Microsoft fights Pentagon's software

Jonathan Krim, Washington Post
Friday, May 24, 2002

Washington -- Microsoft Corp. is aggressively lobbying the Pentagon to squelch its growing use of freely distributed computer software and switch to proprietary systems such as those sold by the software giant, according to officials familiar with the campaign.

In what one military source called a barrage of contacts with officials at the Defense Information Systems Agency and the office of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during the past few months, the company said open source software threatens security and its intellectual property. (Pffftt!! LMAO!! HAHHAHAHA!)

The effort may have backfired. A May 10 report prepared for the Defense Department concluded that open source often results in more secure, less expensive applications and that, if anything, its use should be expanded. (yeah! show billy whats right!)

"Banning open source would have immediate, broad and strongly negative impacts on the ability of many sensitive and security-focused DOD groups to protect themselves against cyberattacks," said the report, by Mitre Corp.

A Microsoft spokesman acknowledged discussions between the company and the Pentagon but denied urging a ban on open-source software. He also said Microsoft did not focus on potential security flaws. (LMAO Damn right!!)

Spokesman Jon Murchinson said Microsoft has been talking about how to allow open-source and proprietary software to coexist. "Our goal is to resolve difficult issues that are driving a wedge between the commercial and free software models," he said.

John Stenbit, an assistant secretary of defense and the Defense Department's chief information officer, said Microsoft has said using free software with commercial software might violate companies' intellectual- property rights. Stenbit said the issue is legally murky.

The company also complained that the Pentagon is funding research on making free software more secure, which in effect subsidizes Microsoft's open- source competitors, Stenbit said.

Microsoft's push is a new front in a long-running company assault on the open-source movement, which company officials have called a cancer and un- American.

Software is designated open source when its underlying computer code is available for anyone to license, enhance or customize, often at no cost. The theory is that by putting source code in the public domain, programmers worldwide can improve software by sharing their work.

Vendors of the proprietary systems, such as Microsoft and Oracle Corp., keep their source codes secret, control changes to programs and collect all licensing fees for their use.

Government agencies use a patchwork of systems and software. Proprietary software is still the most widely used, but open source has become more popular with businesses and government.

The Mitre report said open-source software "plays a more critical role in the DOD than has been generally recognized."

The report identified 249 uses of open-source systems and tools, including running a Web portal for the Defense Intelligence Agency and running network security for the Army in Europe.

Among the most high-profile efforts is research funded by the National Security Agency to develop a more-secure version of the open-source Linux operating system, which competes with Microsoft's Windows.

At the Census Bureau, programmers used open- source software to launch a Web site for obtaining federal statistics for $47,000, bureau officials said. It would have cost $358,000 if proprietary software had been used, they said.

HA! Sucked in Bill Gates!! Just the tought of Microsoft taking over the US govt defence systems is scarring the hell outta me..

WARNING! WARNING! Missile has been launched!
Oper1: Crap! press the self destruct button!
Oper2: I cant! its not working!
Oper3: Damn! the system crashed!

And thats when BSOD had a new meaning... coz it litterally was the Blue Screen Of DEATH