微软的开源策略上下颠倒了

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Microsoft Open Source Strategy is Upside Down
微软的开源策略上下颠倒了

 

Last April I was on a Microsoft interoperability and Open Source conference in Ecuador (South America). On this conference Microsoft spread the word that they support Open Source Software and they do have an OSS strategy. But by checking their OSS Strategy I just felt something sour in my mouth, so I wrote this article to explain it.
去年四月我在Ecuador(位于南美)参加过一场微软的互通与开源会事。会上微软扬言道他们支持开源软件,并且真有一个OSS(开源策略)。但是通过检查他们的OSS,我就觉得口中有点涩涩的东西,于是我写了这篇文章来解读它。

 

Microsoft Open Source Strategy is Upside Down.
微软的开源策略上下颠倒了

 

Warnings:
* This article represents my point of view. You may think whatever you want.
* My native language it is not English.
警告:
*本文仅代表我个人观点。你可以有自己的任何想法。
*我的母语不是英语。(我的母语也不是英语,嘿嘿 --英译中者注)

 

Last April (April-29-2010) there was a local event in Ecuador organized by AESoft, the Ecuadorian Software association. This event was names “Integrated Technologies” and was sponsored by Microsoft, CodePlex, Port25 and The Apache Foundation.
去年四月(2010年四月29日)Ecuador地区有一场由AESoft(Ecuadorian Software association,Ecuadorian 软件协会)组织的当地会事。会事名是“集成技术”,由Microsoft, CodePlex, Port25 和The Apache Foundation赞助。

 

On this conference Microsoft sent a message saying that they are Open Source friendly and they support Open Source development. I saw this even as a Microsoft response of the growing “Free Software” (as in Freedom) movement here in Ecuador. So Microsoft tried to convince the audience that they care about Open Source and there are a lot of OSS software they promote.
会上微软给出了他们是开源友好的并支持地开源事业的发展这一说法。我视这场会事为微软对的Ecuador地区增长的“自由软件”运动火焰的反应。微软就那样极力地让大家相信他们支持开源、他们有很多努力推广着的OSS的说法。

 

There was one presentation that I was hoping to see, the speaker was James Utzschneider, the “General Manager of Marketing and Communications for the Unlimited Potential Group at Microsoft Corp”, his presentation was called “New Developments of openness and interoperability” (Nuevos Avances de apertura e interoperabilidad)
当时我特别期待一场演讲。演讲人是James Utzschneider,“微软无量潜力组市场与沟通总理事”,其演讲题叫作“开放与互通新发展”。

 

But James Utzschneider didn’t show up, the organizer said that something happened and he could not make it to Ecuador. So Jimmy Figueroa, from Microsoft Costa Rica stepped in. I think his current title is “Director of Developer & Platform Technologies at Microsoft Caribbean Central America”
但是James Utzschneider 没有露面。组织者说因有意外,他不能来Ecuador了。于是来自微软哥斯达黎加区的Jimmy Figueroa接着进来。我想他的目前头衔是“微软美国中部加勒比区开发与平台技术指挥官”。

 

After some introduction talking about local soccer teams and how the software development business was going on in Costa Rica, Jimmy Figueroa showed an interesting slide about Microsoft Open Source Strategy.
一段有关Costa Rica地区足球队和当地软件发展事业的介绍过后,Jimmy Figueroa展示了一幕有趣的有关微软开源策略的幻灯片。


Since the presentation wasn’t shared, I did a re-make of that slide for us to evaluate it.
由于幻灯片不是共享的,我为大家做了一个相似的以好好分析一下它。

 

(Again: This is a remake of the slide according to my notes, not exactly the MS one since I haven’t found it posted on the web )
(再说一次:这只是据我的笔记再做的一页演示,不是微软的那张,因为我没在网上找到它)

 

The question: What you can see in this slide?
问题:你从幻灯片上看到了什么?

 

Yes, the strategy is upside down. Let me explain myself.
是的,策略上下颠倒了。由我来解释。

 

The graphic categorize software in three layers or blocks:
上图将软件归类为三层(块):

 

Bottom Block – Office – Windows – Windows Server: I know that as today (Jun 2010), the more solid OSS products are the foundational ones (the one on the bottom of the chart). Open Source Software like Linux Servers, Ubuntu and OpenOffice.org are solid/stable technologies, but we know that Microsoft doesn’t want to hurt its business, so they ignore Linux and put Windows and Office there.
底层 – Office – Windows – Windows Server: 我知道,今天(2010年六月),更加坚实的OSS产品是基础(位于上图底端)。开源软件如Linux Servers, Ubuntu和OpenOffice.org 等是坚实/稳定的技术,但是我们知道微软不愿意同自己的生意过不去,因此他们忽略了Linux,把Windows和Office放在了那里。

 

While other big vendors like Oracle/Sun, IBM, HP strategy keep telling us to use OSS as foundational software for operating system, web servers and other software commodities, Microsoft lies in a very comfortable zone and ignore OSS on this area for their strategy. Microsoft had always been focus on creating software only for Windows (with some little exceptions) and now ignoring the foundational OSS software seems to be on the same track. So, open source is good, as it runs on Windows, Windows Server and Office platform.
在其它公司如Oracle/Sun, IBM, HP 告诉我们使用OSS作为操作系统、网络服务器和其它软件产品的基础软件的时候,微软躺在一个非常舒适的地方,策略上忽略这里的OSS。微软件一直以来都是集中精力开发专属Windows的软件(只有丁点例外)的,现在忽略基础OSS软件看来也是走着同一辄路。于是,开源好,只因它运行在Windows,Windows Server和Office 平台之上了。

 

