Some of the studies were commissioned by Microsoft, while others were initiated and funded independently by market analysts.
The controversy spilled over into the embedded market a little over a year ago when an
analyst report, partially funded by Microsoft, concluded that Windows Embedded had a 4:1 advantage over embedded Linux in "total cost of development." Not surprisingly, Linux advocates
countered that the report was flawed by outdated and inadequate data, misunderstandings, and unfair assumptions.
Ballmer's latest "executive email" focuses not on embedded applications, but on Windows vs. Linux in the enterprise. Still, the topics covered are relevant to the embedded market. Ballmer notes that enterprise customers consistently raise the same questions: "Does an open source platform really provide a long-term cost advantage compared with Windows? Which platform offers the most secure computing environment? Given the growing concern among customers about intellectual property indemnification, what's the best way to minimize risk? In moving from an expensive UNIX platform, what's the best alternative in terms of migration?"
In an effort to help customers make the best decisions about these issues, Microsoft formed a senior team under General Manager Martin Taylor about a year ago to "figure out how we could do a better job helping customers evaluate our products against alternatives such as Linux/open source and proprietary UNIX," Ballmer says.
Read Steve Ballmer's executive email here
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