
I Was So Wrong About Microsoft - PretzelFisch
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-so-wrong-microsoft-kellman-meghu/
======
youseecomrade
Not being in a position to bully everyone else really improved their attitude.
Microsoft is my friend now! They wouldn't abuse us if they were on the top
again, right?

\------------

 _Sent from my Windows 10 Enterprise computer_
[https://i.imgur.com/cwZGj0g.png](https://i.imgur.com/cwZGj0g.png)

~~~
scarface74
So what company that once it gets into a position to bully won’t? Google
forced manufacturers not to ship phones based on Android forks if they ship
Google certified phones. This is the same thing that Microsoft got in trouble.
They didn’t allow OEMs to ship alternate operating systems if they wanted to
ship computers with Windows.

~~~
lern_too_spel
They can ship Google certified phones based on Android forks as long as they
pass CTS[1]. You don't really think the Galaxy phones are built on top of
unmodified AOSP, do you? Many[2] manufacturers[3] provide[4] SDKs[5] for their
phones on top[6] of the base Android SDK.

[1]
[https://source.android.com/compatibility/cts/](https://source.android.com/compatibility/cts/)

[2]
[https://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/sdks](https://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/sdks)

[3] [https://developer.motorola.com/tools-
kits](https://developer.motorola.com/tools-kits)

[4] [https://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/opensense-sdk/opensense-
ove...](https://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/opensense-sdk/opensense-overview)

[5] [https://developer.sony.com/develop/theme-
creator/overview](https://developer.sony.com/develop/theme-creator/overview)

[6]
[http://mobile.developer.lge.com/develop/](http://mobile.developer.lge.com/develop/)

~~~
scarface74
That was not the issue. Samsung could not both ship Google certified phones
and Android phones based on non Google certified forks.

This is what Google got fined for.

[https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/18/google-
face...](https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/18/google-faces-record-
multibillion-fine-from-eu-over-android)

 _The second anti-competitive behaviour was preventing smartphone
manufacturers from running competing systems that had not been approved by
Google._

For instance, Amazon wouldn’t have been allowed to manufacture both Fire
phones and phone that were certified by Google as an Android phone.

~~~
lern_too_spel
This point doesn't support your first sentence then because this policy of the
Open Handset Alliance existed before Google was in a position to bully, before
Android had any market share at all.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Handset_Alliance?wprov=...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Handset_Alliance?wprov=sfla1)

~~~
scarface74
The referenced citations from your Wikipedia article actually supports my
claim.

(Citation #5 as of this writing) [https://www.cnet.com/news/alibaba-google-
just-plain-wrong-ab...](https://www.cnet.com/news/alibaba-google-just-plain-
wrong-about-our-os/)

 _Google took some heat earlier this week for seemingly using its clout to
squash a burgeoning mobile OS._

(Citation #6 as of this writing)
[https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-
on...](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on-android-
controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/3/)

 _While it might not be an official requirement, being granted a Google apps
license will go a whole lot easier if you join the Open Handset Alliance. The
OHA is a group of companies committed to Android—Google 's Android—and members
are contractually prohibited from building non-Google approved devices. That's
right, joining the OHA requires a company to sign its life away and promise to
not build a device that runs a competing Android fork._

Besides, even in 2008, what other OS were OEMs going to license to compete
with the iPhone? Windows Mobile?

~~~
lern_too_spel
Your citations are about a policy that predates a single Android device being
available to the public, so they do not support your claim.

> Besides, even in 2008, what other OS were OEMs going to license to compete
> with the iPhone? Windows Mobile?

Yes, Windows Mobile was the dominant licensed smartphone operating system at
the time. What's that got to do with anything?

------
matt_heimer
The GitHub Engineering team announced the GitHub Load Balancer and intent to
open source its components back in 2016 -
[https://githubengineering.com/introducing-
glb/](https://githubengineering.com/introducing-glb/). And commits to
[https://github.com/github/glb-director](https://github.com/github/glb-
director) began in May. I doubt Microsoft had anything to do with releasing
this other than not blocking it.

------
simonblack
So Microsoft does one good thing and that is supposed to absolve them from all
previous underhand trickery? Very unlikely.

Trust has to be earned. It takes a long time to build, a moment to destroy.
Microsoft has a lot more building to do.

~~~
1stranger
> So Microsoft does one good thing and that is supposed to absolve them from
> all previous underhand trickery? Very unlikely.

This is not the first good thing they've done.

> Microsoft has a lot more building to do.

Maybe in your eyes. They've redeemed themselves with a lot of people.

------
mdeeks
The deal with Github has not even closed yet. It is supposed to close by EOY.

Internally we don't even get free/discount licenses or anything yet. We aren't
supposed to operate any differently with them until it closes.

Source: I work at MSFT and asked. It also says so in our blog post "the
acquisition is expected to close by the end of the calendar year."
[https://news.microsoft.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-
acquire-g...](https://news.microsoft.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-acquire-
github-for-7-5-billion/)

------
pkaye
Nat Friedman of Microsoft is the CEO of Github now and he was involved in a
lot of open source projects (Gnome, Xamarin, etc.)

