Anybody seen this:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/biztec...reut/index.html

Any opinions?

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I find this hard to believe until either:

1. The government forces this on Microsoft
2. Linux's market share gets to be huge

I guess either of these could happen by 2004.

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I find it hard to believe as well. But not either of the options that you list.

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I just don't see Microsoft making those changes, especially in late 2004 like the Meta group predicts. If they want to look into their crystal ball and try to predict what Microsoft does, fair enough. But to think that they will have a significant impact on changing Microsoft's direction is absurd. Microsoft doesn't easily bow to outside pressure even when journalism sides with open source. All you have to do is look at their legal department and the work they have done on the anti-trust settlement.

Most MS guys truly, I'm being politely here, do not like Linux because they believe in the Microsoft way. However, the Linux OS is a viable server OS and desktop environment which forces them to acknowledge and address issues dealing with open source. If the Meta group and CNN want to continue coverage on Linux, that's all fine with Microsoft I'm sure, but they are not going to change what they do to make money unless their practices have been declared illegal and criminal.

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Well, being a Microsoft guy I do prefer Microsoft to Linux for lots of things, but I do see the advantages of using Linux. Microsoft wouldn't hurt themselves to at least consider the possibilities. But in the long run, predictions like these are worth almost as much as movie stars predicting environmental disasters.

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Well, one of the most interesting products they could port on Linux is Active Directory...
But has anyone tried Samba 3.0???
It offers an AD like server to Linux, doesn't it?
Or am I completely wrong?

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Yeah, Samba offers a lot of Windows 2000 Server's features including AD and DFS.

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Thanks for the confirmation, but does it also bring Group Policies support?

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I don't know.

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Linux is attractive because it's free and open source. Why would I buy a Microsoft product to unstall on Linux if I have to pay Microsoft plus they will never make it an open source anyway.

There are so many good open sorce products right now and hopefully will be even more in the future that I don't see how Microsoft could even be in the picture.

Also, the people who love to use Linux would never ever put MS software on their Linux boxes.

As far as lowering prices, that's another story and long overdue. Oracle should follow - they are way too expensive for a database.

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