Bonum Certa Men Certa

EDGI Finale: Microsoft's “Linux Compete Squad”

EDGI slide



THIS IS likely to be the last post in this series which explores Microsoft's initiative against GNU/Linux in government and education. Previous parts include:



Today we cover Comes vs Microsoft Exhibit px08592 (September 2002) [PDF]. It is included as text in the Appendix, but here are key observations.

Studies of GNU/Linux penetration in different countries are presented, based on some surveys. There are charts to show this, but the B&W (greyscale) scans make them impossible to read.

Then there are many talking points against Linux and other competitors. This includes FUD like:











Measurement (Linux + StarOffice) Result
Deployment Success 2/3 IT Pros Could Not Complete Installation
Deployment Time Avg. 57% More Time to Deploy than Windows
Document Compatibility 35.3% of Office Docs Opened in StarOffice Had Errors
Top 11 Office Tasks StarOffice Tasks Took 2.7 Times Longer


eTesting Labs, AIR

- Myth: Linux costs 2X-3X less than Windows

- Reality: Windows costs ~30% less per year



This firm, eTesting Labs, seems to be doing work for Microsoft.

We will soon show more exhibits where Microsoft negotiates with Gartner and/or IDC for the sponsored, slanted TCO study referred to in this exhibit. It was secretly linked to a desktop Windows price break deal. This would not be the last such case because in another court case Gartner is shown negotiating Vista coverage with Microsoft. IDC does the same sorts of things and it's a typical routine which involves Microsoft.

IDG and Gartner are quoted in page 9 of this exhibit:

"Sun has not yet provided a compelling vision for how StarOffice will integrate into the Enterprise" - Giga

"Some of the concerns with Linux - such as staffing costs, a lack of in-house Linux expertise, and the difficulty of managing this operating system - will continue to be significant barriers to desktop adoption." -IDC

"For widespread desktop use, Linux faces hurdles. A new, albeit intuitive, user interface many be among the least of these .... Distribution, support, availability of peripherals and application readiness is a greater challenge. As with all uses of Linux, business customers need to look at vendor direction and support issues when considering Linux." - Gartner

"[Linux] backers have faliled to produce the vital elements of a viable desktop operating environment: a good user interface and a suite of applications that users want and that create files compatible with the applications of most other users to whom they are connected" - IDC


Sooner or later we shall shed some more light on IDC and Gartner, both of which are corruptible and influenced by Microsoft. They occasionally attack Free software, unsurprisingly.

Additional market data was put into this presentation and "The Linux Desktop Playbook" has a reference to EDGI, which starts on page 10.

Pages 12-13 contain concrete field examples, EDGI "wins" with amounts of money committed/spent in Mexico, Malaysia, Egypt, and Tunisia; Jordan pending at the time.

India is obliquely referred to on page 14. "BRIC" stands for "Brazil-Russia-India-China".

From the "Linux Desktop Playbook":



Its important to engage with the proper BDMs on a business level discussion and not get caught up with technical folks in a religious discussion.



We saw lots of this in the OOXML fiasco. Microsoft did not want to talk about technical things, so it sent non-technical people.

Then they use IDC and Gartner as ammunition, along with EDGI:



A Linux costs less Just because the software license cost is free, doesn’t mean the cost of using Linux Is less than Windows When you consider both direct costs (additional deployment, management, support costs) and indirect costs (end user down time, loss of productivity, etc ) Linux costs more than Windows!

- Show customers existing TCO and business value data for Windows XP. There is a lot of data showing good ROI when moving from Win98 to Win XP. A Gartner audited TCO study completed in the City of Vassa, Finland (home country of Linux Torvalds) showed that moving to Windows XP/Office XP would save 31% per PC, per years compared to Red Hat and Open Office. If the customer still pushes back on costs, move to next step

-TCO challenge. The Windows Client PMG is offering to the field to fund 20 Gartner audited Linux desktop TCO studies in FY03 (5 per region. We will send in someone from MSC to perform a detailed cost analysis of Linux vs Windows XP using a Gartner approved TCO methodology. Since we will use the customer's own data -- there can be no arguing the results. Gartner will audit each study to approve the specific results from each company. If the customer still pushes back . .

