09.19.08
Open Source Think Tank, Sponsored by… Microsoft
“Open source is an intellectual-property destroyer [...] I can’t imagine something that could be worse than this for the software business and the intellectual-property business. I’m an American; I believe in the American way, I worry if the government encourages open source, and I don’t think we’ve done enough education of policymakers to understand the threat.”
–Jim Allchin, Microsoft Vice President
Watch this new press release and spot the odd bedfellow.
In addition to Actuate, Microsoft, Sun, Collabnet, TVM Capital and Ingres are also sponsoring the Paris Open Source Think Tank, which is the leading invitation only commercial open source brainstorm and networking conference of its kind in the world. More than 80 leading CEOs, CIO/CTOs, VCs, Attorneys and industry luminaries representing top Fortune 100 companies and other key organizations will convene for 3 days to discuss the state-of-the-industry of commercial open source and brainstorm together to advance individual and collective issues.
What can be seen here was previously named [1350 "destruction through assimilation."] Microsoft tries to steal the identity and meaning of everything that “open source” stands for.
“It’s about poisoning the minds (or the text) of those involved, pretending to be a participant.”A British magazine once showed how Microsoft and the BSA had distorted a think tank on patents and their impact on small/open source businesses. Other think tanks, which quietly were sponsored by Microsoft, attacked Linux.
There are many other examples. There were some such studies in Europe and the States. Here you can find Gerri Elliott of Microsoft making decisions using her multiple hats and watering open source off the education agenda.
In Vienna, conclusions from a study were distorted by Microsoft, so it should be clear that it’s not healthy to have Microsoft around. Microsoft fights for its proprietary stack. Its open source identity and participation is just a tool and opportunity to push things in that stack’s direction, prolonging the dependence on Microsoft cash cows. BECTA is a very recent example of this.
Glyn Moody was absolutely right last year when he predicated that Microsoft would "hijack" open source to do just that. It’s about poisoning the minds (or the text) of those involved, pretending to be a participant. █
