Focus on the real threat (Microsoft stack) instead

The Linux Foundation did not appreciate Sun's attempt to steal the thunder of Linux. Neither did we, but that's a separate story. Here is what Amanda McPherson of the Linux Foundation had to say.

Really, Jonathan? Sun can certainly substitute Solaris for Linux in the stack, but I’m not sure many customers will. (Customers tend to be pretty literal in their technology decisions.) Why would a “young Internet company” tie their business to a platform with shrinking market share and a tiny non-Sun developer base? We are confident MySQL will continue supporting Linux as its primary platform partner since that is where they make their sales. MySQL CEO Marten Mickos in fact will be speaking on this topic at our upcoming Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit.

Sun Microsystems appears to have taken this quite personally and Tim Bray had this to say.

This is getting a little weird. Twice in the last couple of years, Linus Torvalds has gone out of his way to diss Solaris, the OS technology and Sun corporately. Now, anyone who’s spent time on a mailing list with Linus knows that his opinions are sharp-edged and rarely withheld. But now we have a pure attack piece from Amanda McPherson, identified as “the marketing director of the Linux Foundation”.

She goes on about how the L in LAMP is Linux and Literal; and how Sun in general and Jonathan in particular are hopeless losers because there are more of them than of us. Oh, and because there’s a nasty little dispute in the OpenSolaris community.

Microsoft has already revealed in its internal memos that it loves stirring up wars (sometimes civil wars) between its rivals 1, 2, 3] for a variety of reason including demonstration of hostility, mutual destruction and diversion/distraction. Sun and Linux (the Foundation) must work together to establish and accomplish important goals such as making ODF very widespread. So, let's bury those hatchets, play the flute and smoke the 'pipes of peace' (mind picture).

Caution[ary|ing] quote:

"Gathering intelligence on enemy activities is critical to the success of the Slog. We need to know who their allies are and what differences exist between them and their allies (there are always sources of tension between allies), so that we can find ways to split ‘em apart Reading the trade press, lurking on newsgroups, attending conferences, and (above all) talking to ISVs is essential to gathering this intelligence."

--Internal Microsoft document

In case you wonder, the company is indeed spying on people and keeping dossiers to learn how they can be manipulated (e.g. against one another). This was proven by accident.

Some media members are simply shocked that Microsoft's PR team keeps dossiers on the reporters and bloggers who cover the company.

We too keep our eyes on reporters, but it's nothing quite so detailed. ⬆