[ale] Microsoft embraces open source?

[MetroBoy]

"Keith R. Watson" wrote:
> 
> Microsoft embraces open source? How else can you explain the apparent use
> of Apache to host MSN web pages?
> 
> MSN Powered by Apache
> 
> http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/20768.html
> 
> keith
> -------------
> 
> Keith R. Watson                        GTRI/AIST
> Computer Services Specialist IV        Georgia Institute of Technology
> keith.watson at gtri.gatech.edu           Atlanta, GA  30332-0816
> 404-894-0836

Don't believe everything you read in Wired.  They mentioned as if in a
footnote that the Apache servers are run by a partner (TalkCity).  Other
news sources have mentioned more about the fact and less about the
hype.  Microsoft didn't choose Apache because IIS is weak.  They chose
TalkCity as part of their world domination scheme.  TalkCity just
happens to be running Apache.  They're tolerating it.

In a related note, the story about Hotmail is overrated, too.  They
bought the service from someone else and they happened to be running it
on Unix.  They tried to move the service to NT, but they encountered too
many problems, so they left it there.  Microsoft said it will take them
2 years to move it to NT.  I translate that to mean that they have an NT
server for new accounts and the workload will slowly transition to NT by
attrition as new users are added to NT and old users unsubscribe or
abandon their accounts on the Unix server.

Ed