Hogan responds to Ballmer's claims

NEW DELHI: The inevitable has happened. Microsoft's CEO's latest attack on Linux and open source has evoked strong response from Novell's vice-president John Hogan.

Hogan alongwith senior business analyst Barrett Coakley have responded to various points that Ballmer had written against open source software. According to the duo Microsoft's CEO has carefully chosen sections of reports that are in its favor, however, if one would try to look from a broader perspective these reports are more in support for Linux and open source.

France based Linux vendor Mandrakesoft has also criticized Microsoft for the way it has manipulated facts in its favor.

Ballmer in his memo has stated that according to research reports total cost of ownership (TCO) in Windows is lower when compared to open source software. According to Novell, Microsoft is referring to a report from Yankee Group, which suggests that upgrading to Windows is cheaper than implementing Linux in large enterprises. However, what Microsoft chose to overlook was another aspect of the report which states that Linux works out to be a cheaper option in case of small firms and organizations with vertical applications, hence cost of ownership is totally situation based.

Microsoft, it's your turn to reply!