Bonum Certa Men Certa

Watch Out. Moonlight/Silverlight Knock on Your Door. All Your Media Mustn't Belongs to Microsoft.

Let's not play

Microsoft is playing with people's minds. It has the players in mind. For a variety of convincing reasons, we brought up the BBC fiasco on numerous occasions throughout the past year [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. As you may or may not know, Microsoft hopes to essentially 'hijack' the media industry. Let's just see how.

Windows Media Player



Do remember that Microsoft elbowed RealNetworks using illegal anti-competitive acts, accompanied by 'smoking gun' exhibits that prove it. There is one E-mail, for example, where Microsoft explains that it wants to 'pull a Netscape' on this smaller company before it grows bigger (i.e. use prebundling into Windows as an unfair weapon). Erik Huggers, who is now a senior at the BBC, was apparently among the felons. He used to work in this division at Microsoft. He even attended the antitrust trials in Europe where Microsoft lost the case to RealNetworks and was forced to pay compensation (heavy fines).

Portable Media Players



“Novell helps Microsoft in that regard because it supports Silverlight through development of Moonlight.”At the moment, Microsoft also has Apple to worry about because of iPod and iTunes. Microsoft apparently sues Apple by proxy in order to accomplish its goals.

Web-based Media Players



Then you have Adobe with its large variety of Flash-based media players. YouTube is a prime example but it is only one among many more.

Microsoft pretty much attacks Google's YouTube by proxy. Google happily uses Flash and competes against Microsoft's Soapbox, so it's hardly surprising. Lastly, there is Silverlight, which includes Microsoft's ambition to make all Web-based video players dependent on Microsoft-patented technology (.NET). Novell helps Microsoft in that regard because it supports Silverlight through development of Moonlight. This probably does more harm than good in the same way that Novell's paid-for OOXML support harms ODF.

Media Center (Set-top Boxes)



There is another vector of attack. Remind yourselves of the fact that Microsoft was recently accused (several times in fact) of fueling DVD format wars in order to eliminate physical media altogether, or at least make it less attractive. Microsoft strives to have physical media replaced by Microsoft's download services (VoD on XBox360, Media Player/Center in Windows Vista, et cetera).

Instead of having choice of media players, one then depends on availability of Microsoft products. Remember the OSC's analogy which claims that BBC might as well just support Sony televisions. Also remember that to Microsoft, "cross-platform" means "working across different Microsoft platforms" (e.g. Windows Mobile, XBox).

An article that recently appeared in The Register seems to confirm that Microsoft's plan --- and what some called "conspiracy" at the time -- is actually believable, based on the words of Steve Jobs.

Blu-ray Disc beat HD DVD, but who cares? Downloads, not physical media, are the future of HD content consumption. So said Apple CEO Steve Jobs this week, a comment that's a distant echo of allegations made by Transformers director Michael Bay last year.

Bay grumbled that the HD format war was, in part, Microsoft's fault, the fight being stirred up to worry consumers into not buying eitehr format and give the software giant to put movie download and rental services in place. Which is, of course, just what Apple launched this week: HD-ready iTunes Movie Rentals.


There is more evidence of that in this stories roundup (mind the links at the bottom).

Playing Politics



But who would possibly choose Microsoft over Adobe? And why? Well, Microsoft has a very extensive ecosystem of partners and it already uses many of the partnerships to spread Silverlight. One example to name here is the big partnership in China. You will need Silverlight to watch the Olympics Games. Despite the fact that China has some sort of an exclusive relationship with Microsoft, there will be some Free software in the back rooms at these events and Windows Vista has already been rejected (they bought XP laptops from Lenovo in advance). Why not GNU/Linux? Just watch how cozy and close Bill Gates and the Chinese authorities have grown.

iPlayer



In the following new article, Sam Varghese reminds us of the BBC fiasco. A tax-funded establishment sold itself to Microsoft, which then used the BBC to extend is software monopoly and control more of media (see 11 links at the top).

