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Linux CEO lashes out at Ballmer | |
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| Time: 15:51 EST/20:51 GMT | News Source: News.com | Posted By: Andre Da Costa | ||
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Fresh off seeing Microsoft move in at the last minute to grab part of a deal with the Nigerian government, Mandriva CEO Francois Bancilhon posted an "open letter to Steve Ballmer" in which he lays into the Microsoft chief for his tactics. Bancilhon said that Mandriva was close to a deal, when Microsoft turned up the heat. "I would not say it got dirty, but someone could have said that," Bancilhon said. Despite the competition from Microsoft, Bancilhon said that Mandriva managed to win out and get the order. But this week, just as machines were shipping, he said Mandriva heard that the Nigerian agency will still pay for Mandriva's software, but plans to replace it with Windows. | ||
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| #1 By 15406 (99.224.112.94) at 11/1/2007 9:35:38 PM |
| How are the faithful going to spin this one? |
| #2 By 28801 (71.58.231.46) at 11/1/2007 9:46:57 PM |
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<sarcasm>Great article!</sarcasm>
Exactly what tactics did Microsoft use to piss this Linux wuss off? It sounds to me like they used a combination of aggressive pricing, classic salesmanship and a feature-rich product set to convince the Nigerian government that MS was the way to go. So while Microsoft is pushing the hard sell on Nigeria, this Linux buffoon twiddles his thumbs while his deal goes south. I can hear it now as Bancilhon gathers all his employees together in a 10 by 10 conference room for the weekly pep talk “Folks, the good news is Nigeria is going to pay us! The bad news is that there still isn’t anybody using our software!” |
| #3 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 11/2/2007 8:11:38 AM |
| #2: The deal was done. Mandriva won it; they had the order. MS' silence on the matter is also telling. If they had beaten Mandriva with a fair bid, would they not be yelling from the rootftops for all to hear how they beat Linux again? Not this time for some reason. It doesn't pass the smell test. |
| #4 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 11/2/2007 8:40:13 AM |
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It's a pity the article didn’t give more detail and I’m wondering why Bancilhon wasn’t more forthcoming in his statements as to what really transpired. If MS was indeed underhanded in its dealings then the Mandriva CEO might garner some sympathy. Instead he just sounds like a whiner.
For now, all we can assume is that Mandriva had the deal and MS got in somebody’s ear with a killer deal. So long as Nigeria pays Mandriva for what was signed off on, I don’t have a problem with it, and until details of underhanded MS practices come to light no one else should either. Right now it just looks like Capitalism at its best (wrinkles and pimples included). |
| #5 By 8556 (12.208.163.138) at 11/2/2007 8:40:37 AM |
| #2: How about "donations" along with a <$35 price tag for both Windows and Office as a way to "win" over the Nigerian government? |
| #6 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 11/2/2007 9:08:17 AM |
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Donations to schools, and infrastructure, medical care etc. are ok so long as they are legitimate. "Pocket Lining Donations" are not! Like I said, there is no evidence or even a specific accusation of the latter. This post was edited by rxcall on Friday, November 02, 2007 at 09:20. |
| #7 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 11/2/2007 9:43:03 AM |
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#4: I doubt that the Nigerian government would tell Bancilhon point-blank that MS bribed them, so all he has to go on is appearances unless an insider leaks details. He won the deal, but afterwards he is informed that they will wipe Mandriva and install Windows. Why would Nigeria take on the extra cost of Windows on top of the Mandriva deal price unless there was something in it for them? At the least it might be free licenses, as MS has not much to gain but a lot to lose. Part of maintaining their monopoly is making sure no one else gets a foothold if MS can help it. They would rather give Windows away for free than to see Linux win somewhere. If that is all that MS did (give Windows away for free) then I don't have too much of a problem with it.
#6: A bribe is a bribe, no matter how it's dressed, if your scenario is accurate. It also shows that, in some cases, MS can't win with an even playing field. Ethically, MS has the right to reduce the price of its offering to zero in order to compete. However, if they made any payments, either in cash or equivalent physical goods outside the scope of the deal, it's a bribe. Nigeria is pretty high on the Corruption Index so their behaviour doesn't surprise me, but it also shows a touch of desperation on MS' part. |
| #8 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 11/2/2007 10:37:24 AM |
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This kind of behavior happens all over. The US congress is filled with deals and earmarks to pass bills and budgets. A good salesman often throws in incentives to win a contract. That is part of capitalism.
