Microsoft Acknowledges Open Source As a Bigger Threat Than Google

Trolas 05-30-2008

Google has nothing on open source when it comes to potential competitive threats to Microsoft, according to Redmond’s Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie.

Ozzie fielded a number of questions on his role at Microsoft and the company’s evolving technology strategies during an appearance at the Sanford Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28. (I listened to his session via the Webcast.)

Ozzie reiterated that it often takes a strong competitor to truly galvanize Microsoft.

“Microsoft has built up a culture of crisis,” Ozzie told conference attendees.

Competitors like his former employer, Lotus, and now, Google, have spurred the company to make changes to its business to stay ahead, Ozzie said. But while Google is a “tremendously strong competitor,” Ozzie acknowledged, “open source was much more potentially disruptive” to Microsoft’s business. (He noted that, unlike Google, many open-source programmers aren’t beholden to shareholders.)

Ozzie said that competing with open source “made Microsoft a much stronger company.” He cited changes Microsoft has made to its business model — such as focusing on making its closed-source software interoperable with open-source products — as directly attributable to that competition.

During the rest of his hour-long talk, Ozzie focused on many of his favorite topics, such as the need for a mesh for devices and people (Live Mesh) and the importance of giving customers choice (with Software+Services, rather than a 100% cloud-services approach). A few other tidbits from his remarks that I found interesting:

* The changing nature of the operating system in an increasingly services-based world. Ozzie noted that if a new operating system were designed today, it wouldn’t be a single piece of software that operates a single computer. It would be something that could accommodate multiple devices, with the user at the center. That sounds like Live Mesh — but perhaps he was also hinting about Microsoft’s post-Windows, distributed operating system I keep hearing rumors about…

* Yahoo as an “accelerator.” Ozzie deftly deflected questions about Microsoft’s on-again/off-again deal-making with Yahoo. “Yahoo was not a strategy unto itself,” he said. “It was an accelerator to the ad platform.” Ozzie spoke highly of Yahoo’s work in the social-networking and community space, adding that these kinds of services represented the next wave in communications technology. He also pooh-poohed any notion that Microsoft might be wavering on its commitment to being an online player. “We are very, very serious about the online space,” he said.

* Programming tools that work across a variety of devices. At the very end of his remarks, Ozzie made a passing reference to the need for not just programming tools and services that can accommodate multi-core/many-core systems, but also tools that can work across a variety of devices. He noted that there’s a need for development tools for building software that works across multiple devices. A reference to the Live Mesh Software Development Kit (SDK), expected to debut at Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference in late October? Perhaps….

Nina

The reason why is becuase Google isn't primary in the same market as Google. Open Source is directly in the same mark. As linux becomes more powerful and easier it will take away from windows.

Raven

I agree Nina. It doesn't take a genious to figure that one out. The secound linux becomes as user freiendly as windows Microsoft is going to have one hell of a problem. Especially the disater and pointlessness that is vista.

orange

it already is.. the PROBLEM with linux is that its still seen as "geek" stuff and "too hard"..

if hardware doesn't work (which is very rare now.. ATI cards are one of the biggest issues) there's in most cases, a work-around..

M$ are already pulling out promises about Windows 7.. which is exactly what they did with Vista... and XP.. and yet they give Sony hell about the PS3

Hsoolien

There have been some recent experiments done with giving Linux newbies (that normally use Windows) a couple of common tasks to do on a basic Linux install, the general result has been that Linux is still not there yet as being fully user friendly, close, but installing new software, as well as some generic tasks are far easier on Windows installs. So while many users can use Linux to do 90% of the stuff they do day to day, it's still not something most people are going to want to deal with when a far simpler, more common solution exists (Windows). However companies that want to prevent misuse of computers could go with Linux installs and still retain productivity while closing a lot of security holes that the popularity and well known aspects of Windows cause.

Nina

Linux isn't as easy as windows Orange. Too much stuff is still commandline oriented and the software isn't as exploerable in most linux installs. For example Windows Explorer and being able to download a file and its executable on the spot. Most linux installs don't have those 2 basic features.

Hsoolien

Plus the choice in whether to compile your own, or get a precompiled version and hope it works with your system

Nina

True. I've tried alot of pre compiled versions at Sin's and while alot of them were pretty good stills so much of a hassle. Linux has a long was to go, although its progress is moving fast, still not even over the hill yet.