- EDGI. This program is for Education and Government customers who face significant budget constraints. It is designed to allow relief to the customers when purchasing Windows. More details coming


This 'bought' study from Garner was conducted in the home of "Linux Torvalds", according to Microsoft.

Another common fallacy/FUD then appears, regarding access to source code:

-Linux touts open source as a key advantage. The reality is that most customers would never work directly with the source code and compile the system themselves - that would be like taking on the role of system integrator or OS vendor themselves.


That's a lie because one needs only to rely on other programmers or even forking with shared resources. Microsoft mentioned visibility of its code in special circumstance, but that totally misses the point.

Slide 11 mentions CompHot and EDGI again. According to Microsoft , CompHot is the emergency address to fight "Linux infestations".

- Linux desktop virtual team - CompHot escalations weekly review   - EDGI request escalations - Linux compete squad - billv - International desktop OS tracker


"Linux compete squad," it says...

Who is alias "billv"?

Here are details of what Microsoft did, as per slide 12. They target Linux migrations on just about anything, even points of sale and embedded.



Linux Desktop Field Escalations



36 Escalations, 18 Active, 14 De-escalated, 1 Loss, 3 Wins

- Linux and StarOffice - 5 Active, 1 Deescalated    - Active Telstra, Bank of Ireland, First Community Bank, Indiana Web Academy, Standard Bank (South Africa) - Linux OS - 3 Active, 2 De-escalated    - Active. ABM Amro (Workstation), ETC (Columbian Telco) and SBC Communications - Linux POS - 5 Active, 2 De-escalated    - ChevronTexaco, Arrefour, Hollywood Video, CSK Auto, Waitrose Supermarkets - Linux Embedded - 3 Active, 8 De-escalated, 1 Loss, 1 Win    - Active: Accent/FireKing - security for Taco Bell and others - close to winning. Safeway - smart clients in shopping carts    - Loss. VOPAK - Linux embedded on PC option - up to biz units to select    - Win Royal Carribean Cruise Lines - IBM Linux on client and server - EDGI - 1 Active, 2 Wins    - Active. Jordan. Wins. Egypt, Tunisia    - Mexico and Malaysia EDGI deals were not escalated via CompHot - StarOffice on Windows - 1 Active    - Dept of Homeland Security - 170,000 seats, McNealy involved - OS/2 Migration to Linux - 1 De-escalated


So EDGI was used against Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Mexico and Malaysia.

The next slide gives a detailed breakdown:



Reactive EDGI Results To Date



- Mexico- $2.5MM €¢committed, adding $25MM to MS    - Govt-financed PC purchase for home teacher use with Windows XP Home    - 250K PCs from Acer, iBM, and HP    - Govt was considering Linux and Win98 due to cost    - EDGI distributed $10/PC to be used for teacher training    - Additional purchase of $60/PC for Office, Encarta, and Encarta interactive - Malaysia - $500K committed, waiting for govt decision    - EDGI used as delivery mechanism for previous exec commitments    - Funds used for rural schools, teacher training, non-bootable software - Egypt - $355K committed, addl $500K to MS, $1 2M to MS over 2yrs    - EDGI used as delivery mechanism for previous exec committees    - Govt purchased 6250 PCs at full price, 4166 PCs w/ 100% Windows rebate - Tunisia - $600K committed, addl $600K to MS    - Wave 2 of govt-financed purchases of 15K home PCs. Wave 1 was Windows-only, but wave 2 offer includes Linux PCs for $60 per PC less to the end user    - EDGI contributed $40/PC -$15 end user rebate. $20 sys builder joint mktg, and $5 end user mktg - Jordan - Pending    - Ministry of education purchase of 8K PCs, considering Linux    - We are still working through operational logistics



According to this, they even use government funds to stick Windows into the homes of teachers. Later on we hear about students who complain about their non-Windows laptops. It's inbred. Student are pushed into it whilst teachers impose it.




