Also, Azure charges you less for Linux VMs compared Windows VMs with the same hardware specs. A medium instance costs 12cents/hour with Linux and 18c/hr with Windows Server. That's 50% higher! If anything, it looks like they're trying to lock you into Linux. I don't have any beef with Amazon, but it looks like you haven't really looked at Azure before making such sweeping assertions with zero details, except some handwaving which makes it sad that this is the top comment on this story.
I agree, the comparable layoffs in the US would be the thousands of Motorola layoffs after the Google takeover. Haven't really come across anything coming out of them like in the story.
I am impressed at your ability to psychoanalyze and shoehorn a billion plus people belonging to an extremely culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse subcontinent and paint them all with the same brush.
This graph[1] tells some of the story, but the bigger story was they failed to capitalize on the patents, and even got fined by a jury for trying to abuse FRAND patents on WiFi and H.264.
Edit: The timing is very interesting too. Google reports its quarterly earnings tomorrow, and was known to have spent about $500M on advertizing the Moto X which hasn't been selling well and which must have dragged Google's earnings down. Releasing this news now will help calm investors tomorrow.
Also, can't imagine that Lenovo will continue subsidizing the Moto X/Moto G, so I expect prices to go up once the acquisition completes.
edit: I am rate limited from replying to fpgeeks reply below so I will post my reply here.
First, the author is extremely clear that he invested in Vringo, in fact the whole article is about why he did so., so I am not sure why you talk about it as if it is kind of a revelation. Second, the article is very informative about the history of the patents and is highly relevant. Third,which of my comments are pro Vringo, really? Fourth, can I be suspicious that you're short Vringo stock, or do you get a free pass just because you have an older HN account.
Bing was infringing and Vringo had tens of millions in cash and big investors like Mark Cuban bankrolling it. They certainly didn't need a paltry million bucks to continue the lawsuit.
Vringo already had the jury verdict against Google before the MS settlement. Also, maybe Bing has only 5% of Google's revenue/profit.
Funny that you seem to be falling victim to what you accuse others of doing i.e kneejerk birching and whining.
Specifically, Vringo states, yesterday the USPTO "mailed a notice that it will issue a certificate confirming that all of the claims of U.S. Patent No. 7,775,664 challenged by Google remain valid and unchanged." For those of you keeping track, this is the second of two patents -- the first of which was validated in a similar decision in July -- which had been the subject of a contentious, long-standing legal battle between Vringo and the likes of AOL, Google, IAC/Interactive, Gannett, and Target. Now that both patents have been validated, it paves the way for Vringo to collect royalties
Vringo isn't your average patent troll and actually has a fascinating back story and history behind it. Here's a good link to understand the background.
Can you tell me which of the ~1000 VM images they provide as listed in the below site are proprietary? All? None? Some?
http://vmdepot.msopentech.com/List/Index
Also, Azure charges you less for Linux VMs compared Windows VMs with the same hardware specs. A medium instance costs 12cents/hour with Linux and 18c/hr with Windows Server. That's 50% higher! If anything, it looks like they're trying to lock you into Linux. I don't have any beef with Amazon, but it looks like you haven't really looked at Azure before making such sweeping assertions with zero details, except some handwaving which makes it sad that this is the top comment on this story.