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Anti-Unix Web site on the fritz?

By Michael Kanellos

When it comes to Unix, Microsoft and Unisys are suddenly silent. The two companies launched a Web site earlier this week seeking to persuade customers to switch from the Unix operating system to Microsoft software. But as of midday Tuesday, the "We have the way out" site displayed either an all-white screen or an "Error 403" authorization message.

Unisys declined to comment on the development. A Microsoft representative, who also pulled up a blank screen when trying to access the site, said the company would look into the matter.

Although it's been around for only a few days, the site has drawn the wrath of Unix and Linux programmers.

On Monday, it was revealed that the site ran on Web servers powered by FreeBSD, an open-source version of Unix, as well as on the Unix-based Web server Apache. Both pieces of software compete with Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Netcraft, which tracks the software running on various sites, reports that the site switched over to using Microsoft Internet Information Server software on Tuesday, the same day as the outage.

The Web site is just part of Microsoft's renewed marketing and advertising campaign to undermine Unix, the operating system at the heart of powerful server lines from rivals Sun Microsystems, IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

Unisys is spending $25 million on the campaign. Microsoft is adding funding of its own but has declined to say how much. Before the Microsoft/Unisys site came up blank, it solicited names and contact information in exchange for research reports on data center trends.

The "We have the way out" campaign describes Unix as an expensive trap. One ad reads: "No wonder Unix makes you feel boxed in. It ties you to an inflexible system. It requires you to pay for expensive experts. It makes you struggle daily with a server environment that's more complex than ever."

-- (ha@ha.ha), April 03, 2002

Answers

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

-- (ha@ha.ha), April 03, 2002.

Here's a pro-UNIX response to the anti-UNIX website. Funny, it seems to be up and running fine.

-- (ha@ha.ha), April 03, 2002.

Yeah, I saw that on Slashdot yesterday. It was kindof funny -- first, they were embarrassed by the fact that their anti-Unix Website was being powered by Unix, then they switched to IIS and got hacked. :)

On the other hand, a security site has set up a Mandrake Linux box and invited hackers around the world to try to crack it. I can't find the link now, but when I checked earlier in the week, the site had been up and running for a couple of weeks with no breakins reported. :)

-- Stephen (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), April 03, 2002.

By the way, http://www.wehavethewayout.com is still down as of a minute ago when I checked it. :)

-- Stephen (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), April 03, 2002.