Appendix: Comes vs. Microsoft - exhibit px08592, as text








Linux Desktop Update and Brainstorm



Pat Fox
Alain Meeus
Manish Sharma
9/11/02


Plaintiff’s Exhibit

8592

Comes V. Microsoft

HS-CC-Sun 000001220079 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




OS share of installed base



[See figure in original PDF]

- Windows XP has low perpetration in all countries -- greatest in Sorgs - Windows 2000 still not dominant in any segment in any country    -France is making headway - Very high 9x use in India. Korea, Russia (where NT4 was not localized), Mexico and Japan - NT4 dominates amongst Lergs and Morgs in France and Germany

Q1/Q5 What operating systems are running on your organization's desktop/portable computers? 9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

- Note - NT4 was not localized in every market (China, Korea, Russia)

MS-CC-Sun 000001220080 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Intent to evaluate Linux



[See figure in original PDF]

-Sorg evaluation of WinXP generally trails M/Lorgs -Poor ration (for Linux) of won't deploy to will deploy -Lorg    - Low evaluation in Korea, India, US and Canada    - High evaluation in Russia, China and Mexico    - Poor ratios in UK, Mexico and Canada -Morgs    - Low evaluation in Korea, India, UK    - High evaluation in Russia and US    - Poor ratios in Germany and China -Sorgs    - Low evaluation in Korea    - High evaluation in China dn Russia

Q56 Which of the following bets describes your company's plans for Linux as a desktop operating system 9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220081 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Expect OS to change



[See figure in original PDF]

- Move io 2000 is equally or more popular than XP -- Korea Is an exception

- Move to Linux of concem in lnslian Morgs- -20% of Morgs expecting to change plan to change to Linuc

- "Other’ €¢ategory is large in some places -- these will be called out in country reports but mostly consist of earlier versions of Windows

Q15 Are you expecting some other OS to become your primary computer OS in the next 6-12 months? Q16 Which operating system

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220082 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




MGB Winning Messages!



Windows is a better platform

Windows is a better value

Windows enables greatest choice



9/10/02 Microsoft Confidentiall

MS-CC-Sun 000001220083 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Desktop: Better Platform



-Better user experience   -Familiar and consistent interface   -Office: Shorter task completion times   -Office: Proven compatibility   -Office: Full support for XML and web services

-More powerful   -Integrated and comprehensive mobility, digital media, collaboration technologies

-Safer bet for the future   -Well defined roadmap & constant investment   -Single point of accountability

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220084 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Desktop: Better Value













Measurement (Linux + StarOffice) Result
Deployment Success 2/3 IT Pros Could Not Complete Installation
Deployment Time Avg. 57% More Time to Deploy than Windows
Document Compatibility 35.3% of Office Docs Opened in StarOffice Had Errors
Top 11 Office Tasks StarOffice Tasks Took 2.7 Times Longer


eTesting Labs, AIR

- Myth: Linux costs 2X-3X less than Windows

- Reality: Windows costs ~30% less per year

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220085 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Desktop: Greatest Choice



- Largest number of applications

  - >4000 apps tested by Microsoft w~th Windows XP   - Many, many more available

- Largest number of devices

  - 12,000+ device drivers on the XP CD

  - 41,000 devices submitted to WHQL

- Broader availability of services

  - >450,000 MCSE professionals world-wide

- More training options

  - Wide range of Microsoft certified training courses   - Many Microsofl certified training providers

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220086 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Desktop: What The Analysts Say



"Sun has not yet provided a compelling vision for how StarOffice will integrate into the Enterprise" - Giga

"Some of the concerns with Linux - such as staffing costs, a lack of in-house Linux expertise, and the difficulty of managing this operating system - will continue to be significant barriers to desktop adoption." -IDC

"For widespread desktop use, Linux faces hurdles. A new, albeit intuitive, user interface many be among the least of these .... Distribution, support, availability of peripherals and application readiness is a greater challenge. As with all uses of Linux, business customers need to look at vendor direction and support issues when considering Linux." - Gartner

