5 ms·

so microsoft is now teaching people to get the cancer known as linux? for those who don't know, Microsoft openly claimed that "Linux is a cancer" back in 2001.

by tw1984 3y ago

so microsoft is now teaching people to get the cancer known as linux? for those who don't know, Microsoft openly claimed that "Linux is a cancer" back in 2001. https://www.theregister.com/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/ https://www.theregister.com/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_ca...

vissidarte_choi 3y ago
[dead]
FirmwareBurner 3y ago
>Microsoft openly claimed that "Linux is a cancer" back in 2001 Yes, and? Like any company, it's not a single-mind monolith set in stone willing to die on some random hills, but adapts to where the money is if it wishes to survive, and it's represented by people who are subject to change, specifically Balmer who said that at the time and he's been replaced by Nadella, who fixed a lot of the bad directions Blamer took. Apple also refused to use USB-C over lightning until the EU forced them, then came around and told everyone how much better the "new" USB C connector is despite refusing to use it in their phones for nearly a decade.
- tw1984 3y ago
  > Apple also refused to use USB-C over lightning until the EU forced them, then came around and told everyone how much better the "new" USB C connector is despite refusing to use it in their phones for nearly a decade. you seem to have yourself really confused. refusing to use certain tech is one thing, labelling it as a "cancer" when the tech is being built by millions of people with an idea of promoting openness is a completely different new level.
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    Of course he was wrong, that's why they replaced him with nadela. What's your point though? Never heard of bad CEOs? The only conclusion was that Balmer was wrong and Microsoft was right.
rhuru 3y ago
Times change, people change and companies pivot. Linux has won and Windows is more like cancer today. We should be glad that Microsoft has shown the ability to adapt unlike say RIM (blackberry).
maligree 3y ago
This was 22 years ago... it's honestly so tiring to see people use this as a "got 'em!" argument. Times change, businesses change. This is not a case of ideology.
bloqs 3y ago
I'm astonished that people view companies and their leadership as this timeless monolithic entity
leemailll 3y ago
it's interesting all your replies just saying time changes forget about all the bad things
tcfhgj 3y ago
I think he is right, and Microsoft teaching Linux doesn't event contradict it
giomasce 3y ago
Even if they take the stance that Linux is a terrible thing, forcing terrible things on their users is hardly a new practice for Microsoft.
- tw1984 3y ago
  it is microsoft, what you can expect from them.
pjmlp 3y ago
Because Microsoft's money makers are Azure and Office 365, so they can care less what OS people use, as long as they pick Azure. The same Microsoft that had a lawsuit with Sun regarding J++, which lead to the creation of .NET, now has its own Java distribution based on OpenJDK, hired several OpenJDK contributors, and is one of the companies doing the work of ARM support. Also collaborates with Red-Hat in the Java support for Visual Studio, one of the few languages alongside Python, C#, PowerShell and TypeScript that have tier 1 support from Microsoft. Incidently is why the Windows development experience has gotten worse, with most of the work done by interns and people without background in Windows developer culture. If only some of the money used for Activision/Blizzard acquisition was used for Windows teams instead.
- tw1984 3y ago
  > Incidently is why the Windows development experience has gotten worse, with most of the work done by interns and people without background in Windows developer culture. the reason why they have to rely on interns to do such "development" is obvious - skilled developers feel ashamed or at least embarrassing to use/develop for windows.
ChrisRR 3y ago
22 years ago... practically half the existence of modern computing.
- tw1984 3y ago
  depends on what do you mean by modern computing however, you and I can definitely agree on something here, that is the company known as microsoft is still making money by selling dinosaur "techs", look at its windows, office, visual studio, how much really changed from the 2001 era? yet it is still a major cash cow of the company.
phendrenad2 3y ago
So tired of this. This is like saying "Oh? Apple is still making iphones out of METAL? Not Spindler plastic?!"

by tw1984 3y ago

vissidarte_choi 3y ago

[dead]

FirmwareBurner 3y ago

>Microsoft openly claimed that "Linux is a cancer" back in 2001 Yes, and? Like any company, it's not a single-mind monolith set in stone willing to die on some random hills, but adapts to where the money is if it wishes to survive, and it's represented by people who are subject to change, specifically Balmer who said that at the time and he's been replaced by Nadella, who fixed a lot of the bad directions Blamer took. Apple also refused to use USB-C over lightning until the EU forced them, then came around and told everyone how much better the "new" USB C connector is despite refusing to use it in their phones for nearly a decade.

tw1984 3y ago
> Apple also refused to use USB-C over lightning until the EU forced them, then came around and told everyone how much better the "new" USB C connector is despite refusing to use it in their phones for nearly a decade. you seem to have yourself really confused. refusing to use certain tech is one thing, labelling it as a "cancer" when the tech is being built by millions of people with an idea of promoting openness is a completely different new level.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  Of course he was wrong, that's why they replaced him with nadela. What's your point though? Never heard of bad CEOs? The only conclusion was that Balmer was wrong and Microsoft was right.

rhuru 3y ago

Times change, people change and companies pivot. Linux has won and Windows is more like cancer today. We should be glad that Microsoft has shown the ability to adapt unlike say RIM (blackberry).

maligree 3y ago

This was 22 years ago... it's honestly so tiring to see people use this as a "got 'em!" argument. Times change, businesses change. This is not a case of ideology.

bloqs 3y ago

I'm astonished that people view companies and their leadership as this timeless monolithic entity

leemailll 3y ago

it's interesting all your replies just saying time changes forget about all the bad things

tcfhgj 3y ago

I think he is right, and Microsoft teaching Linux doesn't event contradict it

giomasce 3y ago

Even if they take the stance that Linux is a terrible thing, forcing terrible things on their users is hardly a new practice for Microsoft.

tw1984 3y ago
it is microsoft, what you can expect from them.

pjmlp 3y ago

Because Microsoft's money makers are Azure and Office 365, so they can care less what OS people use, as long as they pick Azure. The same Microsoft that had a lawsuit with Sun regarding J++, which lead to the creation of .NET, now has its own Java distribution based on OpenJDK, hired several OpenJDK contributors, and is one of the companies doing the work of ARM support. Also collaborates with Red-Hat in the Java support for Visual Studio, one of the few languages alongside Python, C#, PowerShell and TypeScript that have tier 1 support from Microsoft. Incidently is why the Windows development experience has gotten worse, with most of the work done by interns and people without background in Windows developer culture. If only some of the money used for Activision/Blizzard acquisition was used for Windows teams instead.

tw1984 3y ago
> Incidently is why the Windows development experience has gotten worse, with most of the work done by interns and people without background in Windows developer culture. the reason why they have to rely on interns to do such "development" is obvious - skilled developers feel ashamed or at least embarrassing to use/develop for windows.

ChrisRR 3y ago

22 years ago... practically half the existence of modern computing.

tw1984 3y ago
depends on what do you mean by modern computing however, you and I can definitely agree on something here, that is the company known as microsoft is still making money by selling dinosaur "techs", look at its windows, office, visual studio, how much really changed from the 2001 era? yet it is still a major cash cow of the company.

phendrenad2 3y ago

So tired of this. This is like saying "Oh? Apple is still making iphones out of METAL? Not Spindler plastic?!"