03.30.09
Posted in America, Microsoft, Virtualisation, VMware at 8:04 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Microsoft has its people installed at VMware and RNC; Microsoft lobbying and Obama pressure seen
VMware’s latest recruitment of Microsoft folks is something that we've already covered some days ago.
In order to reinforce our analysis, we hereby present more analysis which concurs. InfoWorld’s (IDG) virtualisation expert has posted an essay that he titles “Ex-Microsoft execs continue filling the VMware lineup” and he writes:
VMware’s executive roster is beginning to look very familiar to the old Microsoft regime. Since Diane Greene’s departure, it seems as though a few key executive positions have fallen into the hands of former Microsoft employees.
[...]
From the outside looking in, there has never been much of a positive relationship between VMware and Microsoft. So it will be interesting to see how much the growing Microsoft executive presence within VMware will define and shape the company’s vision as well as how it will effect the competition between the two companies moving forward.
VMware was actually prepared to sue Microsoft or at least issue an antitrust complaint about a year before Tucci kicked Diane Greene out of her throne (she left along with her colleagues). It’s like she was overthrown by a Microsoft coup, headed by Microsoft’s partner of the year. Microsoft’s 'planter' Maureen O'Gara proudly proclaims that this ‘regime change’ is indeed happening. A few days ago she published the article “VMware Continues To Reek of Microsoft.” In InternetNews.com, we found the article “Microsoft, VMware Talk Up Lower Power Bills.” That too was published a few days ago.
Keep it where it’s warm, eh?
Another entity to keep an eye on is the Republican National Committee (RNC). According to this new press release, a Microsoft executive has just been made a director there.
Until September 2007, Todd was a Microsoft executive where he held a number of senior leadership positions, most recently General Manager, Media Strategy and Monetization for MSN. Todd was the Streaming Media Evangelist at MSNBC.com where he wrote the initial strategy and business plan for MSN Video Product Unit. Under his leadership, MSN Video inaugurated over 100 traditional TV brands into broadband video and its revenues grew fourfold over four consecutive years. Prior to joining Microsoft, Todd was Co-Founder and CEO of theDial, a venture-capital backed Internet radio network. theDial’s syndication network was the first to welcome Fortune 500 companies and national consumer brands to Internet radio advertising. His most recent company is SpinSpotter, a venture-capital backed, semantic web business and winner of a 2008 DEMOgod Award.
This was also covered in TechCrunch (or via The Washington Post) and some other sites that offer additional details following the announcement from RNC.
The RNC just sent out a press release announcing the appointment of former Microsoft executive Todd Herman as the RNC’s new media director. This is a key part of Steele’s efforts to get the Republican Party tuned in to digital media and its place in modern politics.
The Republican National Committee tapped a former Microsoft executive to spearhead the party’s efforts to vastly improve its use of technology, RNC chairman Michael Steele announced Monday.
For those who think that Microsoft influence in the Republican camp is rather futile right now, well… we have some more news. Several days ago we found reports about Microsoft taking its lobbying of the Senate/Democrats up a notch. Watch this: Microsoft Taps Pryor To Lobby Senate
Microsoft has hired David Pryor Jr. as director of government affairs, where he will lobby the Senate.
The company’s newest lobbyist has family ties to the Senate. His father, is former Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark. and his younger brother is Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark. who was elected in 2002.
And this:
FedEx lobbyist David Pryor Jr. is joining Microsoft as director of government affairs for the Senate.
He’ll lead the software giant’s efforts in lobbying the Senate, handling pressing economic, education and health issues and promoting online security polices.
Pryor’s younger brother is Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.); their father is former Sen. David Pryor (D-Ark.).
“David’s extensive work with Congress and with various federal agencies and his strong relationships give him the ability to advance Microsoft’s goals on Capitol Hill,” said Microsoft’s managing director for U.S. government affairs, Fred Humphries.
For older information about Microsoft’s affairs with the Democrats, see:
This morning we found that Microsoft is even giving instructions to Obama now.