The BBC and Linux - when you see the two words juxtaposed together, one tends to be surprised. Simply because all the recent coverage of the Beeb has been about the iPlayer fiascos - how the biggest public broadcaster came out with a player that could cater to just one platform.


Europe Being Played by Microsoft



If you thought the BBC story was as obnoxious as it gets, then look away at the sight of this news. It has just been published and it seems to suggest that Microsoft is doing it again in more and more countries. They are 'pulling a BBC'.

Microsoft is also approaching the problem with a new range of software, the Citizen Service Platform (CSP), launched at the Berlin conference. The idea is to facilitate cooperation by offering the same products to everybody, as has already occurred in offices and households worldwide with its Windows operating system.


IPTV Plays the Microsoft Tune



Microsoft's IPTV 'battle against Linux' received no proper coverage in this site. To give just a few of instances of Linux success in this domain consider:

Electronics firms plan Internet televisions

The new televisions will use Linux operating systems instead of Microsoft Windows, it added. That feature is aimed at cutting the time needed to boot up and reducing the risk of virus infection.


TV Makers to Collaborate on Internet TV Standards

The new sets reportedly will be based on the Linux operating system.


Internet TV plans revealed by Japanese manufacturers

The Japanese consumer electronics companies aim to develop broadband-enabled televisions that can download and display videos from the internet wihtout the need for a separate set-top box or computer.

They plan to establish a common standard for aspects of internet TV, based on a Linux operating system.


STB reference design runs Linux

Visioneering Corp. and DigiLink Software announced the availability of a compact hardware/software reference design for an IPTV set-top box (STB). The design runs MontaVista Linux on Visioneering's TI DaVinci-based Sonata STB hardware platform, and comes with DigiLink's Linux-based software stack, codecs, and development kit.


Microsoft's many failure in this areas are omitted from this post for they can be viewed as "Microsoft bashing". Regardless, through the use of contracts and approach towards politicians, Microsoft has been able to circumvent the dominance of Linux at times. There are new examples too.

Consider Korea for example because it's already strangled by ActiveX. If you want to use something other than Windows in Korea, you can't access vital services, thanks to 'extensions' Microsoft introduced only to eliminate competition. Korean authorities seems to be fooled by this again (the new wave of lock-in). Days ago Microsoft signed an IPTV deal in Korea.

Daum, South Korea's second-largest Web portal and search engine company, will develop the IPTV content, while Microsoft will offer the latest version of its Internet television software platform, Microsoft Mediaroom, the release said. Celrun, a Korean digital device maker, will provide set-top boxes and other digital devices, the release said.


Why are politicians still falling for this scam?

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

How the European Union (EU) Fell Out of Love With Free/Libre Software
Lots of bribery
Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt Has Almost Gone Down to Zero, Nearly Totally Extinct in Geminispace, the Few Capsules Still Using It Are Spam/Dead/Stagnant
This represents another decrease for Let's Encrypt; the last decrease was last week
Trying to Silence Techrights Was a Huge Mistake
Peter Thiel attacked a publisher for asserting, correctly, that he was gay. Now everyone knows it.
 
