* Sinister Midget peremptorily fired off this memo:
> Blammer in an orange jumpsuit, squealing like a pig. If I was a girl
> I'd probably be wet at the thought!
<ugh!>
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Ballmer-Onward-to-the-Enterprise/
Ballmer: Onward to the Enterprise
By Peter Galli
2004-04-12
On April 2, Microsoft Corp. President and CEO Steve Ballmer and Sun
Microsystems Inc. Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy announced a major
settlement to end Suns lawsuits and cross-license patented
technologies. Last week, Ballmer met with eWEEK Editor in Chief Eric
Lundquist, Executive Editor Stan Gibson and Senior Editor Peter Galli
on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash., to explain how Microsofts
agreement with the Santa Clara, Calif., company -- which cost
Microsoft close to $2 billion -- will enable the company to drive
deeper into the enterprise.
Ballmer:
Theres nothing in the agreement that relates to open source. This is
all about Solaris. Theres nothing in this thing about Linux. We dont
license our intellectual property under that framework, because we
need to get paid for it.
"We need to get PAID!"
We indemnify our customers about the use of intellectual property in
our products. The open-source community does not -- anybody can
come after the customer any time for patent fees.
What a web! Microsoft pays SCO. Sun pays SCO. Microsoft pays Sun.
Sun open-sources Solaris.
We put in place a framework for today and for the next ten years
where we can have an intellectual property peace with Sun.
The Microsoft Model:
Q. Who do you see as your biggest competitors in the enterprise?
IBM and community-developed software. Why do people think Linux is a
real competitor to Microsoft? Its because its low-price, high-volume.
Thats our model.
Its because theyre happy to have few customers that give them a lot
of money. Were not. We much prefer to have lots of customers who pay
less money, and then we build from that foundation depth that allows
us to have the full enterprise relationship.
What did George Carlin (R.I.P.) call it? "Servicing the Account!"
Id much prefer to have 100 guys paying me ten bucks than have ten
guys paying me a hundred bucks.
--
It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.
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