Microsoft tells Obama to spend cash on broadband
THE SOFTWARE giant Vole has told the US government to spend its stimulus money providing broadband fibre networks to critical public institutions.
d with various federal agencies and his strong relationships give him the ability to advance Microsoft’s goals on Capitol Hill,” said Microsoft’s managing director for U.S. government affairs, Fred Humphries.
Was that 'Microsoft bridge' which taxpayers fund not enough for Microsoft? █
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Posted in Free/Libre Software, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Office Suites, Open XML at 6:55 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Microsoft’s nervousness is showing as more and more freebies get spread to young people around the world
IT IS trivial to tell when Microsoft is losing market share. It starts giving products for free and sometimes even pays (bribes) for people to have them gratis. We covered some examples before, but we wish to draw readers’ attention to new evidence of these tactics, which are indicative of misery.
In response to the threat of Free software, not so long ago Microsoft introduced two programmes that it dubbed DreamSpark and BizSpark. The language used here, as in Silverlight, is deceiving, because it characterises lock-in using light (spark), which tickles and messes about with people’s inherent connotations. This is intentional, it’s not a coincidence. Silverlight used to be called Sparkle when it was first conceived or developed.
Previously, we wrote about DreamSpark’s connection to GNU/Linux and Free software in [1, 2, 3, 4] and here is what we find in the past week’s news:
We recently wrote about the impact of this in India. They are spreading Silverlight binaries around the Web, then lock innocent people in while they are young. They use those very same people to also fight the openness and interoperability (in the cross-platform/browser/device sense) of the Web we all share.
It ought to be added that it’s not just the *Spark family. In order to impose and proliferate the OOXML trap, Microsoft is pushing Office 2007 to students. It’s given for a symbolic price provided that they are young (sometimes naïve) and thus won’t consider long-term costs. From the press:
This simply means that Office rivals are doing exceptionally well, so just as EDGI documents suggest, Microsoft is willing to make no profit provided that competition gets blocked. All the above articles totally miss this important point and just parrot Microsoft’s press release.
We also found out last night that Microsoft is exploiting financial crisis to capture a poor African population and turn it into a Microsoft booster. The same thing is being done in America. █
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Posted in Deception, FUD, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, Vista 7, Windows at 6:05 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Studying the motives of an IDG pundit who attacks GNU/Linux quite frequently these days
THIS POST IS WELL OVERDUE as it addresses an issue that we’ve been seeing for a long while and also discussed in the IRC channel. IDG/IDC, which has financial ties with Microsoft [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], has not just been ignoring GNU/Linux; lately it has been publicly defaming it and the people responsible for it are usually the same.
While IDG writers like Preston Gralla openly seem like some sort of Rob Enderle wannabes, there is another such person called Shane O’Neill, who typically writes in CIO (although it spreads to other IDG Web sites). To give just a sample of his very latest output, there is this. Another brand-new example is this one, which bears the message of a defeat for GNU/Linux. These are just part of an ongoing pattern and some further work can piece together older evidence too. It’s easy to find and there is hardly any contrary evidence.
About the Claims
To falsify O’Neill’s claims directly, the Microsoft talking points [1, 2] are are relying on NPD data (see Microsoft bias) which corresponds to US-only figures (but conveniently enough they don’t state this). It therefore refers only to part of the whole picture and they use the same technique to deceive about Zune, XBox, and Vista. GNU/Linux sub-notebooks are big in other parts of the world, despite the fact that there is pressure/collusion with OEMs.
As always, this brigade against GNU/Linux is trying to declare a defeat for GNU/Linux by playing the black art of statistics whilst Microsoft is dumping software almost free of charge. This was mentioned in a comment last night. Also, over the weekend SJVN explained what was happening here from a business perspective.
Microsoft is now hanging on to their desktop market-share and gained netbook market-share because they re-released XP Home, but it’s a Pyrrhic victory. The reason XP Home is so popular on netbooks isn’t that it’s better than Linux, it’s because Microsoft is essentially giving XP Home away to netbook vendors. Microsoft can’t afford to keep giving away its products, so XP needs to die as fast as possible so they can start selling users on Windows 7.
For reasons that we wrote about before, Vista 7 is bound to change nothing for the better and here is another short post about the subject.
