Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development
    • Servers

    Microsofts Linux Guru Woos Coders with Freebies

    Written by

    Peter Galli
    Published August 10, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      As Microsoft continues to try and convince its enterprise customers and the open-software community that it is committed to interoperability and working with them, Bill Hilf, its director of platform technology, gave a session at the annual LinuxWorld Conference & Expo that provided a look into the Linux/Open Source Software Lab at Microsofts Redmond campus.

      In a session titled “Managing Linux in a mixed environment…at Microsoft? A look inside the Linux/Open Source Software Lab at Microsoft,” Hilf told the audience of more than 100 that he had Linux and open-source credentials, having worked with the software at both eToys and IBM before moving to Microsoft Corp.

      “My role is not to exterminate Linux. It is to be very critical and objective for Microsoft, our customers and the open-source community,” he said.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifClick here to read more about Hilf and his role at Microsoft.

      Hilf and his team, which consists of four permanent program managers and a group of four to six rotating contractors, help the different product groups at Microsoft understand open-source software and all the models that exist around that.

      “We believe that understanding the technical landscape around open-source software can help our teams drive product improvement,” he said.

      The team includes Gentoo Linux founder Daniel Robbins, as well as others with deep Linux, Unix and open-source software administration.

      “Almost all of the team has worked in some form of a mixed environment. They are very opinionated and very critical, and I like them that way,” he said.

      The technology analysis center runs Linux and open-source workloads and scenarios, with more than 300 server and client systems running.

      The lab was essentially built from the ground up, and this created a lot of issues as there was a lot of non-Microsoft technologies running, both software and hardware.

      To underscore that point, Hilf put up a slide showing the operating systems and software in use at the lab, including lots of different Linux, Unix and Windows operating systems and different versions of those as well as other open source software like Ganglia, Karamba and Xen.

      The lab team also looked for software that might be useful to its product teams and customers.

      An example of this was the effective and efficient Samba Torture (smbtorture) testing tool, which Microsoft had decided to use to test some of its own stuff.

      “While doing that, we found a bug, and we submitted that back and it was fixed. There has to be a relationship and communication both ways. We all have to listen as well as talk,” he said.

      Turning to the cross-platform management technology that was available and used in the lab, Hilf pointed to Novells Red Carpet technology, Kickstart, Vintela Management Extensions and Microsofts Systems Management Server.

      Asking the audience how many of them used SMS for management, several put their hands up, to which Hilf quipped “hide your badges.”

      Microsofts Lab team also used Virtual PC images and Virtual Server 2005, and each attendee was given a full copy of Microsoft Virtual Server Enterprise Edition, which Hilf said had a $1,000 value, as well as a 180-day trial copy of Windows Server 2003.

      On the desktop front, Hilf said that configuring the latest Linux desktop for applications often means that things have to be configured inside the application.

      “No one has sat down and come up with something that configures these applications in a uniform way,” he said, adding that he has been using Linux desktops for years now “and so am entitled to criticize it.”

      Historically, getting Active Directory to work with Linux was a non-trivial, very complex task, Hilf said, before suggesting a product from a Microsoft partner, Centrify DirectControl, as a solution in this regard.

      He also briefly addressed the R2 release of Windows Server 2003 later this year, saying it “takes a step forward in Unix interoperability, including a full subsystem for Unix applications, which resides at the same level as the Win32 subsystem.

      “The key message is that this is part of the operating system for us and a key part of what we are providing. This is a powerful tool for those looking to move their applications to a new platform,” Hilf said.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifRead more here about Unix Services in Windows Server 2003 R2.

      With regard to Microsofts Monad technology—its alterna-tive to the scripting shells that Unix and Linux programmers know and love—which is not just an empty shell, Hilf quipped, but had been developed because of a weak command shell that had spotty coverage and which was fairly inconsistent.

      Monad runs on Windows XP and needs the .Net Framework 2.0 to run.

      Monad had not been removed from Windows Vista as had been widely reported, and no virus had been written to exploit it as was also widely reported, he said.

      “Rather, what was written was a way to modify text information. Had you run and executed that, it would have indeed been bad for your system. But it was not a virus,” Hilf said.

      Monad would be available in different technologies and would eventually be a part of the operating system, he said.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise. He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×