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Breaking: Newsvine Acquired By Microsoft — What is Microsoft going to do with the Linux Hosted site they just bought?

October 7, 2007

Online news site Newsvine, which launched in March 2006, was acquired by MSNBC.com, a fift-fifty joint venture between Microsoft and NBC. The deal was all cash, but the acquisition price is not being disclosed. Both companies are based in Seattle.

The funny thing is, The site is hosted on Debian Linux…. I hope Microsoft will have fun with with the Linux hosted site:

From Newsvine’s headers:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:45:28 GMT
Server: Apache/2.2.6 (Debian)

We wonder why they host on Debian rather than Windows? Seriously what are they going to do? Recode the whole site into ASP ? Move it to a .NET framework? Or just understand that not all sites belong on a Windows Platform?

This raises a few questions, now Microsoft is out buying Linux hosted sites, to do what with them? Switch them to Windows and then say ’see big sites are hosting on Windows’?

Are you kidding us? This is the only way they are going to get people to convert? Buy them?

In that case Mr. Gates, Tribble is hosted on Linux… offer away…. This could be spun into a PR nightmare that their Ad Agency would have no clue to handle.

Update : Dec 6th, Newsvine is still hosted on Linux:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:27:18 GMT
Server: Apache/2.2.6 (Debian)
Vary: negotiate,Host
TCN: choice

Written by TheFounder · Filed Under Advertising Agency News 


Comments

  • Let's be honest, it would take a very big number to buy Tribble. It wouldn't matter though, in six months we would rank for ad agency with another site. Come to think of it, offer away.
  • Michael O'Brien
    Windows Can host linux based websites with no problem.....
  • Michael .... Really... just try to CHMOD something .....
  • do you realy think microsoft bought it just to switch the hosting? are you that stupid?
    if microsoft convert the hosting it will just be logic, its not for market share or for saying "see big sites are hosting on Windows" , they boght the site cous they need its technology
  • Tim LePes
    Hmm.. "they bought the site cous [sic] they need its technology". Since the site's technolgy is based on Debian GNU/Linux, you are saying Microsoft bought the site because they need GNU/Linux? LOL!

    Of course that's all in fun. And this is all very funny and ironic. But the truth is probably closer to this... MSNBC wanted the application (Newsvine, the site), and took whatever infrastructure technology (GNU/Linux) came with that.

    I really doubt that the folks involved in the acquisition gave much thought to the irony presented by a Microsoft holding purchasing a bunch of PHP, Apache, and GNU/Linux based technology. And if they did, it was probably not a pressing concern for them.

    You know, they say that when a company gets big it is easy for the right hand to not know what the left hand is doing. And since MSNBC is actually a separate company that Microsoft has half ownership in, the distance from Microsoft's PR pressure is likely very great.

    Even so, it's all worth a great laugh. And as a GNU/Linux user myself, it does indeed make me smile. FWIW I spent a "good" 12 years doing IT support for Windows desktops and servers before I got so sick of it and burnt out that I left. I have been running Linux for the past 4 years and love it. Computing is fun again (I never was a "gamer" anyway).
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