Now Speaking at LinuxWorld: Microsoft

Attendees at this year's LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in Boston will likely be surprised to see at least one of the names on the list of speakers: Microsoft. The software giant plans to send Bill Hilf, its director of platform technology strategy to the conference to speak about the Linux/Open Source Lab at Microsoft.

According to an announcement, Hilf will discuss "Microsoft's viewpoint on the advantages and disadvantages of Open Source Software from a technical perspective." In recent months, Redmond has become increasingly critical of open source, saying it costs more to operate over time than Windows-based networks. Google said on Tuesday it plans to attend the conference as well.