Comments on: Return of the Old Microsoft http://blog.scottlowe.org/2007/02/27/return-of-the-old-microsoft/ The weblog of an IT pro specializing in virtualization, storage, and servers Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:33:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: slowe http://blog.scottlowe.org/2007/02/27/return-of-the-old-microsoft/#comment-28980 slowe Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:38:35 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/?p=419#comment-28980 TJW, I respect the fact that Microsoft is fully allowed, even encouraged, to compete to the best of their ability in a free market environment. I do not fault Microsoft for doing so. What I *DO* fault Microsoft for is leveraging a monopoly in one market to gain in another market. That is illegal. Were it IBM, Novell, Sun, Red Hat, or anyone else (including VMware), I would feel the same way. The law is the law is the law, and any company that breaks the law in the name of "competition" is wrong. Period. Also, one thing to note: a VMware implementation is not a replacement for a Windows installation. Customers still need to pay Microsoft for OS licenses to run as guests on the virtualization platform. So you can't really say that customers have an option to install ESX Server on the hardware instead of Windows; they're still going to need Windows. Unless, of course, they're a Linux or UNIX shop, but then they wouldn't be installing Windows on the hardware anyway. As for the benchmarking issue, I believe that VMware's benchmarking policy is not that far off from a number of other vendors. Right off the top of my head, I believe that McAfee has a similar restriction on publishing benchmark information. It wouldn't surprise me to find many more vendors with similar restrictions. Otherwise, how can the vendor be assured that the benchmarking scenarios are fair and objective? In my eyes, this behavior is no different than the same behaviors that got Microsoft in trouble with the European Union and the US DoJ. It is predatory behavior that is centered around the use of a monopoly to extend their market power, and that is against US law. Scott TJW,

I respect the fact that Microsoft is fully allowed, even encouraged, to compete to the best of their ability in a free market environment. I do not fault Microsoft for doing so. What I *DO* fault Microsoft for is leveraging a monopoly in one market to gain in another market. That is illegal. Were it IBM, Novell, Sun, Red Hat, or anyone else (including VMware), I would feel the same way. The law is the law is the law, and any company that breaks the law in the name of “competition” is wrong. Period.

Also, one thing to note: a VMware implementation is not a replacement for a Windows installation. Customers still need to pay Microsoft for OS licenses to run as guests on the virtualization platform. So you can’t really say that customers have an option to install ESX Server on the hardware instead of Windows; they’re still going to need Windows. Unless, of course, they’re a Linux or UNIX shop, but then they wouldn’t be installing Windows on the hardware anyway.

As for the benchmarking issue, I believe that VMware’s benchmarking policy is not that far off from a number of other vendors. Right off the top of my head, I believe that McAfee has a similar restriction on publishing benchmark information. It wouldn’t surprise me to find many more vendors with similar restrictions. Otherwise, how can the vendor be assured that the benchmarking scenarios are fair and objective?

In my eyes, this behavior is no different than the same behaviors that got Microsoft in trouble with the European Union and the US DoJ. It is predatory behavior that is centered around the use of a monopoly to extend their market power, and that is against US law.

Scott

]]> By: TJW http://blog.scottlowe.org/2007/02/27/return-of-the-old-microsoft/#comment-28941 TJW Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:33:34 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/?p=419#comment-28941 While I expect an argument form Diane Green and the rest of her cronies based on these recent changes, the simple fact is that Microsoft, just like any other OS vendor, has a right to decide who they will work with and who they won't. The fact that you can by a server without a Windows license and instead buy VMWare on it as an OS, is direct competition and any vendor has a right to change policies as they deem best for their business. I am humored that VMWare will whine about this, however at the same time, they have changed policies and restricted fair published information by not allowing benchmarking of their products unless approved by them. As well, they will also not certify other competitors on EMC hardware. Sounds alot like blocking competition :) On the otherhand, I saw a recent article that Microsoft is not blocking, rather they will support OS virtualization product Virtuozzo. Sounds like they played nice and stand to be the big winners in this fight. Just my 2 cents. http://www.virtualization.info/2007/02/swsoft-signs-support-agreement-with.html And The Gartner Group is even endorsing them over hypervisors!!! http://www.dabcc.com/article.aspx?id=3345 While I expect an argument form Diane Green and the rest of her cronies based on these recent changes, the simple fact is that Microsoft, just like any other OS vendor, has a right to decide who they will work with and who they won’t. The fact that you can by a server without a Windows license and instead buy VMWare on it as an OS, is direct competition and any vendor has a right to change policies as they deem best for their business.

I am humored that VMWare will whine about this, however at the same time, they have changed policies and restricted fair published information by not allowing benchmarking of their products unless approved by them. As well, they will also not certify other competitors on EMC hardware. Sounds alot like blocking competition :)

On the otherhand, I saw a recent article that Microsoft is not blocking, rather they will support OS virtualization product Virtuozzo. Sounds like they played nice and stand to be the big winners in this fight.

Just my 2 cents.

http://www.virtualization.info/2007/02/swsoft-signs-support-agreement-with.html

And The Gartner Group is even endorsing them over hypervisors!!!

http://www.dabcc.com/article.aspx?id=3345

]]> By: PC Blade Daily Links 2007-02-27 - PC Blade Daily - Practical News and Views on Centralized Computing http://blog.scottlowe.org/2007/02/27/return-of-the-old-microsoft/#comment-28907 PC Blade Daily Links 2007-02-27 - PC Blade Daily - Practical News and Views on Centralized Computing Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:59:23 +0000 http://blog.scottlowe.org/?p=419#comment-28907 [...] Scott Lowe: Return of the Old Microsoft “All you need to do to win is make the best product, and doing anything else — especially stuff like this — only makes your customers mistrust you.” [...] [...] Scott Lowe: Return of the Old Microsoft “All you need to do to win is make the best product, and doing anything else — especially stuff like this — only makes your customers mistrust you.” [...]

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