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Microsoft Corp.s anti-open-source “Get the Facts” campaign is entering its second year. And Microsoft has no intent to change course.
Martin Taylor—Microsofts appointed Linux point man and platform strategist—is making the rounds and touting yet another Microsoft-commissioned study that Microsoft is using as “proof” that Windows surpasses Linux in total cost of ownership, security and reliability.
Although some press, analysts and customers have criticized over the past year Microsofts campaign to tout studies for which it paid, Microsoft has no intention to back down from this practice, Taylor said.
“In 2005, our Facts approach wont change an ounce,” Taylor proclaimed. “Commissioned reports were exactly the right thing to do. We used reputable firms.”
He added that a number of recent analyst reports that pitted Windows against Linux were not commissioned by Microsoft, yet yielded results that matched those detailed in the Microsoft-commissioned studies.
While Microsofts study-funding practices wont change, some of the areas upon which it is focusing its research could shift slightly in the coming year, Taylor acknowledged.
“We found out customers wanted to move off Unix to Linux,” Taylor said. “It wasnt so much the TCO [total cost of ownership] of Windows vs. Linux that concerned them. It was more a question of could they get even more savings by moving to Windows.”
Microsofts newest “Get the Facts” weapon is a study completed in August by the Meta Group, titled “Migrating Unix ERP Installations to a Windows Server Environment: A Qualitative Assessment of Business Impact.”