Bonum Certa Men Certa

GNU/Linux Versus Microsoft Entryism Challenges

Slate



Summary: Slate is dumping Vista 7 for Linux (now confirmed), but Microsoft's entry into HP raises some questions and brings back memories of Yahoo!

TIMES are good for Linux and for GNU. On devices and servers in particular Free software gains rapidly and all that Microsoft can do is sue or threaten to sue (to suppress adoption). But another thing Microsoft can do is influence companies that use GNU/Linux, sometimes by having Microsoft executives put in them (migration without permission). We saw that before.



Linux (a great kernel) is very popular in mobile devices and Sony is said to be preparing a tablet -- possibly one that runs Linux.

Other mainstay computer manufacturers also preparing to unleash tablet devices upon the masses include the likes of Acer, ASUS, MSI and Dell.


Just about any tablet these days is running Linux/Android (many OEMs choose Android, some use GNU/Linux), with the exception of the hypePad which does less for more. HP was going to be somewhat of an exception, but as we shall see later, HP too has changed its mind.

Last week we wrote about Microsoft's Allard allegedly leaving Microsoft after making hardware projects that always fail (technically and also as a business). We now have many more reports on the subject, in some sense confirming that Microsoft is losing its way on devices (not that it was even successful there):



Courier is definitely dead (Microsoft confirmed it [1, 2]), but regarding the Slate we only had rumours until now [1, 2]. Well, it is now confirmed [1, 2] that HP is going with Linux. They dumped Vista 7.

HP will take Linux even further than Slate:

HP, whose $1.2 billion purchase of Palm will be completed on 31 July, has indicated it could use the WebOS software to power its internet-connected printers and slate computers, leading to speculation that the rumours of a 'Hurricane' tablet PC are true.


Also in the news:



Here is the rumour before it was confirmed:

What's still unclear is whether HP is still planning a Slate with Windows 7. HP has declined to comment Friday on the current status of the product. HP introduced the Windows 7 Slate on stage during Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote at CES in January, but since the news of the Palm acquisition hit the company has been mum on its future. HP also declined to comment on a recent report quoting unnamed sources that the company was killing the Windows 7 Slate.


Last week we expressed concerns about Microsoft's Veghte entering HP as Vice President. Would he attempt to retract HP's smart judgment? Veghte's past is not an ethical one. According to HP's current plans, pico projectors are coming soon and they too will possibly run Linux like many of their kind. Might Veghte try to reverse this? He only started working for HP a week ago, based on the following report (also in Rupert Murdoch's site):

Days after reports surfaced last month that Hewlett-Packard Co. was reconsidering the use of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 7 software in a forthcoming tablet device, H-P made a curiously timed hiring announcement.

[...]

H-P declined to make Veghte available to comment for this story. He won't officially begin work at the company until May 17.

Microsoft spokesman Bill Cox declined to comment on the company's relations with H-P and other computer makers.


It is possible that HP is already paying Microsoft for Linux, based on some old deal that they signed. But we don't know for sure. Previously, after Microsoft executives had entered Amazon, the company decided to pay Microsoft for GNU/Linux (in Kindle and Red Hat servers). Experience alone suggests that 'former' Microsoft executives are trouble because they remain loyal to Microsoft.

“Experience alone suggests that 'former' Microsoft executives are trouble because they remain loyal to Microsoft.”Here is the Washington Post writing a little late about Microsoft's Gounares becoming a chief in AOL and some new articles where Microsoft's Kevin Johnson is quoted as CEO of Juniper [1, 2].

If we have learned something from Microsoft's hijack of Yahoo!, it is that employing people from Microsoft is an HR mistake. Yahoo! is now buying some more bloggers and insisting that becoming a second fiddle to Microsoft won't be too disruptive. It sure will disrupt the career of many BSD/PHP experts. It already has.

Yahoo! says that even after Microsoft assumes control of its search engine listings, it will retain many of its most talented search engineers.

In July of last year, after an epic gestation period, Carol Bartz and company signed a ten-year search pact with Steve Ballmer and Microsoft that will see Bing serve up search listings to Yahoo! users. And though the deal specifies that 400 engineers will eventually move from Yahoo! to Microsoft, Yahoo! chief architect Raymie Stata tells The Reg that he expects a good number of the company's top search brains to stay with the company and put their expertise to work on other services.