"[Linux] backers have faliled to produce the vital elements of a viable desktop operating environment: a good user interface and a suite of applications that users want and that create files compatible with the applications of most other users to whom they are connected" - IDC

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220087 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




The Linux Desktop Playbook



1. Know the status of Linux in your accoutns 2. Sell Window's strengths to BDMs   - 3 desktop pillars      > Better Platform      > Better Value      > Greater Choice 3.Sell solutions - better together with Office & Server 4. Debunk Linux myths      > Linux costs less       - TCO/Biz value data       - Biz Value challenge       - EDGI      > Linux is "Good enough"       - Compare w/GUI       - TS client solution      > Need Open source       - MS shared source 5. Escalate!

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

This playbook outlines the progressive steps the field should take when selling against Linux on the desktop

1 Know the status of Linux your your accounts    - Point out that each subsidiary should have a method to track Linux threats and that these should be reported back to Redmond. 2 Sell Windows strengths to BDMs   - Its important to engage with the proper BDMs on a business level discussion and not get caught up with technical folks in a religious discussion.   - See the hidden shale for more details on the 3 pillars or the Windows XP vs Linux positioning doc 3 Sell solutions - better together with Office and Server    - We have a much more robust platform elevate the discussion beyond the OS if appropriate. 4 Debunk Linux myths A Linux costs less Just because the software license cost is free, doesn’t mean the cost of using Linux Is less than Windows When you consider both direct costs (additional deployment, management, support costs) and indirect costs (end user down time, loss of productivity, etc ) Linux costs more than Windows!

- Show customers existing TCO and business value data for Windows XP. There is a lot of data showing good ROI when moving from Win98 to Win XP. A Gartner audited TCO study completed in the City of Vassa, Finland (home country of Linux Torvalds) showed that moving to Windows XP/Office XP would save 31% per PC, per years compared to Red Hat and Open Office. If the customer still pushes back on costs, move to next step

-TCO challenge. The Windows Client PMG is offering to the field to fund 20 Gartner audited Linux desktop TCO studies in FY03 (5 per region. We will send in someone from MSC to perform a detailed cost analysis of Linux vs Windows XP using a Gartner approved TCO methodology. Since we will use the customer's own data -- there can be no arguing the results. Gartner will audit each study to approve the specific results from each company. If the customer still pushes back . .

- EDGI. This program is for Education and Government customers who face significant budget constraints. It is designed to allow relief to the customers when purchasing Windows. More details coming

B Customer needs Open Source

-Linux touts open source as a key advantage. The reality is that most customers would never work directly with the source code and compile the system themselves - that would be like taking on the role of system integrator or OS vendor themselves. Microsoft has a variety of shared source programs for enterprise academic and government customers and system integrators. These programs allow customers to access Windows source code. These programs provide many benefits by allowing customers to facilitate security and privacy audits, performance tune applications, and improve Internal support and troubleshooting capabilities of Windows systems

C Linux has lower hardware requirements

- There is a myth that Linux has much lower hardware requirements than Windows However, if you run Linux with a GUI, which all desktops would, they are quite comparable. Red Hat Linux 7.2 system reqs are: Pentium 200MHz + recommended, 64MB RAM min for GUl 96MB RAM recommended for GUI. Windows XP Professional system recs are Pentium 233MHz min

MS-CC-Sun 000001220088 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Processes in Place



- Linux desktop virtual team - CompHot escalations weekly review   - EDGI request escalations - Linux compete squad - billv - International desktop OS tracker

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220089 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Linux Desktop Field Escalations



