the largest such force in the world if the indian software army started developing applications for linux instead of windows it would help popularise the alternative system not only would microsoft begin to lose current revenue estimated by some insiders in the region of 200 million from sale of its products but its future growth could also be stunted by late last year when the first red flags began to go up in redmond it became apparent that microsoft was losing ground in india on several counts even as the corporation dawdled on the idc front other firms were already making headway companies such as sun cisco etc were hiring the best minds of the generation on the other hand the linux fever was also catching on backed by the government several large microsoft rivals were working on linux initiatives in india goading programmers to write applications for the new os one such corporation was microsofts old friend and rival ibm an entity that has had a blow hotblow cold relationship with india after being tossed out of india in 1977 ibm had come back to india in 1992 even setting up a research centre in iit delhi not surprisingly like with microsoft ibm too has several indians in the top tier of the management including two men who had windows in their line of sight ambuj goyal was general manager of big blues software group deepak advani was vicepresident of ibms worldwide linux strategy he has since moved to the server division in april last year advani announced that ibm would invest more than 200 million over four years to open seven linux development centres and four competency canters in asia including one of each in bangalore where there was already a thriving ilug india linux users group in fact a linux user group meeting at a city hotel last august had the atmosphere of a rock concert as local geeks celebrated linuxs tenth birthday by screening an ibm ad that showed some of historys most famous freedom marches gandhi martin luther king nelson mandela and ended with a single word linux for microsoft it might not exactly have been the sound of a death knell but it certainly felt like a small stab something had to be done before it became a gaping wound perhaps the big boss himself would have to go to india to drum up supportgates vision of the world so where does aids fit into microsoft india initiative in the ether world of geeks or geekdom dislike and distrust of gates and his empire runs deep there are more nasty jokes about bill gates and microsoft on the internet than on any other tech tycoon or company in fact no sooner had gates bestowed some of his millions to india chatrooms halfway across the world were aflame with his motives after so many years of oppression from the british king you would think they would rebel