Are you still paying for Windows?
by Volker Weber
Well you should not. Threaten to move a large operation to Linux, get Windows for free, or better yet, get Linux for free. :-)
Last summer, Ayala, then the top sales executive at Microsoft Corp., sent an e-mail message titled "Microsoft Confidential" to senior managers laying out a strategy to dissuade governments around the world from choosing cheaper alternatives to the ubiquitous Windows operating system.
Ayala's e-mail told executives that if a deal involving governments or large institutions looked doomed, they were authorized to draw from a special internal fund to offer the software at a steep discount or even free if necessary. Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft chief executive, was sent a copy of the e-mail message.
The memorandum, which focused on system software for desktop computers, specifically targeted Linux, a small but emerging competitor. "Under NO circumstances lose against Linux," Ayala said.
