Bill Hilf
Encyclopedia
Bill Hilf is the General Manager of product management for Microsoft's cloud computing
platform, Windows Azure. Previously, he was General Manager of the Technical Computing group at Microsoft, which focuses on High Performance Computing, Parallel Computing
, and Cloud Computing
. He was formerly head of Windows Server Marketing and Platform Strategy at Microsoft
, and the creator of Microsoft's strategy and work with open-source projects. Hilf previously worked at IBM
where he led their Linux
technical strategy.
Hilf made a number of controversial statements in his Open Source role at Microsoft, claiming that "The Free Software movement is dead... Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even Linus
has a job today..." , implying that free software is equivalent to freeware
. Hilf's role at the time focused heavily on business and enterprise users, as noted in his statement about OSS and philosophy, "Most CIO
s don't really want to make decisions based on philosophy. There is no discussion that 'all software must be free because I believe in the movement.' So, it is to the betterment of the open source
community that it has matured." . Albeit a controversial issue, during his time in this role, Hilf was recognized as one of the 25 most influential people at Microsoft
.
He is the founder of a sports-based non-profit organization called High Five Hope, which focuses on homeless and street children in developing countries. Additionally, he works with the UNHCR to help build computer labs in refugee camps.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
platform, Windows Azure. Previously, he was General Manager of the Technical Computing group at Microsoft, which focuses on High Performance Computing, Parallel Computing
Parallel computing
Parallel computing is a form of computation in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved concurrently . There are several different forms of parallel computing: bit-level,...
, and Cloud Computing
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
. He was formerly head of Windows Server Marketing and Platform Strategy at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, and the creator of Microsoft's strategy and work with open-source projects. Hilf previously worked at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
where he led their Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
technical strategy.
Hilf made a number of controversial statements in his Open Source role at Microsoft, claiming that "The Free Software movement is dead... Linux doesn't exist in 2007. Even Linus
Linus Torvalds
Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer and hacker, best known for having initiated the development of the open source Linux kernel. He later became the chief architect of the Linux kernel, and now acts as the project's coordinator...
has a job today..." , implying that free software is equivalent to freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
. Hilf's role at the time focused heavily on business and enterprise users, as noted in his statement about OSS and philosophy, "Most CIO
Chief information officer
Chief information officer , or information technology director, is a job title commonly given to the most senior executive in an enterprise responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals...
s don't really want to make decisions based on philosophy. There is no discussion that 'all software must be free because I believe in the movement.' So, it is to the betterment of the open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
community that it has matured." . Albeit a controversial issue, during his time in this role, Hilf was recognized as one of the 25 most influential people at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
He is the founder of a sports-based non-profit organization called High Five Hope, which focuses on homeless and street children in developing countries. Additionally, he works with the UNHCR to help build computer labs in refugee camps.
External links
- Microsoft's Technical Computing 'Modeling the World'
- Bill Hilf talking about parallelism, HPC and cloud computing http://www.deskeng.com/virtual_desktop/?p=2644
- Info about Microsoft's Linux/Open Source Software Lab
- Background of Hilf's creation of High Five Hope non-profit
- Hilf's High Five Hope project helping Filipino street children
- Microsoft Executive’s journey for Filipino street children comes full circle