Microsoft Releases Computational Cluster Technical Preview To olkit

[Jesse Eversole]

>Raul Romero Wells wrote:
>
>Raul Romero Wells wrote:
>
>"Redmond, Washington, Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp.'s Windows
>operating-system chief, Jim Allchin, says that freely distributed
>software code such as rival Linux could stifle innovation and that
>legislators need to understand the threat."
>
>Straight from the horse's mouth ...

Perhaps where a real threat lies.  Although it is entertaining to discuss
Microsoft's classical marketing strategies as they now appear to be directed
toward beowulf, adding to this strategy an attack on the right to freely
distribute software is of concern.  Once a viable and credible solution to
corporations, freely distributed software is certainly a threat to Microsoft
especially in the area of clustering and supercomputing.  The problem is
that freely distributed software offers a unique challenge for Microsoft.
There is no private company to put out of business.  Even if Microsoft has
been attacked by the government that does not stop it from using the same
instrument to attack a targeted competitor.  One way to discourage free
software is to woo legislators into an unfriendly mindset toward free
software.  My feelings about this are that some fundamental rights could
slowly disappear. Microsoft has been quite successful in the past at
applying constant pressure over time.  Antitrust aside, they are entitled to
do so.  However, when Microsoft elects to attack fundamental rights do not
rule out its resolve.  Can it be argured that accepting free software is a
taxable gift? Depending on the IRS appraised value of the software, a user
could be asked to pay tax on the gift value of the software amounting to
significant tax liability.  I'm not a legal expert, just paranoid that there
are ways to make our life difficult that a well funded organization can
undertake.  One only has to look at the digital copyright initiative and the
historical arguments such as copyright holders are entitled to royalties
from  blank tapes due to the threat imposed to the industry by blank tapes.
Will beowulf find itself restricted by the US government in some way (who
knows what) in the not too distant future due to successful attacks from
Microsoft?


-----Original Message-----
From: beowulf-admin at beowulf.org [mailto:beowulf-admin at beowulf.org]On
Behalf Of Toon Moene
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2001 5:25 PM
To: Raul Romero Wells
Cc: David Grant; beowulf at beowulf.org
Subject: Re: Microsoft Releases Computational Cluster Technical Preview
To olkit


Raul Romero Wells wrote:

> You need a license for a server, a license for a workstation and a license
to interconect them, so maybe you'll
> need a special license to connect a cluster...

Of course !  To act otherwise would stiffle innovation:

http://news.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-4825719-RHAT.html?ta
g=ltnc

"Redmond, Washington, Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp.'s Windows
operating-system chief, Jim Allchin, says that freely distributed
software code such as rival Linux could stifle innovation and that
legislators need to understand the threat."

Straight from the horse's mouth ...

--
Toon Moene - mailto:toon at moene.indiv.nluug.nl - phoneto: +31 346 214290
Saturnushof 14, 3738 XG  Maartensdijk, The Netherlands
Maintainer, GNU Fortran 77: http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/g77_news.html
Join GNU Fortran 95: http://g95.sourceforge.net/ (under construction)


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