Microsoft Will Crush You

Everyone knows that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's C.E.O., likes to win. He likes to win so much that apparently he cannot countenance even his smallest rivals beating him.

But the latest apparent victim of Microsoft's "crush the competition" mentality is not taking it lying down.

François Bancilhon, the C.E.O. of Linux firm Mandriva, has published a caustic open letter to Ballmer accusing Microsoft of sabotaging Mandriva's deal to supply Nigeria with 17,000 computers loaded with Mandriva software.

Just two days after Mandriva announced that it had won the contract, Bancilhon heard from the Nigerian government that while "we shall pay for the Mandriva Software as agreed ... we shall replace it by Windows afterward."

Bancilhon was not amused:

Wow! I'm impressed, Steve! What have you done for these guys to change their mind like this? It's pretty clear to me, and it will be clear to everyone. How do you call what you just did Steve, in the place where you live? In my place, they give it various names, I'm sure you know them.

Hey Steve, how do you feel looking at yourself in the mirror in the morning?

Of course, I will keep fighting this one and the next one, and the next one. You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics you and I, but I believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win too.

Cheers,

Francois

We have a call in to Ballmer for comment. No response so far...

Sam Gustin