Would appear that revolt has started (http://developers.slashdot.org/developers/04/07/01/207235.shtml?tid=106&tid=185&tid=190&tid=201) against some of the claims that Microsoft have made regarding Linux especially a presentation by Mark Russinovich of http://www.sysinternals.com. I am not going to repeat all the details here but essentially as I said before he claims that Linux is very similar to Windows (in fact copying Windows), and that the biggest difference is that Windows windowing software runs from the kernel and that the Linux windowing software runs in user mode. Quite frankly I could not care less …. I use XP day to day and love it, however as I pointed out yesterday I still feel that Windows could be in for a rocky time over the next few years IF Linux can attract the driver support from hardware manufactures.

Putting all this aside , hats off to Microsoft for an excellent TechEd 2004, it has been my first but I totally intend to go back next year. I have learned some much in a week (which was the whole purpose of attending).

One thing that made me laugh is that Oracle are gold sponsors of TechEd (this is not unusual, their software runs on Windows), However they were running a competition to win a gaypod (sorry an ipod), the only catch was that you had to wear an oracle t-shirt and be spotted wearing it. I saw one person with an Oracle t-shirt amongst all the MS t-shirts and that was in a SQL Server talk (i hope he won the t-shirt for sheer bravery).

So why do I call the I-Pod a Gay-Pod? Well its strictly a question of form over function, there are much better cheaper and MORE FUNCTIONAL hard drive players on the market, yet the i-pod appears to attract the more ahem style conscious amongst the male population. It’s just a random observation that I made. Please don’t flame me