36 Escalations, 18 Active, 14 De-escalated, 1 Loss, 3 Wins

- Linux and StarOffice - 5 Active, 1 Deescalated    - Active Telstra, Bank of Ireland, First Community Bank, Indiana Web Academy, Standard Bank (South Africa) - Linux OS - 3 Active, 2 De-escalated    - Active. ABM Amro (Workstation), ETC (Columbian Telco) and SBC Communications - Linux POS - 5 Active, 2 De-escalated    - ChevronTexaco, Arrefour, Hollywood Video, CSK Auto, Waitrose Supermarkets - Linux Embedded - 3 Active, 8 De-escalated, 1 Loss, 1 Win    - Active: Accent/FireKing - security for Taco Bell and others - close to winning. Safeway - smart clients in shopping carts    - Loss. VOPAK - Linux embedded on PC option - up to biz units to select    - Win Royal Carribean Cruise Lines - IBM Linux on client and server - EDGI - 1 Active, 2 Wins    - Active. Jordan. Wins. Egypt, Tunisia    - Mexico and Malaysia EDGI deals were not escalated via CompHot - StarOffice on Windows - 1 Active    - Dept of Homeland Security - 170,000 seats, McNealy involved - OS/2 Migration to Linux - 1 De-escalated

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220090 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Reactive EDGI Results To Date



- Mexico- $2.5MM €¢committed, adding $25MM to MS    - Govt-financed PC purchase for home teacher use with Windows XP Home    - 250K PCs from Acer, iBM, and HP    - Govt was considering Linux and Win98 due to cost    - EDGI distributed $10/PC to be used for teacher training    - Additional purchase of $60/PC for Office, Encarta, and Encarta interactive - Malaysia - $500K committed, waiting for govt decision    - EDGI used as delivery mechanism for previous exec commitments    - Funds used for rural schools, teacher training, non-bootable software - Egypt - $355K committed, addl $500K to MS, $1 2M to MS over 2yrs    - EDGI used as delivery mechanism for previous exec committees    - Govt purchased 6250 PCs at full price, 4166 PCs w/ 100% Windows rebate - Tunisia - $600K committed, addl $600K to MS    - Wave 2 of govt-financed purchases of 15K home PCs. Wave 1 was Windows-only, but wave 2 offer includes Linux PCs for $60 per PC less to the end user    - EDGI contributed $40/PC -$15 end user rebate. $20 sys builder joint mktg, and $5 end user mktg - Jordan - Pending    - Ministry of education purchase of 8K PCs, considering Linux    - We are still working through operational logistics

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220091 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Brainstorm/Work in Progress



- Biz Value Challenge - evidence - Usability evidence - Open MUI - Proactive govt program - Tools- more power tools and evidence - Accessibility evidence - OEM supportability - Refurbished hw initiative - Education - HEWSf64-bit - Customer visits - Enthusiasts

Other

  - BRIClEmerging markets   - GSLP   - Project Jack

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220092

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL




Open MUI

- Requested by international Windows product managers, esp in emerging markets - Allows localization where MS can’t justify expense - Overcomes govt concerns about cultural preservation and mitigates arguments for Linux - Potentially gives govt control over local dialects - Enables govt to support local sw industry. - Builds Windows ecosystem - Is open-source-like w/o toss of Windows branding or look/feel - Gives enthusiasts more flexibility to tweak Windows UI

9/10/02 Microsoft Confidential

MS-CC-Sun 000001220093 HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL


Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Who Asked Software in the Public Interest (SPI) for a Refund? ($100,000, Resulting in Losses of $267,201 in 12 Months, Highest-Ever Losses)
The IRS does not reveal who or what's tied to this refund (or the cause/reason)
"Cloud Computing" Was Always a Joke, But This Week Was the Punchline
Maybe stop following tech trends and fashions
 
