[ILUG] ``Independent research outfit actually Microsoft sock puppet''

[Brian Foster]

Good Morning Silicon Valley
  Published: Wednesday August 18, 2004
[ ... ]
    Independent research outfit actually Microsoft sock puppet

 "Open source vendors are currently experiencing
 more vulnerabilities and receiving more security
 advisories than Microsoft."  That's the rather
 questionable conclusion of the report that led the London
 Borough of Newham to sign a 10-year partnership agreement
 with Microsoft.  Prepared by professional services firm
 Capgemini and funded by Microsoft, the "independent"
 report found the total cost of migrating Newham's
 existing IT operations onto a Microsoft platform was 68
 percent lower than moving it to Linux.  That's a fairly
 astonishing metric, but one that I imagine is typical of
 studies funded by their own subjects.  No matter though,
 the folks at Newham have apparently squeezed quite a deal
 out of Microsoft and don't seem bothered by concerns over
 the report's objectivity.  Said Newham representative
 Richard Steel: "We obviously recognize that you could
 question the independence of a report funded by
 Microsoft.  It would be insane to claim otherwise."
[ ... ]
 Good Morning Silicon Valley is written and edited with
 the able assistance of John Murrell.

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