08.21.08
Former Microsoft Executive (VMWare) Makes Friends with Microsoft
As necessary background, consider reading previous posts on the effect of former Microsoft employees on other companies, sometimes even direct competitors [1, 2]. More recently, we saw VMWare coming under such a threat [1, 2, 3]. Yesterday in the IRC channel, we discussed the latest situation in light of a new development.
It has been only weeks since a former Microsoft executive became the CEO of VMWare and look what happens.
Virtualization newbie Microsoft and market leader VMware play nice, up to a point, with validation program.
There are no permanent enemies in politics, just permanent interests, the truism goes; and this is apparently true in business as well. InternetNews.com has learned that VMware has joined arch-rival Microsoft’s third-party server virtualization validation program (SVVP).
“VMware is proud to be a part of SVVP,” Carl Eschenbach, executive vice president of worldwide field operations, said in an email sent to InternetNews.com. “VMware is looking forward to working closely with Microsoft to complete the certification of VMware ESX under the SVVP program to provide customers the support they need to gain the flexibility and benefits of working in virtualized environments.”
That is, essentially, Microsoft shaking hands with (former) Microsoft. It may have seized its rival in a sense. Since VMWare has the lion’s share of this market and it should know Microsoft’s typical behaviour, why the change of heart? Another Novell? We all know (or ought to know) what happened to XenSource after a General Manager from Microsoft had joined its upper ranks.
More information about this piece of news in:
Adding some more to the ‘political’ side of things, watch Bill Gates refusing to retire. He is still working quietly for Microsoft, and not just in a representative role.
Gates was supposed to have stopped participating in Microsoft’s everyday business about two months ago.
This is not the first time that we spot Gates’ activity against threats like Free software (post his ‘retirement’) [1, 2]. █
“Number two is move Netscape out of the win32 client area.”
–Paul Maritz, Vice President, Microsoft (Now VMWare)
“The major reason for this is: to combat [Netscape] we have to position the browser as “going away” and do deeper integration on Windows. The stronger way to communicate this is to have a “new release” of Windows and make a big deal out of it. We will thus position Memphis as “Windows 98. IE integration will be the most compelling feature of Memphis.”
–Paul Maritz, Vice President, Microsoft (Now VMWare)
“To combat NSCP we have to have [sic] position the browser as ‘going away’ and do deeper integration on Windows. The stronger way to communicate this is to have a ‘new release’ of Windows and make a big deal out of it. We will thus position Memphis as ‘Windows 98′.”
–Paul Maritz, Vice President, Microsoft (Now VMWare)
“…cut off Netscape’s air supply.”
–Paul Maritz, Vice President, Microsoft (Now VMWare)
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.