So, your Win7 netbook will have to be fat enough to carry the full bloat of Windows 7, but Microsoft will simply block most of it from working. And limit you to three applications. If you’re like me, you keep your web browser and email open constantly, so that really means you can run only one application at a time. Did they learn nothing from the “Vista Capable” fiasco?
Of course, Microsoft wants your netbook experience to be miserable, so they can stick you for upgrade fees. It’s classic “bait and switch” marketing. You buy the netbook in the store because it looks cool and has a low price, get it home, and find out it’s nearly useless. What are you going to do? Throw it away, or shell out another few hundred so that your purchase doesn’t become an embarassing doorstop?
So that’s just addressing the message. But the messenger is no angel, either.
About the Bias
Shane O’Neill is no ordinary writer. It’s almost like a PR agent for Microsoft, but he is placed inside IDG. He wrote dozens of articles so far this year, systematically belittling GNU/Linux and glorifying Microsoft like a marketing machine. The convictions have been consistent.
One thing most readers will not know is this: He met Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer around the time of the company’s latest deal with EMC [1, 2, 3], which means that he is among those who are privileged enough to have ‘access’ to the company. It is an indication of intimacy.
“He met Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer around the time of the company’s latest deal with EMC…”Mary Jo Foley told me last year about Microsoft’s system of keeping ‘score’ with journalists using rewards and punishments; this impacts one’s ability to have Microsoft deny or provide access to people like Gates and Ballmer. This is why CNET’s Ina Fried, for example, gets access to Ballmer every year. S/he’s sucking up to Microsoft all the time, unlike some peers. The assignment of ‘buddies’ to journalists is another fascinating inside story and it seems likely to involve outsourced marketers (proxies) like Waggener Edstrom [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] which Microsoft hires for the job of ‘escorting’ journalists and ‘helping’ them (not necessarily ghostwriting, but pushing input habitually). By ‘helping’ we refer not to something necessarily positive based on what we learned.
To put it briefly, what we find in Shane O’Neill is that he is close to Steve Ballmer and he is attacking GNU/Linux in IDG, even though it’s highly likely that he never even used the operating system. To him, it is a matter of faith and the writing reflects on this faith. IDG has many sites like NetworkWorld, PCWorld and CIO, so it’s a shame that they blindly publish incorrect assertions. These are nothing but the infamous Microsoft talking points, which are not correct, unless one accepts the skewed/incomplete statistics.
There is another way of looking at it. Since Shane O’Neill does almost nothing these days but boost Microsoft and attack GNU/Linux, then it means GNU/Linux is indeed the #1 threat Ballmer claims it to be. If GNU/Linux is not a threat, then why does he keep attacking it? And having met Ballmer last month, it is curious to see how he attacks GNU/Linux like a motor, basing hypothesis on desire and then finding sources that concur and align with it.
New York Microsoft Times
Speaking of poor journalism, IDG is not alone. Some time ago we accused The New York Times of pushing Microsoft revisionism, which is not particularly shocking given the Microsoft connection. There is a new article in Reuters right now, whose headline is “Ballmer: Definitely ‘No’ on buying The New York Times.” Well, what? Was it ever considered?
On Thursday morning in Manhattan, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spelled out his complete disinterest in acquiring the debt-saddled New York Times Company. “No,” Ballmer replied to a reporter’s question about the Times outside the McGraw-Hill building, where he was a featured speaker at the 2009 BusinessWeek Media Summit.
The New York Times serves Microsoft better when it appears independent. Needless the say, the same goes for analysts and we gave an example last week. Here are Microsoft's very own notes on how to exploit journalists. █
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Posted in Asia, Deception, Free/Libre Software, Microsoft, Open XML, OpenDocument, Windows at 10:12 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: An ODF award is granted to a man who seems to have harmed Free software and contributed little or nothing to ODF
THE ODF Alliance has just announced the winners of an award for contribution to OpenDocument Format (ODF), but there must have been some horrible mistake. In order to understand why, background and some history are necessary.
For those who are well familiar with the matters in India, skipping to the second part is advised.