If Microsoft went to Nigeria and said “If you buy 100 server licenses and 5000 desktop licenses then we’ll throw in free licenses of Office 2007 for all of your users or we’ll donate a thousand computers to your school system” then that’s aggressive salesmanship. And I assess that it would be profitable for MS as well. If however, palms were greased, that’s a bribe! |
| #9 By 3653 (65.80.181.153) at 11/2/2007 10:48:10 AM |
| that fool needs some cheese to go with that whine? |
| #10 By 23275 (71.12.191.230) at 11/2/2007 10:52:31 AM |
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To even suggest any measure of criminality without a shred of evidence - to discuss it at all in that context, is disgusting. DISGUSTING.
Forget the subject. Forget Microsoft for a moment and think only on the fundamentals so many great men and women struggled, fought, suffered and died for. This is trash and every single person here is better than this. It is like any case - any sensationalzed matter - they feed on it, trump it, and work it in the public media. Each time I see it, I say, "Dismiss it and let the person walk - even if they may be guilty." No one has a prayer of any level of fairness when such nonsense is spattered all over the media. Our system intentionally places the prosecution in any case at a distinct disadvantage. It is designed to keep the government and its courts weak opposite the people. When we "suggest" criminality so casually, we invite those who would enslave all of us, to ignore the fundamentals that are the most beautiful instruments any people have ever devised. Shame, shame, shame on all of us for even touching on something like this without a hint of evidence. I have to be one of the most conservative people alive - fools would equate that with one political party. We need to remember very well, the really big chunks we managed to get put down in our constitutions - we have to stop this kind of thing. It really does threaten all of us. |
| #11 By 37047 (216.191.227.68) at 11/2/2007 11:46:19 AM |
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#10: It sounds like you are saying that without exhaustive and extensive proof, the media, law enforcement organizations, individuals, etc., shouldn't even discuss the appearance of wrongdoing, or investigate anything, unless and until a handwritten confession is signed and delivered? No allegation of wrongdoing by anyone, against any person or organization, should be investigated or debated, until the accuser or a third party brings explicit evidence to light? This sounds like a great way to allow the guilty but powerful to do whatever they want, in perpetuity. <sarcasm> What a great system that would be! </sarcasm>
I didn't realize that you fought for the right of the rich and powerful to have carte blanche to do whatever they wanted, so long as no one could easily prove anything up front. |
| #12 By 2231 (72.5.151.4) at 11/2/2007 12:25:47 PM |
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#10; You're right, except that Microsoft has a history of criminal and unethical behavior. They are a convicted monopolist and have stolen other peoples' ideas knowing they could lawyer the opposition into bankruptcy.
My question is that if the dealings were above board why is the Nigerian agency willing to pay for Mandriva's software only to remove it? Is there a better answer than Microsoft is paying them to do it? Isn't that tortuous interference? |
| #13 By 23275 (71.12.191.230) at 11/2/2007 1:11:38 PM |
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#12, If the terms of the contract are fulfilled, then no - it would not be torurous in any way.
#11, What I said is clearly about protections afforded to all - even when such protections result in an inability for the state [any state], to prosecute the guilty. It has zero to do with any one company and everything to do with all of us. Suggesting, or hinting at criminality, where no such evidence exists is not only wrong, it is very dangerous - what hurts one, even the guilty, risks harming the innocent. The state has too much power as it is. Mystic, the system you seem to favor crushed millions - killed millions. I want less government and more personal responsibility. That means fewer laws, fewer prisons and fewer instances of government control. Too many kids are in prison as it is - for what - being so removed from anything that hints of opportunity? They need jobs and people that care - they need fathers. AS I see it, where we hint around criminality like this, are the same powers that herd people up and cart them off to prisons rather than do anything decent, or anything that actually helps. Allowing one, allows for far worse abuses of power. Take any one of these kids out here - love them, teach them and lead them, and they all come out alright. Ignore them and one ends up with monsters, crime and one tragedy after another - and even terrorism. By the way, "Rich Guys" I know, spend about 80% of their time trying to help in one way or another. For example, a bunch of us are working on a community site right now - to take in votes and funds for a slew of kids and projects we have been supporting - its community and church based this time. I need to shut up, and get back at it, because my build should be done about now. |
| #14 By 37047 (216.191.227.68) at 11/2/2007 1:30:14 PM |
| Good ol' Lloyd. Always taking the extreme view in any discussion. I said nothing about "rounding up all the usual suspects" and throwing them in prison. I was talking about not silencing those who would question the tactics and ethics of those who have already been found guilty and convicted of past bad behaviors, so as to keep them honest. Kind of like the difference between arresting a pedophile because he lives near a person with a young child, and being cautious around him and watching his activities when he is around children. Sometimes, the innocent need to be protected from the guilty, even before the guilty actually do something. We should never turn a blind eye to any activity until explicit proof is available, especially where a convicted monopoly abuser is concerned. Eternal vigilance and all that. Not harassment, just vigilance. If you can't see the difference, then this conversation is meaningless. |
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