The FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) Community knows, thanks to leaked Microsoft internal documents, that since about 1998 Microsoft has been in a sort of war against them. Because of this, it is not surprising that the FOSS community has looked at Microsoft with suspicion and has vilified it to no end. But, is Microsoft really evil?

In the old days, when Microsoft wanted to kill the Open Source Movement, O'Reilly's Open Source Convention was where you found true software revolutionaries. Great coders, they also were idealists who believed software was something you shared. Then a funny thing happened. Open source went mainstream.

In the last week of October 1998, a confidential Microsoft memo detailing their strategy against Linux and Open source was leaked to Eric S. Raymond, who annotated it and posted it on the web. This became known as the first Halloween Document. Between 1998 and 2004 Eric posted 10 other Halloween Documents

One of the most interesting things to happen in the past couple of years, is Microsoft's embrace of Open Source. This means different things to various people I've spoken with at Microsoft.

With recent news about Internet Explorer 8's imminent beta, Microsoft's long and checkered history with web standards compliance has been hurled back into the harsh, unflattering spotlight. Even though IE8 will have a new "standards compliant" mode, it won't be perfect, stirring up a new wave of grumbling about Microsoft's attitude and position in the browser market.

A tiny but strategic Silicon Valley company is helping Microsoft to certify open source applications for Windows Server 2008. It’s a super-smart move by Microsoft, The VAR Guy believes, as the software giant strives to compete effectively with Linux and ensure Windows Server remains popular in the age of open source.

Microsoft has a bone to pick with Linux and open source software. Since at least 2007, Microsoft has been stating that open source software somehow infringes on Microsoft's intellectual property.

A Major threat to free/open operating systems.

Microsoft's current FAT file system licensing program could hobble the development and free distribution of GPL-licensed software, says an open-source legal advocate. However, licensing terms that were once published on Microsoft's website, which have since vanished, would have been compatible with the GPL.