Links 22/10/2025: Study on Misinformation by Slop and Heavily Debt-Sabbled Microsoft OpenAI (ClosedSlop) Uses "Browser" as Gimmick/Distraction
Links for the day
They've Already Spent Close to a Million Dollars on Lawyers and Sent Us About 50 KG of Legal Papers (Sponsored by Mysterious Third Party) to Try to Censor Techrights, Without Success
They try to overcompensate with sheer volume for a lack of solid, clear arguments (we are the victims here)
Trouble in Red Hat/IBM and a Retreat to Ponzi Economics in Search of Wall Street Market Heist
Would you invest your life savings in this kind of crap?
12 Months Ago the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' Officially Went 'Tag-Team'
We're actually sort of flattered or proud that such despicable people are so desperate to censor us
"Cloud Computing" Does Not Mean Safety
Fault tolerance is related to the notion of software freedom
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 21, 2025
The Fall of Windows: From Something to Nothing
Of course Microsoft will pretend everything is fine and "just trust the hey hi" (AI)
Sounds Like Fedora is Ready to Become Less of a Slave of Microsoft (GitHub)
This seems like a belated move in a positive direction
XBox is a Dead Microsoft Product in a Dying Industry
It's probable that another wave of XBox layoffs is just over the horizon (maybe even before month's end)
Progress on Techrights Site Search
Fun times
IBM's Bluewashing of Red Hat Means the Layoffs Are Silent, Barely Reported
Don't wait to hear about "Red Hat layoffs"
Gemini Links 21/10/2025: Happy Disconnection, AWS Falling Apart, Closing of Gemlog Blue
Links for the day
Full Audio of Today's Richard Stallman Talk in the Technical University of Munich
Free/Libre software and freedom in the digital society
Microsoft XBox is Just Vapourware (Promises of Hardware That Doesn't Exist), Real Products Perish
just as developers lose interest in developing for XBox Microsoft is increasing the costs imposed upon them
Slopwatch: Fake Articles (Slop) in "Linux" Clothing in Google News (Noise)
all about what Google does
Links 21/10/2025: Even "Inventor of Vibe Coding" Rejects Vibe Coding, USPTO Experiments With Slop in Examination
Links for the day
Richard Stallman Talk Now Available for Viewing (Archived Copy, Not Live-streamed)
This recording is over 2 hours old
Links 21/10/2025: AWS-Induced Chaos and Social Control Media Curbs
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/10/2025: Programming, StarGrid, Brand-New Palm OS Strategy Game in 2025, and Chatbot as Addiction Mechanisms
Links for the day
The African Lion and the American Cowards
Safaris exist for people to watch and enjoy animals
Amazon Web Shenanigans Perfectly Timed for Today's Talk by Richard Stallman
Maybe listen to him instead of looking for excuses to ridicule the messenger
Mission:Libre Has Taken Off (Project by Carmen Maris)
there will be a lot more to report on next month (after the event)
Techrights to Publish More EPO Leaks Next Week
We're meanwhile also doing lots of work on search, whose interface now looks better
Links 21/10/2025: 'The Lost Art' of Neon Signs and Twitter (X) to Enable Identity Theft (or Handle Theft) as a Service
Links for the day
Plagiarism With LLM Slop: Hindustan Times (HT Digital Streams Limited) Has Become a Slop Factory/Hub
What a disgrace
A radical proposal to keep your personal data safe, by Richard Stallman
"The surveillance imposed on us today is worse than in the Soviet Union. We need laws to stop this data being collected in the first place"
Next Week We Launch Search at Techrights
We're planning to launch it some time next week. Maybe Tuesday, maybe Thursday.
Talk by Richard Stallman Will be Live-streamed in Less Than 10 Hours
Happy hacking
"No Kings" in the Software World (GAFAM Should Not Exist, Either)
"No Kings" is a good slogan. Let's start by ridding ourselves of masters, not only those who reside in DC or visit DC
Every Morning
Bugs/edge cases combined with automation can spell disaster
Insane, Deliberately Dishonest, or Just Another Bigot?
very intellectually-dishonest human being
A Lot of Techrights is Built on Perl
Perl also runs the sister site
The Register MS Selling Slop for Microsoft (Vapourware, Ponzi Scheme, False Claims)
What will be left of The Register MS if it keeps repeating falsehoods and looking to profit from Ponzi schemes?
analytics.usa.gov Says Less Than 14% of Web Requests (to Government Sites) Come From Vista 11
