Keep dealing till you get what you want

Tue Sep 16 11:43:41 GMT 2003 Keep dealing till you get what you want

Link: Microsoft Plans Steady Stream of Evidence

Apparently Microsoft has commissioned a number of independent studies to compare Linux and Windows. These really are independent studies, though funded by Microsoft. The Windows apologists will be making much noise about these in the months to come, but there are reasons not to listen.

Remember first of all that this is a company with money to burn. Bill Gates is the guy who suggested buying a bunch of Porche 959's to destroy just so he could legally own his. They can afford to buy lots of studies:

But the company has a strategy to present a steady stream of evidence on topics such as the cost, security, interoperabilty and reliability of the Microsoft software platform compared with the Linux stack, according to Martin Taylor, general manager of platform strategy at Microsoft.

Although paid with Microsoft money, the studies will be honest:

Rymer said the Microsoft official was firm that the report not take a slanted approach, since the company really does need to better understand the Linux phenomenon. If the result were negative, Microsoft could simply choose not to publish the report.

Ooops. Run that last sentence by me once more?

If the result were negative, Microsoft could simply choose not to publish the report.

Of course. When playing cards with yourself, just keep dealing under you get the hand you want. Look, a straight flush, isn't that something!

So how many studies went back in the deck? Who knows, but this might be meaningful:

The first Microsoft-commissioned analyst report on Linux emerged last November, and it took 10 months for the second one to see the light of day.:

Could it have taken 10 months to get that good hand? Maybe..

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