Middle Block: Here goes Middleware software like web and applications servers. On this block now we see Microsoft more open. Sure, you already have Microsoft software as OS base, so now they accept that OSS software here. This is an area where OSS software is also good and solid, but MS didn’t put too much attention on this are for OSS.
中层:这里是一些中间件的软件,如网络和应用服务器。这一块我们看到微软更加开放了。当然了,已经有了微软软件作为OS基础,他们当然在这里接受OSS软件了。这一处OSS软件依旧优秀而坚实,但微软不会对它们予以足够重视。

 

Upper Block: This is where Microsoft put the attention for OSS. The upper block will be representing the business applications. Core Banking, Retail Core, ERP, CRM, CMS, etc, etc, etc. In this area/block, I can put myself at risk by saying that these kinds of solutions are not as solid in the open source software world as in the commercial software world (yet – as today), with some exceptions. But on this Upper Block is where Microsoft says, “Yes, let′s put all the OSS you want here”.
上层:这一层微软开始重视起OSS来。上层将会表现出商业应用。连锁银行,连锁店,企业资源计划ERP, 客户关系管理CRM, 内容管理系统CMS, 等等等等。这一块,我敢冒险说此类解决方案开源软件世界将不如商业软件世界稳固(至少今天是),除有少数例外。但是在这一层正是微软所说的“是的,放上所有你想要的OSS在这里”的地方。

 

This could be good: Microsoft is promoting to create OSS in the most weak part that is “Business Applications”.…but also….
这可能很好吧:微软在对OSS最薄弱的领域即商业应用领域进行大力创造。但是......

 

This could be bad: If the OSS business applications are developed under a platform that depends 100% in Windows or in Microsoft Patents we will be stuck forever with the same vendor (Microsoft) for the foundational software which is turning into a commodity.
这可能很坏:如果OSS商业应用建构于一个百分之百领依赖于Windows或微软专利的平台之上,我们将会被永远不变的一个使基础软件成为日用品(收费但不得不用)的卖主(微软)遏制住,后果不堪设想。

 

So, do they want companies and users to crash and burn using OSS in the area that is less solid?
因此,在尚不稳定的领域里使用OSS,他们想让企业和用户垮台与崩溃吗?

 

While other vendors like IBM or HP in a very OSS conservative way says that OSS is good and solid for Operating System and Middleware, we are seen Microsoft with an Upside down strategy. Strategy that makes sense to don’t hurt their business since the are the Operating System sales leader in the world, but make no sense from a technical side.
对比其它企业如IBM或HP非常保守地说OSS于操作系统和中层应用是优秀的、坚实的,我们看到微软所作的是一个上下颠倒的策略,是一个对保持它商业利益有意义而于技术领域毫无意义的策略。

 

About Business Solutions (The Upper Block)
关于商业解决方案(上层)

 

Microsoft has a few business solutions applications like Dynamix (CRM and ERP), but let’s be honest, it is not their sales core. Microsoft sales core is Office and Windows. For business applications Microsoft relies a lot on Business Partners that create custom solution over their platform.
微软有少许商业解决方案如Dynamix (CRM和ERP),但说实话,那不是它的盈利核心。它的盈利核心在是Office 和Windows。对商业解决方案,微软极大地依赖于在它的平台之上开发用户解决方案的商业合作伙伴。

 

A typical Microsoft Business Partner had always heard from MS that selling software licenses is a good and respectful business and that we need to hide the source code and protect the IP of it. And now MS shows off saying something like “OSS is good, but let’s use it only where my Business Partners get license money from, so it doesn’t hurt my business.”
典型的微软商业合作伙伴总是从微软听到出售软件许可是一种好的生意,并且我们要隐藏源码,保护它的知识产权等等的说法。现在微软停止说一些诸如“OSS好是好,但让我们只使用我的生意合作伙伴能从中取得许可费的软件吧,这样才不致于影响到我的生意”的话了。

 

Conclutions
So, the message that Microsoft sends about OSS:
* It is OK to use OSS under Microsoft platform.
* OSS Middleware over Windows is OK, but MS Middleware is better.
* OSS is good while it does not compete with Microsoft .
* You need to use OSS on its weakest link, the business applications.
* Developers need to create OSS software over MS technology and limit their software to only run on one platform – Windows.
* Customer can use OSS software over MS technology and get a single vendor lock-in.
结语
因此,微软发出的有关OSS的消息:
* 在微软平台之下使用OSS,行。
* Windows之上的OSS中间件行,但MS中间层更佳。
* 在不与微软冲突的前提之下,OSS好。
* 你需要在OSS最薄弱的环节使用它,也就是商业应用领域。
* 开发者需要在MS技术之上开发OSS,他们的软件仅能运行在一个平台之上--Windows。
* 用户可以在微软技术之上使用OSS软件,被唯一的卖家锁住。

 

The Open Source strategy for Microsoft seems from my point of view very weak and comfortable. They do not want to hurt their business or risk anything; they prefer to put their Business Partners software license business at the fire line before losing their license money.
微软开源策略照我来看很弱很美好。他们不想影响自己的生意,不想冒任何险;他们在拿不到他们商业合作伙伴许可费之前,愿意让后者葬身火海。

 

So seeing Microsoft supporting OSS under this conditions doesn’t show a dramatic change of mind or a commitment. I will have to wait for the next MS OSS event to see if their strategy progress in a good or bad way.
于是在这种情形之下看微软支持OSS,就不会让人产生一种戏剧性的观念或决心的转变了。我还得等,等到下一场微软OSS会事,看看他们的策略是否在往好的或坏的方向进发。



英文原文:http://www.osnews.com/story/23484/Microsoft_Open_Source_Strategy_is_Upside_Down (简介) http://martin.iturbide.com/?page_id=114 (正文)
转载请注明:Linux人社区编译

时间:2010-06-26 13:45 来源: 作者:vikyleaf 原文链接

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