IBM to launch MS Office for Linux, Feb 13, 2004

As part of its initiative to put Linux on the desktop, IBM Corp. wants to migrate Microsoft Corp.'s Office suite to Linux. Microsoft said it's not involved and suggests that IBM might do it by emulation.

For several years, the Linux operating system has been part of IBM's explicit strategy. So far, we've mostly seen server-side solutions. Now, IBM is going for the desktop.

Microsoft Corp. says incomplete portions of the source code for some versions of its Windows computer operating system were leaked over the Internet, but analysts caution it's too early to say how much damage the leak may cause.

Spokesman Tom Pilla said the pieces of source code, the tightly guarded blueprint of its dominant computer operating system, were for Microsoft's Windows 2000 and Windows NT4.0 operating systems.

Access to the source code could allow hackers to exploit the operating system and attack machines running some versions of Windows. Several versions of the operating system, including the ones containing leaked code, are used on hundreds of millions of computers worldwide.

A newly-conducted survey of Australian and New Zealand tech users has lent weight to Linux' desktop prospects, with more than three-quarters of respondents saying it will improve its strength in the area.

The survey -- conducted by tech expert Graeme Philipson in February -- found that almost two-thirds (61.3 percent) believed the open-source operating system would get "a little" stronger on the desktop, while 22.5 percent said it would get "a lot" stronger.

An old adage that governments would be well-served to heed is: You get what you pay for. When you rely on free or low-cost products, you often get the shaft, and that, in my opinion, is exactly what governments are on track to get. Perhaps not today, nor even tomorrow, and not because open source products are less capable or less efficient than commercial products, but because sooner or later, governments that rely on free open source software will put their country's and their citizens' data in harm's way. Eventually—and inevitably—an open source product will be found to contain a security breach—not one discovered by hackers, security personnel, or a CS student or professor. Instead, the security breach will be placed into the open source software from inside, by someone working on the project.

Suppose, for example, we consolidated 40 Windows servers split evenly between 20 limited-usage file-and-print servers at $799 each and 20 database or application servers at $3,999 each to perhaps 16 Linux servers. In this case, the up-front cost comparison for the OS component should show Microsoft's licensing at $95,960 and Linux at zero.

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