@lunduke Microsoft has always followed in IBM's footsteps, and Google is following in Microsoft's. Microsoft is currently at the phase where IBM spray painted Tux on SF sidewalks.

@kyle @lunduke except they're still a fully proprietary software company. They "love" Linux and open source like a tapeworm loves a healthy digestive system.

@kyle @lunduke all those keen (and highly paid) "open source advocates" are being paid, 100%, out of the spoils of user exploitation by proprietary software.

@lightweight @lunduke It's easy to forget that IBM was once seen as MS was 20 years ago and Google is now. I'm unclear how the MS in your example is different from the IBM of the spraypaint Tux era. They hired Linux developers from proceeds came from proprietary mainframe software and services.

Once difference is at the time the Linux community was desperate for a giant in its corner so they were more willing to embrace what before then was the original evil 800lb gorilla.

@kyle @lunduke true. Now Microsoft is trying a different (bolder) approach from IBM - they're engaging in EEE. They're hoping to co-opt open source (and kill Free Software in the process by casting so much shade on it) by using a few key technologies (like Github, Azure, and Active Directory) to lock people into platforms where they profit, regardless of whether people use FOSS or proprietary.

@lightweight @lunduke Given the death of software sales as a sustainable business model they don't have a choice if they want to survive. Amazon to the left of them, Google to the right here they are, stuck in the middle with GNU.

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@kyle I think you're missing all the corporate sales. My office develops embedded products using C language. All of our compilers are based on hardware platform, but the company as a whole has standardized on Microsoft, so every dev has an MS professional developer license. $$$ Plus any additional licenses they are paying for TFS, Teams, Office, etc. @lightweight @lunduke

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