Vista 11 was released more than 4 years ago!
People Who Attempt to Take Down Correct Information Need a Doctor a Day
“Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” ― George Orwell
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 20, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, October 20, 2025
Vista 11 is Sinking While Microsoft is PIPing (Mass Layoffs But Silent Layoffs)
We're witnessing a shift in platform dominance
Richard Stallman is Having a Good Week Already (Stallman Was Right About 'Clown Computing')
That alone is worth bringing up in his talk
An Update About Soylent News, With Jan Rinok "Back in the Saddle"
Burnout or "near burnout" a possibility when having to curate abuse
When Prominent GNU/Linux Distros Are Run by Spies
What has Microsoft Canonical become?
More Publishers and Companies Nowadays Say "GNU/Linux", Not "Linux"
It's not to see InstallAware saying GNU/Linux this week
Google News is Now Promoting a Parasitic Slopfarm Called "findarticles.com", Where Plagiarism of "Linux" Articles is Rampant
Does Google even care about the slop epidemic? Google itself is a vendor of slop now (and it calls it "Gemini")
Gemini Links 20/10/2025: Pumpkin Carving, "Hey Hi", and Other Buzzwords
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Google News Promoting Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt (FUD)
What is the value of Google News if so many results in it are fake 'articles?
Rejecting 'Snoop-Phones' and Turning "Old" Phones (or Tablets) Into Freedom-Respecting Appliances
Paul Fernhout (pdfernhout.net) wrote back to Akira Urushibatathis this past weekend
Our Uptime This Year Was Better Than AWS (Also a Lot Cheaper)
We never used "the cloud"
Amazon Web Shenanigans
An ongoing, experimental endeavour
Death of Elias Diem: FSFE mailing list archives hidden
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 20/10/2025: Louvre Museum Reveals Weakness, About 7 Million Protest US Turning Into Oligarchy/Monarchy
Links for the day
They Should Have Listened to Techrights Over a Month Earlier (Xubuntu Site Compromised)
we reported this issue about 40 days earlier and nobody did anything about it
Richard Stallman to Give Another Talk Today in Bavaria (Bavarian Academy of Science)
Tomorrow at 6 PM he speaks in Munich
Apple is the Company of Dictators and Worse
Apple is just another greedy corporation in search of sweatshops and even pedophiles (especially the high-profile ones)
Counting Unhatched Eggs Is Not Counting Chickens
Everything here will persist as normal
Barry Kauler Explains That Puppy Linux and EasyOS Exclude Systemd to Keep Things Simple
Barry Kauler's Puppy Linux is in the community's hands. He now focuses on EasyOS and more.
The "Infinite Bread"
The biblical story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 has software parallels
Half a Year After Brian Fagioli Got Kicked Out of BetaNews for Slop He's Still Doing LLM Slop and Slop Images Targeting 'Linux' (Plagiarising Original Works)
If the Web gets polluted or flooded by slopfarms such as these, and Slashdot then sends traffic so these slopfarms (Slashdot probably doesn't do this intentionally), then real writers with real knowledge of GNU/Linux will lose the spark for publishing
In Many Cases and in Many Different Ways, Technology Became Less Durable and Less Reliable Over Time
The "modern" things are more complex. And complexity is a foe or reliability and repair-ability.
Microsoft's LinkedIn is Losing Money, Traffic, and Hope; Now It Wants to Sell Its Users' Lifeblood (and Data)
Let this be a reminder of what social control media really is about
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 19, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, October 19, 2025
Campaign of FUD Against Framework Laptops and GNU/Linux (Using Microsoft's Attack on Linux, 'Secure Boot')
Ritual Defamation Cult has turned its attention over to Framework
Microsoft Lunduke: Freedom of Speech Means Spreading What I Have to Say and Banning People I Disagree With
4Chan is one he aims for and he is siccing 4Chan trolls at people he doesn't like
Liberation From 'The Feed'
They rank things based on the editor's choice/ideology (he or she knows the sponsors, hence the masters)
Microsoft's Killing of Vista 10 Seems to Have Resulted in More Articles About GNU/Linux (But Also FUD)
We not only saw a rise in traffic, we also saw a remarkable rise in the number of articles