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The "Get the Facts" site was Microsoft's attempt to woo customers from open source by convincing them that Linux was more expensive to maintain and run than similar Microsoft products.

The new site looks to have changed the template little except to narrow the focus of its comparative efforts from Linux in general to Red Hat in particular. Patent infringement talks between the two companies broke down last year.

"Customers have increasingly asked for not only credible third-party information from other customers and industry experts, but also for Microsoft's perspective on platform decisions as a key technology partner," Microsoft responded when contacted about the change.

"Customers want to consume this information in a variety of formats - from short Q&A to more in-depth business cases - from videos and podcasts to research reports. [The compare website] was designed with these requirements in mind - to provide in-depth information about how Windows, Linux, UNIX and Mainframe stack up along key attributes, such as security, reliability, TCO, and interoperability."