"Microsoft is feeling the Linux heat"–Moore

With an aim to appraise the media and masses about the virtues of packaged
software, Peter Moore, CTO–Asia-Pacific, Microsoft was in Delhi to speak about
the omnipresence and success of the commercial software. Shweta Khanna of
Cyber-Media News spoke to Peter Moore about the anxieties of Microsoft on the
open source front and how it has geared up to counter the market movements.

What took you so long to speak about Linux’s presence in India and
worldwide?

Microsoft spends about $ 6.8 billion in trying to make desira-ble software
as per the require-ment of users. We immensely believe in intellectual
proper-ties and it is only commercial software that respects this model. We
wanted to select factual data before speaking about it in the public. Now with a
factual data and relevant case studies in hand, we want users to know the
difference between the perceived cost and the actual cost.

In which segments is Microsoft feeling the heat?

Linux no doubt is catching on every segment. In fact, gove-rnments are also
going in favor of open source. We are facing some competition, especially in the
server segment. Open sou-rce had been a credible compe-titor in the near past,
but we don’t feel that it will grow fur-ther, as more and more people
understand the real cost of dep-loyment of the open source.

What will be the strategies of Microsoft to counter the
success of the open source?

We are promoting the total cost of ownership model for the users. According
to a resea-rch done by IDC, open source can cost about 10-15 percent more than a
commercial pack. We are also looking at reducing cost for our software and
sharing the source codes. On the cost front, we will not look at a drastic cut
but look at a great TCO equation.

Microsoft spoke about sharing source code to counter the
open source, but it is not available to everyone. In this scenario, what is the
relevance of sharing source codes?

Microsoft has tried to make our sources, as much open as possible. But it is
not easy to trust individuals. However, we have shared our source codes with
enterprises and governments.

Why do you think open source will not be able to make
commercial success?

As experts say, there were some real benefits with open source software, but
at the same time, there were many hidden costs and risks invo-lved. With users
seeking a long-term benefit, open source will take long time to become
ubiquitous.