The head of Microsoft's Linux Labs, Bill Hilf makes some pretty compelling statements about the nature of Linux and the "Free Software" movement. They might shock the "idealist" out there, but the commercialization of Linux is critical to it's success, and despite what you may take away from some of his statements, it's clear that *this* is the reason why Microsoft takes Linux seriously. Bangkokpost reports... 

"The Free Software movement is dead. Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even Linus has got a job today." Controversial statements from the head of Microsoft's Linux Labs, Bill Hilf.

Speaking on the last leg of a tour of Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, Bill Hilf, more formally known as Microsoft's platform strategy director, was in the region to "be descriptive and intelligent in giving people an understanding of open source and debunk a lot of the mythology around open source."

He said that most customers run a distribution - RedHat, Novell, Suse or Mandriva. Most of the work on maintaining the Linux kernel is done by developers working for these distributions, he noted

"They are full-time employees, with 401K stock options. Some work for IBM or Oracle. What does that mean? It means that Linux doesn't exist any more in 2007. There is no free software movement. If someone says Linux is about Love, Peace and Harmony, I would tell them to do their research. There is no free software movement any more. There is big commercial [firms] like IBM and there is small commercial [firms] like Ubuntu," he said. 

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.