Icahn's proxy war is done [1, 2, 3] as this vulture continues to fly away into the horizon, looking for his next victim.

He cut his holding in Internet company Yahoo (YHOO.O) to 4 million shares from 12 million. He had urged the company to consider a deal with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O).


Another risk to watch out for would be former Microsoft employees creating companies which often become supplemental to Microsoft.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Michael “Monty” Widenius: It Started in 1983 With Richard Stallman (RMS)
The other co-founder of MySQL is a bit notorious for confronting RMS rather viciously
For the Second Time in a Few Weeks Microsoft Lunduke Makes False Accusations Against Senior Red Hat Staff to Incite a Despicable 'Troll Army'
Nothing that Microsoft Lunduke claims of says can be trusted
su lisa && rm -rf /home/ibm/power
Novell was ruined by another person from IBM, Ronald Hovsepian
A Record Demand at Microsoft: Demand to Cancel
What we're witnessing is a very ungraceful destruction of XBox
 
Links 03/10/2025: Conflicts, Death of TypePad, and TikTok/CheeTok Gives a Boost to Far Right Groups in Europe
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 02, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, October 02, 2025
Slopwatch: Linux Journal, Google News, and LinuxSecurity
They carry on polluting the Web with fake articles
Gemini Links 02/10/2025: Kubernetes With FreeBSD and robots.txt
Links for the day
Links 02/10/2025: 'Open' 'AI' Resorting to Gimmicks and Fake Funding, Europe’s ‘Drone Wall’ Discussed
Links for the day
Links 02/10/2025: Brave Passes 100M Users Milestone, Kodak Selling Its Own Film Again
Links for the day
Microsoft is Losing Europe
Hence all the "support" and "discount" offers that are limited to Europe
The Free Software Foundation Starts Fund-raising for 40th Anniversary
New pop-up 2-3 days ahead of the 40th anniversary event
Systemd Breaks Networking in Debian and Microsoft Staff Rushes to Make Face-Saving Excuses in LWN
Microsoft's bluca is already there in the comments, his Microsoft money pays for LWN to let him leave comments early
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 01, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 01, 2025
What the End of XBox Will Look Like: a Fiery Crash
XBox is the next Skype. It won't last much longer. Expect many more layoffs.
Richard Stallman is Going to Finland to Give a Talk Next Thursday
A day later he speaks in Sweden
Gemini Links 02/10/2025: SMTP Pipelining and End of ROOPHLOCH 2025
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Plagiarism, Fake Articles, and FUD About Linux
not a day goes by without Google News feeding FUD from slopfarms
Gemini Links 01/10/2025: Chat Control and End of Life
Links for the day
Links 01/10/2025: Long Covid Risk Reiterated, "Bitcoin Queen" Caught
Links for the day
Links 01/10/2025: EA $55 Billion Deal is Debt and Slop "Raises Vishing Risks"
Links for the day
Bluewashing at Red Hat Means Redundancies
The man who sold Red Hat to IBM meanwhile became a Microsoft Mono booster
After Killing OpenSource.com, IBM ('Red Hat') and OSI Told Us OpenSource.net Would Replace It (But That Didn't Happen)
Now it's time to move on, perhaps tarnishing the "Open Source" label some more (for whatever sponsor wants this)
Linux is Not a Community Project, It's a Wall Street Product
The core goal should be freedom
Bad Actors Abusing the Free Software Community, Vandalising It Using Rogue Politics and Old Tactics
Oil giants have long attempted to do this; now, the digital equivalent of Big Oil does this in technology
Social Control Media Isn't the Future, The Federation or Fediverse Isn't Growing, People's Accounts Vanish for Good
users' accounts will get deleted, not just become inactive
IBM is Failing, This Helps Show Wall Street is Entirely Detached From Actual Commercial Performance
IBM is unable to grow, it's just constantly shrinking
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Clerical Aspects of Publishing and Development
In Free software, the management aspects are considerably reduced
Slopwatch: Fake Articles and Google News Promoting "Linux" Spam or Bot-Generated Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt (FUD)
These slopfarms help misplace blame
Third Wave of Microsoft Layoffs in September, This Time Many in Liverpool Affected
Be ready for more waves of layoffs ahead of the so-called "results" in late October