Background
One subject that we covered in the past are Free(dom) software proponents in India who get sacked or pressured out for doing their job, which is to advance technology in the interest of the Indian people. Some neo-imperialists or digital colonialists (and locals whom they liaise/conspire with) are not particularly happy about such Free software proponents, obviously. They even frown upon and harass professors who watch their country being looted and offer their humble, technical opinion.
Links to extensive articles with evidence from the press are already there for those who need to catch up, so it would be wasteful to repeat what has happened, even though it’s tempting.
“…Microsoft is ousting ‘problematic’ and charismatic people in India, putting “Trojan horses” in their places.”At the moment, based on what we’ve seen, Microsoft is ousting ‘problematic’ and charismatic people in India, putting “Trojan horses” in their places. It is a typical and familiar maneuver that we’ve seen in other places, Massachusetts included.
Microsoft has not only done the same thing in ISO, which it brutally corrupted. The convicted monopolist is doing it at the moment even inside ODF where it is planting henchmen like Jesper Lund Stocholm and employees like Doug Mahugh [1, 2]. Alex Brown is watching from nearby as well.
What is their purpose?
Obviously, it is to instill more Microsoft influence inside disruptive rivals and then pretend that any opposition to them come from “zealots” or somesuch. It’s a defence mechanism similar to the “hater” label — a form of stigmatisation [1, 2] (“Microsoft hater” is the new “terrorist”, no matter how many crimes Microsoft committed to justify polite criticism and skepticism).
Microsoft always tries to devour the competition by intruding it and then extending and extinguishing it [1, 2, 3]. This time is no exception as Microsoft is invading the ODF scene, trying to make it more of its own, but at the same time advancing OOXML and publicly characterising it as superior. Using its sympathetic figures that gradually get appointed to replace those whom Microsoft expelled, they may try to push Microsoft software under the claim that it 'supports' ODF. They throw away freedom from this debate, too, having already hijacked "open source".
Microsoft is always pretending to be your friend (see the comments), even when they sue you and try to ban you. As Microsoft’s Jim Allchin once said, “We need to slaughter Novell before they get stronger….If you’re going to kill someone, there isn’t much reason to get all worked up about it and angry. You just pull the trigger. Any discussions beforehand are a waste of time. We need to smile at Novell while we pull the trigger.” (emphasis is ours)
Who is Anvar Sadath?
Anvar Sadath is among those who received an award from the ODF Alliance and this is bizarre for so many reasons. It has already led to an outage in India and we shall come to it in a moment.
Anvar Sadath is an MSDN user who also worked in a company where he used .NET. He is basically a Windows developer (in 2007 he used Windows 98) and his title is “Senior Software Engineer, .NET COE.”
To quote some more, Anvar Sadath “was part of the .NET COE team and since then there was no looking back as the organization implanted in me focus on innovation and taught me smart business practices.” (correction: this is a different Anvar Sadath, see comments)
He is mentioned in this article about Indian schools which says: “After attaining e-literacy, the individual would be able to use word processing, gaming, and entertainment programs, and use the Internet for e-mail, browsing, chatting, and so on. Those who have achieved basic e-literacy could enrol in advanced programmes such as e-Vidya-Microsoft Office Package, Internet for all, Arabic typing tutor, Microsoft Unlimited Potential Programme, and more.”
This is all classic EDGI — the programme for “addicting” children in India [1, 2], to paraphrase Bill Gates. They want those children stuck with Microsoft, thus helpless, divided and unable to help their local economy, let alone themselves.
How can apologists of a company that constantly fights against ODF and Free software using blackmail, smear campaigns, lawsuits and bribes receive an award from the ODF Alliance? Some people call for it to be retracted. Microsoft’s great zealotry against people’s desire for independence is glaringly obvious, so this is hardly acceptable. “Ask them to contact odf alliance , and protest to get back the award,” said one of our readers from India.
Backlash
Other messages that we found in India are not much better off. Here is the most informative messages among the bunch (from the secretary of FSFI):
Dear Friends,
It was really shocking to see the press release from ODF alliance which has attributed the entire credit for promotion of ODF in the schools of Kerala wrongly to Mr. Anvar Sadath. Giving credits wrongly can be discouraging and painful to those who had done the real work. There are several hundreds of people in Kerala whose painstaking effort and dedication lead to the integration of Free Software and ODF in the schools of Kerala. It has a long history starting from year 2001.
