When the story about Microsoft shelling out $100,000 to Apache for ASF sponsorship broke across my radar it rather tickled my funny bone and my curiosity. When ASF Chairman Jim Jagielski declared that “Microsoft’s sponsorship makes it clear that Microsoft “gets it” regarding the ASF” I had a fit of the giggles—and then, like many others, I started to ponder on the reasons why and what it actually meant.

I’m not paranoid, but…

I am largely immune to conspiracy theories. I don’t believe that the American government is behind a cover up at Roswell, but I am prepared to believe that when a company with the track record of Microsoft starts insinuating itself with Apache it is not with the well being of others in mind. The phrase “extend, embrace and extinguish” (E3) is virtually synonymous with Microsoft. The beast of Redmond’s mercenary joyride down the digital highway is littered with unsuspecting roadkill and you really do start to wonder if Apache will need to re-read the Highway Code. Let’s see if we can tease out just what is going on.

It has long been a mantra invoked regularly that “this year is the year of Linux on the desktop” but no-one ever says that about GNU/Linux on the server—because it has been “Linux on the server” for quite some time. Up to June of this year Apache had just over 49% of the server market. That distinction says it all. Microsoft may or may not be concerned about any inroads to its desktop market but it would certainly like to increase its presence in the server market (its FUD in respect of TCO is legendary). The relative stability and security of the GNU/Linux operating system is of course a given and when it runs the Apache web server they seem to have all the aces. This much we know. So what exactly did Microsoft do?

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