Bonum Certa Men Certa

'Be Careful' Warning Accompanies Gavin Clarke's Coverage of GNU/Linux

The Register - Gavin



Summary: FUD warnings about particular writers from The Register (new Linux is out and Microsoft's booster Gavin Clarke has to just say something negative and scary, as usual) and IDG's 'open source' blog, which is being used by its writers to promote their businesses

THE REGISTER has declined in terms of quality over the years. We have expressed our disappointment with this publication (and gave examples [1, 2]) after it had gotten closer to Microsoft. One of their worst writers is the guy who runs their Microsoft audiocast (along with Mary Jo Foley). Sadly for GNU/Linux, this guy (Clarke) also likes to cover GNU/Linux, usually in a tongue-in-cheek type of way. We have warned about his bias and convictions since around 2008.



“This is probably intended to make people afraid of Linux, or at least to imply that there are technical issues with it.”A new version of Linux is out this week and rather than cover the good news, Gavin -- on behalf of The Register -- just published the headline "'Be careful' warning accompanies latest Linux kernel".

This is probably intended to make people afraid of Linux, or at least to imply that there are technical issues with it. No other publication that we found (we look at two dozens of headlines) put a negative spin on this release.

A lot of mainstream media FUD affected Linux also when Novell made the unnecessary "bloated" remark. That happened in LinuxCon, which is organised by the Linux Foundation (heavily influenced by Novell).

Novell's Markus Rex, who used to serve the Linux Foundation as a chief, gets a Novell/SUSE placement/spot at the Linux Foundation Web site. Rex is not a bad guy however; actually he's one among the minority at Novell which actually cares about GNU/Linux as opposed to marketing 'fluff' like Fog Computing. To quote a portion of the post:

Rex: My prediction for 2010 is more Linux, more Linux, more Linux. We will see the continued march of the penguin as Linux becomes the de facto operating system across a wide range of technologies. Today, Linux can be found in almost every data center and is making progress across a wide range of consumer technologies, including smartphones, netbooks and car entertainment systems. Linux has expanded its ecosystem and is now being deployed in a variety of different environments, including physical, virtual and cloud.


If Novell went under (after selling), Rex would probably be scooped up by one the companies that can gain at Novell's expense. Novell won't be missed as its full-time employees too continue to smear (and assist other people's smears) against Techrights. it's quite blatant.

Going back to FUD, watch how OpenLogic still uses IDG's 'open source' blog (syndicated in Google News) to promote its products, this time spreading Red Hat FUD to help its own support business (there is also a lot of marketing around CloudLinux, which is another RHEL clone with a better marketing name). OpenLogic's 'cousins' from Black Duck (they also use IDG's 'open source' blog to spread FUD and thus sell their services) are receiving money from SAP now.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Walmart Vizio TVs Scream At Immigrants to Leave America
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
How Corporations Such as Microsoft Try to Crush Critics and Dissolve Activism
Stay focused
Wikipedia Can Lower Its Hosting Bill by Going More Static, Not Just by Caching, But It Would Not Solve Its Biggest Problems (Bribes and AstroTurfing)
For about 15 years we had a Wiki in this site
Urgent Need for SLAPP Litigation Transparency
Microsofters really want to shut us up
On Shutdowns and 2,000 More Layoffs at Microsoft (10,000 Microsoft Staff May Have Already Been Laid Off in 2025)
Microsoft tries to hide and belittle mass layoffs; its data centre business also flounders, so it issues puff pieces about some anniversary over and over again
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: A "Deep Dive" Into the Complaint at the California Privacy Protection Agency
There are many facets to it and it may be the first complaint of several
 
You Can Be an A--hole to Women (Even Strangle Women) as Long as You Work for Microsoft
Recalling the Mark Shuttleworth origin story
Canonical is a Proprietary Software Reseller With a 'Debian Base'
"Canonical Ubuntu" is just Debian with some proprietary things sold on top of it
statCounter Sees Microsoft Bing at Lowest Level Since Last Summer
Since 2023 Bing has repeatedly had layoffs
Nearly 5,000 Microsoft Layoffs Disclosed on Week of Microsoft 'Anniversary' (Media Noise), The HR Digest Says More Layoffs Coming
more "Microsoft layoffs on the horizon"
Windows "Market Share" Down to 1% in Sudan, Based on statCounter
Among those 1% who use Windows to access the Web fewer than 30% are on Vista 11
People Who Facilitate Truth Will Always Win at the End
"Just always stick to the truth"
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, "Cyber Security News" and More LLM Slopfarms
So the Web has this bunch of slopfarms pretending to "cover" GNU/Linux
Links 08/04/2025: More Mass Layoffs Expected at Microsoft (Gaming), Fentanylware (TikTok) Unsold
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: "Shared Ownership" and Rant About Scrapers
Links for the day
Links 08/04/2025: Microsoft Shrinking, Oracle's Clown Computing Cracked
Links for the day
Stolen Credit Card and LinkedIn. DHS Spies on Immigrant Social Media.
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
At 50, Microsoft Has Over 100 Billion Dollars in Debt and Less Than 25% "Market Share" (Windows)
statCounter basically sees less than a quarter of Web requests coming from Windows
linuxhint.com Died 12 Months Ago (After Adopting Image Slop)
Zombie sites
LLM Slop Will Eventually Stop Due to High Costs, Worse Training Sets (Polluted Models Ingesting Their Own Junk), and No Real Returns
This too shall pass
Courage is Contagious
I became a witness to acts of great courage from EPO examiners
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: Gabbro 0.1.4 and Disillusioned With Social Control Media
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows in Jordan: From 99% Down to 10%
This is becoming more "normal"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, April 07, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, April 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Stock Market, Galène, and DMT Entities
Links for the day
During the Weekend We Said Fedora DEI Requires Proprietary Software, Now the Chat About It Is No Longer Accessible Over the Open Web
is this just a coincidence and an habitual change in Element?
Microsoft Problems in Europe Even Before the Cheeto Tariffs
The case of Romania, Europe's notorious Microsoft fan
Oman in 2025: GNU/Linux Growing to 5%
what can Microsoft do about it except sabotage the PCs?
Links 07/04/2025: US Measles Fatalities and China Launches HDMI and DisplayPort Alternative
Links for the day
Links 07/04/2025: More Cuts to Science Funding, Snail-speed Internet in Germany
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Leasehold and Safe Gifts
Links for the day
Microsoft Shares Collapse Again (Down $101), Fifth Round of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in Less Than 100 Days in 2025
disaster
In Some Countries, Laptops and Desktops Become a Dying Breed (Even Before Tariffs), Windows Has Nowhere to Go
expect more GNU/Linux on new and existing laptops
When the Credibility or 'Quality' of Clients Ceases to Matter, It's About Helping Rich Companies Like Microsoft Censor Critics (No Matter the Risks)
Bad ideas typically result in undesirable outcomes
UAE: GNU/Linux and Android at Record Levels, Windows at New Lows and Falling Below Apple
Even iOS is measured as bigger than Windows this month
Links 07/04/2025: Reddit Occupied (Social Control Media Controlled by Oligarchy), Demise of Globalisation Ongoing
Links for the day
Windows Has Fallen to All-Time Lows in Switzerland Since GNU Celebrated 40th Anniversary (GNU’s 40th Birthday in Biel, Switzerland)
GNU/Linux has been doing well in Switzerland
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 06, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 06, 2025
Links 07/04/2025: Leaving Gemini/smolweb and Mastodon Migrations
Links for the day