Today we find that ODF alliance has credited the entire work to one person who had no role to play in the process. ODF alliance should have recognised the real individuals who worked for what we see as IT@school today.
You should have recognised Sri V. S Achuthandan, Chief Minister of Kerala ( Opposition leader then), whose political endorsement lead to the introduction of free software and ODF in the schools of Kerala.
You should have recognised hundreds of teachers who took the pain to learn and promote Free Software and ODF. Without their political courage nothing would have happend.
You should have recognised Mr. Biju Prabhakar, the former director of IT @school who initiated the introduction of FS and ODF in Schools of Kerala.
You should have recognised Mr. V K Sasidharan, who was the leading master trainer whose leadership brought together the entire change.
You should have recognised volunteers of Free Software community who communicated the importance of digital freedom in the schools of Kerala.
It’s a shame that a community organisation like ODF alliance could not to recognise the real heroes of this project. This press release can be seen only as a black humor.
“Anvar Sadath has bridged the digital divide in Kerala,” commented the ODF Alliance’s Marcich. “He was among the first to recognize that an open format like ODF means giving students, teachers, and parents alike the flexibility to use a wide range of software than they currently have, including free solutions. Just as importantly, Sadath translated ideas into actions for the benefit of educational development in Kerala.”
I would like to know how this statement can be substantiated. May be I’m missing something here! I would like to hear from you all.
Says one person:
Anwar is a bureaucrat came on top of IT@School project before 2 years. Actual Free Software & Open standards Adoption was done Much before that
Crediting an Individual who tried to Introduce windows and Photoshop in Completely Free Software powered schools (in the name of some e-gov works http://www.gnu.org.in/fsf-india-sends-letter-to-education-minister-of ) is now awarded in the name of a collective effort done by other people..
He was also part of Controversial Information Kerala Mission Project which tried to Computerise all Local self Goverments with Microsoft Technmology.. At that time he wrote a lot of articles defending MIcrosoft when Free Software Foundation Criticized them
These are the Trojan Horses.. Target Them..
Another person adds:
We need to Push ODF Alliance to provide the rationale for Blanket statements like “Anvar Sadath is bridged digital divide in Kerala”
They must explain that.
And another:
As far as I know from my experience with teachers, Freedom was the primary motivation in promoting Free Software. I suspect this is an effort to push proprietary software implementing ODF, using the momentum the community have built up in the past years with their hard work. If people look carefully, they can easily see, who would benefit from such a move.
I tend to think the quote below is true, because he may be first one to see the potential of “the flexibility to use a wide range of software than they currently have, including free solutions”. We adopted OpenOffice.org much before ODF came, in the days of sxw, because it was Free Software.
Lastly:
Crediting a bureaucrat who pushed to Introduce windows and Photoshop in Completely Free Software powered schools using his power position(in the name of some e-gov works http://www.gnu.org.in/fsf-india-sends-letter-to-education-minister-of ) is now awarded in the name of a collective effort done by other people & Departments like SCERT who designed the syllabus. I Dont have a problem if it is awarded to IT@school Project because it worth it.
Having electronic systems at schools is one thing, but if those systems are used as tools of suppression that turn children and their data into hostages for some foreign companies, then this can do more harm than good. It creates a dangerous dependence that cannot be afforded and therefore harms the economy in the long term.
The Latest Yahoo! Lesson
What we find above are Trojan horses that Microsoft can use, just like it did with Yahoo quite recently. We covered a lot of this before and here is the latest development:
Microsoft’s new search team is starting to look a lot like Yahoo’s old one. In just the latest example, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has brought on Jan Pedersen, a Yahoo search veteran, to be chief scientist of Live Search, a spokeswoman confirmed Thursday. Pedersen, who most recently worked at Amazon.com’s a9.com search subsidiary, spent several years as the chief scientist for the search and advertising technology group at Yahoo, according to his website.
This is also covered here and here. On the one hand, Microsoft ‘steals’ Yahoo’s staff and on the other hand it agitates and empties Yahoo until it becomes dysfunctional and thus can be conquered too. █
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
– George Santayana
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