 08, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 08, 2025
Links 08/06/2025: Tiananmen Carnage Censorship Persists, North Korean Goes Offline
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/06/2025: Love as an Ethnographic Method and Monitorix Gemini-Frontend v0.1
Links for the day
Links 08/06/2025: Exposure of More GAFAM Surveillance and Social Security Records Compromised
Links for the day
Linux Foundation is a Mediator for Microsoft et al, Not for Small Companies That Support Rather Than Attack the GPL
Many people still wrongly assume that because it is called "Linux Foundation", then it is pro-Linux and represents the same mindset
This Past Friday, Confirming What We Said All Along About Brett Wilson LLP: It's Shrinking, Has Considerable Debt, Loss of Net Assets Despite the Microsoft SLAPP Money
The documents only became publicly available less than 2 days ago
Some of the Many Reasons We Sued Microsofters for Harassment
perpetrators of harassment
For 20 Years Many People Were Sharecropping for Canonical's Oligarch, Now He's Deleting All Their Contributions
"Ubuntu has erased instead of archiving the trove of material at Ubuntu Forums"
There Was Always Too Much 'Crazy Stuff' Going on Around Freenode
What many IRC users lost sight of
Exposing Crime is Not a Crime (It Never Was)
In the eyes of rich and powerful people, those who speak about their crimes are the "criminals"
GNU/Linux Distros Abandoning Microsoft GitHub
Will curl be next to leave Microsoft GitHub?
Expect More XBox Mass Layoffs Soon If the Rumours Are True
From a Microsoft media operative
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, June 07, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, June 07, 2025
Europe Needs to Move Away From GAFAM; The Sooner, the Better
Europe - not just the EU - must abandon GAFAM as soon as possible
The Issue Isn't GNOME's Promotion of Diversity But GNOME Corruption, Abuse, Censorship, and Worse
So-called "Conservative" (republican, pro-Trump, bigoted) people want you to think the problem with GNOME is politics
When the News Sources Become Scarce and Increasingly Full of Polluted/Contaminated 'Content' (With LLM Slop and Slop Images)
Integrity matters
"Linux" Sites That Spew Out LLM Slop
We're lacking enough material for another "Slopwatch"
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part V: Breaking the Law, Just Like EPO
We'll hopefully cover some of the pertinent details later this year
Links 08/06/2025: Security Lapses, CISA Cuts, and More
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/06/2025: Mime Types and Geminisphere Introduction
Links for the day
Links 07/06/2025: Slop Companies Retain All Private Data, More Books Banned in the US
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/06/2025: "A Monk's Guide to Happiness" and "Wireless Earbuds"
Links for the day
Links 07/06/2025: More Rumours of Mass Layoffs in Microsoft's XBox Division, New COVID Variant
Links for the day
Drug Addiction is a Real Problem, It Destroys Families
a rather sensitive matter
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part IV: Political Scrutiny and Errors/Inconsistencies in Official Documents
When such organisations receive scrutiny they start focusing on cover-up and muzzling of facts (or crushing people who say the truth)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, June 06, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, June 06, 2025