There is also always the opportunity to run a virtual machine to run your windows programs (that will be the topic of my next post). So, next time someone says to you that they don’t want to switch to Linux because they won’t be able to play games, you might want to correct them.
Some people seem to challenge the idea that most (if not all) free software projects need a benevolent dictator—that is, somebody who has the last say on every decision. They are quick to point out Linus Torvalds’ past “mistakes” (see the brackets): using BitKeeper to manage the kernel, not allowing “pluggable” schedulers in Linux, etc. As a software developer, I feel that a dictator is absolutely necessary in every free software project. Here is why.
While a respected and widely-used Linux distribution in its own right, Debian has, over the 15 years, also been widely used as the base for numerous other Linux distributions, including the popular Ubuntu distribution created by South African entrepreneur, Mark Shuttleworth.
Instead, Microsoft's decisions have been shortsighted: It has turned software antipiracy measures into a strategic initiative; it has delivered Web-based "Live" products that require a program installed on the client; and its CEO, Steve Ballmer, has asserted that Linux infringed on Microsoft's intellectual property. These are not the hallmarks of a company leading the technology industry with strategic vision.
Perhaps its most surprising decision was to openly ally itself with Carl Icahn. Some M&A lawyers believe that by joining forces with the graying raider, Microsoft may have exposed itself to SEC proxy solicitation rules that require participants in a proxy fight to disclose their involvement.
While a potential violation on Microsoft’s part may be academic now that the proxy fight is over, the episode underscores the uncomfortable position Microsoft put itself in through its Icahn affiliation.
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Such statements could be construed as tacit endorsements of Icahn’s cause or even solicitation material and may have violated the SEC’s rules, legal experts say. The remedy for such violations is greater disclosure, in which a party must typically file lots of paperwork with the SEC. “It’s a clear violation,” says Antony Page, a law professor at Indiana University who specializes in M&A. “The courts interpret solicitation broadly.” The SEC declined to comment on whether it is looking into the matter.