In response to statements delivered by Craig Mundie, Senior VP of Microsoft, to the Stern School of Business students at New York University, LynuxWorks has issued the following statement . . .

LynuxWorks Inc., a premier provider of open source and true real-time embedded software solutions, today refuted Microsoft's claims that Open Source and the GNU GPL software license threatens to undermine the software industry. LynuxWorks is among a growing list of Linux and Open Source software companies publicly responding to Microsoft's recent comments that attempts to reverse the growing trend of open collaboration on software development.

Microsoft's scattered and uninformed comments against Open Source and GPL shows how threatened the company feels by the growing momentum of Linux in markets that they desperately want to dominate after the desktop PC. Microsoft's response to its fear of Linux is to use its predatory size and influence to try to shape a public opinion no matter how misleading. As a member of the Open Source community and the ELC, LynuxWorks will work united with fellow members to combat the rampant unleashing of fear, uncertainty and doubt into the software industry against the growing successful Linux competitive movement.

LynuxWorks believes that a healthy mixture of Open Source and commercial software products are good for customers and developers in providing more choices, while helping to fuel innovation and competition as demonstrated in the explosive growth of the Internet.

Microsoft's allegations against Open Source in the areas such as intellectual property rights, security, software instability and lack of common design standards are groundless. Linux and other Open Source solutions are increasingly meeting the demands and needs of developers to drive industry and market growth in many different technology sectors, especially in the server and embedded markets — two markets Microsoft wishes to expand its dominance.

The recent Embedded Linux Consortium's (ELC) announcement regarding a unified embedded platform demonstrates the willingness of 124 member companies within the Open Source community to work together in the spirit of cooperation to offer the industry a platform choice. This level of cooperation and in particular the idea of a General Public License (GPL), is counter intuitive to Microsoft's historic business goals. Therefore, any propaganda statements expressing concerns related to Open Source or GPL should be viewed with a great deal of skepticism.

 
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