Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft is Once Again Caught Bribing Disgruntled Journalists

Just another new example for a pile of other existing examples where Microsoft bribes bloggers and journalists with incentives and gifts. There's astroturfing too, but that's just part of the broader strategy (guerrilla marketing).

Here. Read this new article.

To be honest, MS did try to engage me after I wrote that, but the sad thing is it was through bribery. I don't use that word lightly, but there is nothing else I can call it. I think I explained my differences of opinion quite clearly in that article, and the response I got from MS was as follows, names removed to protect the sender.

-----------------------------------------------

Hi Charlie,

I'm really sorry to hear of your bad impression of Windows Vista, I would be very interested in having a chat with you to dispell some of your worries, and to provide you with your first contact at Microsoft!

I've got a copy of Windows Vista here for you as well if you want to have a go with the real deal RTM build!

(signature)

----------------------------------------------------

Please note that in the original complaint, I never once asked for a copy of the software, I had several versions here, and my complaints were about activation, DRM and other problems. A copy with all those problems is still as unacceptable as the ones I owned. In the following half dozen emails, my concerns were not placated, if anything they were confirmed.


In the recent past, The Inquirer was invited over to Microsoft for a visit. Why? Because it's a "Microsoft doubter", as Microsoft itself calls it. The site also revealed how Microsoft DDOSed journalists through its public relations channels when Windows Vista was released. Shades of the "second coming", also known as Windows 95 (mind the Linux Journal article).

Only yesterday we gave an example of another case where a journalist got used by Microsoft. This article (the original) was written by someone who accepted a free trip from Microsoft and had a week's sessions of brainwash in Redmond. He later proceeded to attacking IBM.

So, who else is Microsoft 'compensating' with free gifts but without the journalists spilling the beans as in the case above? It surely makes you wonder. Rick Jelliffe publicly admitted that Microsoft offered him money to edit Wikipedia (which he did), but how many other people has Microsoft paid to edit Wikipedia in its favour (without disclosure)? What about all those OOXML briberies?

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Rust People: Drain the Swap, You're Holding It Wrong
Does Rust make sense?
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, linuxconfig.org, and Plagiarised Phoronix
Many articles out there are nowadays fake
European Patent Office Illegally Gutting and Outsourcing Its Functions, Acting Like an Above-the-Law Commercial Business (It Won't Stop at Formalities Officers (FOs) and Classification Slop at the EPO)
breaking/violating laws and conventions
Links 19/09/2025: Lobbyist of American GAFAM Becomes Data Protection Commissioner in Europe
Links for the day
The Right to Punch People (Apparently)
At Brett Wilson, Brett's job title is "Head of Crime" and Wilson normalises calls for violence
 
About 700 New Gemini Capsules in 13 Months (or 54 Per Month)
4.8K would represent a 20% increase
Techrights the Name Turns 15
About 6 weeks from now we turn 19
Microsoft is Running Out of Time and Floating Fake Figures, Fake Projects, Fake Narratives, Fake Excuses
Also, a lot of Microsoft's "revenue" claims are circular financing (i.e. Microsoft buying from itself, which means Ponzi-like fraud)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 19, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Navigating the Pressures of Modern Life and SpellBinding Accidentally Wrote Another Gemini Server
Links for the day
Links 19/09/2025: Press Freedom Dying in US, Anti-Austerity Strikes in France, and Alan Rusbridger to Leave 'Prospect'
Links for the day
Offloading to the Sister Site
In the interest of not overwhelming readers
Links 19/09/2025: Coffee Club and "SpellBinding is Now Absurdly Fast"
Links for the day
Links 19/09/2025: Media Freedom Ceases to Exist in US, "Consider Dropping Twitter/X"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/09/2025: Thinking and Insect Bites
Links for the day
Microsoft E.E.E.: Git Will Now (or Very Soon) Fully Depend on Rust, Which is Controlled by Microsoft
Microsoft now makes Git dependent on Rust, or making Git dependent on GitHub, which is proprietary
Slop or Fake Articles Have Turned Linux Journal From a Pioneering/Trailblazing "Linux" Magazine Into a Nuisance
some sites with former reputation - good reputation - turn into cesspools
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 18, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, September 18, 2025
Brett Wilson LLP Seem to Have Had Only One Litigation Client in 2025, He Was Previously Charged, Just Like the Serial Strangler From Microsoft (Whom They Now Represent)
Karma is superstition, regulators are not
Project 2030 to Cover How "Project 2025"-Styled Anti-Media Zealots From America Targeted Techrights and Tux Machines
The common denominator is also their attacks on women
Brett Wilson LLP Failed to Meet Deadlines Set by Judge 7 Months Earlier, Tried to Ruin Our Holiday, Then Had the Audacity to Ask Us for Over 3,000 Pounds for Its Own Lateness
As a matter of principle we will never respond to assassin while we are on holiday
On Claims That After Bluewashing Red Hat Will Increasingly Become an Indian Company
Discussed this week (long and detailed)
Americans Attacking British Sites Only Months After They Leave America
We find it kind of funny if not ironic that this site, originally an American site, got legal harassment only from Americans and only months after it had moved to the UK
Despite Losing Over a Quarter Million Dollars a Year Software in the Public Interest (SPI) Gives Helping Hand to Libreboot
SPI's financial state depends a lot on its public image or its reputation
Slopwatch: Google Helps Plagiarism and Sends Traffic to Ripoff Artists
That Google as a company helps spamfarms is noteworthy
If You Want to Know the Future, Listen to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and Andy Farnell
We're sure the FSF will have plenty of its own output
Links 18/09/2025: A Taliban Ban on Internet Access and Troubled US Job Market
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/09/2025: Computer Literacy and Accessing Alhena's Database
Links for the day
Links 18/09/2025: US War on Media (Truth Banned, Cancel Culture by the Hard Right), NYT Chief Executive Warns Cheeto is Deploying ‘Anti-press Playbook'
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, September 17, 2025