Turn Off Microsoft's Restricted Boot ("Secure Boot")
We're still running a series on this issue
Social Control Media Sites Have Become Bot Farms (Not Limited to LLMs and Automation)
linkedin.com was nothing but trouble and losses for Microsoft
Deep in Debt With the Magnitude of Losses Quickly Growing, Microsoft "Open" "Hey Hi" Now Uses Broadcom for Vapourware, Pretending It'll Do OK Next Year
At some stage it'll collapse
You Can Tell Microsoft is in Trouble When Its Own Fans and Staff Blast it
"Microsoft sinks billions into chasing artificial intelligence fads to hype up its share price."
Multiple Undersea Cable Cuts and We're Still OK
Microsoft customers experience problems
Lawyers Who Think They Are Online Assassins Don't Deserve a Licence to Operate
they've become a laughing stock in their "sector"
Microsoft Windows Fell to 3.9% "Market Share" in Bahamas
Based on statCounter
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 07, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/09/2025: Scanner, Slop, and Chadobear
Links for the day
The UEFI 9/11 is 3 Days Away
Nobody denies that bad things will happen
Google Versus Journalism
Google played a big role in the demise of news sites
Gemini Links 07/09/2025: Advertising, Decentralized Archival, and Outsourcing to Bezos
Links for the day
Not Much Left in News Cycles
To be very clear, this does not describe "Linux" anything; it's true in just about every facet of news, except the paid-for fake "journalism" about "hey hi" (sites getting paid explicitly to maintain or rekindle hype)
Throwing Away "Old" Computers (Mozilla and Other Climate Deniers)
Mozilla is not leftist
The UEFI 9/11 - Part VIII - Denial of Service and Selling Us WSL (Windows) Instead of "Risky" (Prone by Breakage by Microsoft) GNU/Linux
Restricted Boot (so-called 'SecureBoot') does not improve security. It is nothing but trouble. It's meant to trouble non-Windows users. In dual-boot setups, SecureBoot is a recipe for disaster because Microsoft keeps erasing or tampering with the boot sector, to paraphrase an associate
Slop is Extremely Rare in Geminispace, Slop Images Are Unheard Of (Despite Images Being Supported)
As long as Geminispace grows in terms of domains it's safe to predict the protocol will still be used in 2029 and hence Geminispace will turn 10
Links 07/09/2025: Robodebt Class Action, Fines, and Copyright Settlement
Links for the day
Links 07/09/2025: Yle Impersonated in Social Control Media, Boat-Attacking Orcas, Midjourney Sued Again
Links for the day
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Linux Journal, and the Serial Slopper
Google won't tackle the issue because Google participates not only in relaying slop but also in generating lots of it
Links 07/09/2025: Google Fines in EU and "Your Internet Access Is at Risk"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/09/2025: Little Brother and Corporate Theatre
Links for the day
Links 07/09/2025: More Harms of Slop and Anthropic's Nightmare Scenario (Huge Legal Liabilities for Slop)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 06, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 06, 2025
Microsoft Sites Now Talking About September's Mass Layoffs at Microsoft
It's noteworthy that even Microsoft's MSN now covers the latest revelations about mass layoffs
Gemini Links 06/09/2025: SpellBinding Moving and "The Cloud" Ridiculed
Links for the day
Slopwatch: On "the Apology Industry", Chatbots (Punchbag for Customers), and Fake Articles About "Linux"
"news reporting priorities changed"
Links 06/09/2025: "Covid Incidence on the Rise" and Many Attacks on the Press Worldwide
Links for the day
The Register Bill
The Register MS - putting the "MS" in your centre of the universe
Analogies for "Memory Safety" in Rust
Don't worry, it's Rust! It can do anything!
Nobody Denies That SecureBoot Will Cause Problems After September 11
Not even Microsoft
Gemini Links 06/09/2025: Infinite Scrolling and Posting from Emacs
Links for the day
Links 06/09/2025: GitHub Meltdown Over Slop, "U.S. Jury Says Google Should Pay $425 Million in Privacy Lawsuit"
Links for the day
Despite Its Severe Financial Problems Gnome Foundation Inc Paid Rosanna Yuen Over 100,000 Dollars Last Year
maybe relocation should be considered
The "Left" and the Right"
It poisons everything
Mozilla and Rust Are Not Leftists
they're part of the mass consumerism machine
Disposable to Microsoft
There is an extensive set of people who got used by Microsoft, only to be thrown away a month later or a year later or a decade later
The UEFI 9/11 - Part VII - This Coming Week Many PCs Will Refuse to Boot "Linux" (Because of Microsoft's Expired Certificate)
The real solution is, disable "secure boot" or "SecureBoot" while it's still possible. [...] Just like submarine patents, a lot of this problem was "hibernating" for a while
The Thing Nobody in Red Hat Wants to Talk About Openly
There is a real sentiment or worry among Red Hatters, Europeans and Americans in particulars (because of higher salary expectations)
Slopwatch: Small Parade of Fake News About "Linux" and Scams Borrowing the Name (or Word) "Linux"
In practice, LLMs are a risk
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 05, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 05, 2025