03.17.14

Open Source Think Tank is Still Not About Open Source

Posted in Deception, Free/Libre Software, Microsoft at 1:22 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Think tanks

Summary: Open Source continues to be invaded by proprietary software interests, this time with another so-called “think tank”

NOW THAT Black Duck is pushing out its press releases (yes, same old garbage again; garbage in, garbage out), we kindly ask readers to pay attention to what we wrote about Black Duck’s "Open Source Think Tank". Like many so-called “think tanks”, it is not what it appears to be as backers include foes of Open Source, which means that Microsoft FUD and other controversial views (like calling proprietary “open”) should definitely be expected. Black Duck has strong connections with Microsoft (more so than Duck Duck Go), so this should not be too surprising. Don’t let them duck under criticism because they are trying to gain credibility for their own agenda, which includes proprietary software and software patents.

Speaking of deception, there is a strange article in Forbes today (the press glorifying the wealthy) which says that “Tier3 Compete With Microsoft And Amazon” using “Open Source As A Recruiting Tool”. Well, this has nothing to do with Open Source, it is some Seattle-flavoured spin about Microsoft and Amazon. Here is the context in which the article presents “Open Source”. It says: “Which is where open source comes in – Tier3 is trying to fill a new cloud development center they’re building in Seattle, and one of the ways they’re doing it is by a deep involvement in a bunch of different open source project – the company incubated the Iron Foundry project, an initiative that built .NET support on top of the Cloud Foundry PaaS and now they’re doing it again with ElasticLINQ.”

So this is competing with Microsoft? Promoting .NET? And trying to label it “open source” just as Mono is doing? Seriously? This is beyond deceiving, it’s a lie and perhaps spin at best. Don’t let the meaning of Open Source go to waste; it’s already decoupled from Free software and companies like Microsoft try to ruin both labels, calling OOXML “open” and Windows “free” (as in gratis, to undermine Linux domination). Open Source needs Microsoft like Ukraine needs Russia. █

Share this post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Permalink Mail Send this to a friend

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

Pages that cross-reference this one

What Else is New

Links 22/7/2014: Linux 3.16 RC 6, New UberStudent

Links for the day
Links 20/7/2014: Jolla in India, Mega Censored in Italy

Links for the day
Longtime Mono Booster Joins Microsoft-linked Xamarin

Jo Shields almost joins Microsoft, settling instead for its proxy, Xamarin
Linux Foundation Welcomes Patent Aggressor Red Bend Software

The Linux Foundation's AllSeen Alliance welcomes as a member a company that uses software patents to sue Free/Open Source software
Matt Levy From Patent Progress (and CCIA) Does Not Really Want Patent Progress

Matthew ('Matt') Levy moved into a foe of patent progress last year, but he still runs a site calls Patent Progress, in which he diverts all attention to patent trolls (as large corporations such as Microsoft like to do)
Attacking FOSS by Ignoring/Overlooking Issues With Proprietary Software

The biasing strategy which continues to be used to demonise Free/Open Source software (FOSS) along with some new examples
Links 19/7/2014: CRUX 3.1 is Out, CyanogenMod Competes With Google Now

Links for the day
Microsoft's Massive Layoffs Go Far Beyond Nokia; Nokia's Android Phones Axed by Microsoft's Elop

Microsoft's rapid demise and permanent exit from Nokia's last remaining Linux platform (after Microsoft had killed two more)
Patents on Software Already Being Invalidated in Courts Owing to SCOTUS Ruling on 'Abstract' Patents

The Federal Circuit Appeals Court has just "invalidated a software patent for being overly abstract," says a patents expert
OpenSUSE 'Community' is Crumbling, AttachMSFT Killed SUSE's Potential (Except as Microsoft Tax)

Not much too see in the land of SUSE and Attachmate, or formerly the company known as Novell
Links 18/7/2014: Slackware Turns 21, Spotify Switches to Ubuntu

Links for the day
Links 16/7/2014: Manjaro 0.8.10 Third Update, SIA Migrates to Red Hat

Links for the day
Microsoft's Latest Round of Massive/Bulk/Large-scale Layoffs

Microsoft boosters are preparing 'damage control' pieces ahead of massive layoffs at Microsoft
Secrecy Allows British Government to be Manipulated by Microsoft for Spyware Behind Closed Doors

Dependence on malicious software from NSA ally Microsoft is highly dependent, at least in Britain, on government secrecy and vain refusal to comply with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
Software Patent Applications Already Being Rejected in the US Owing to SCOTUS Ruling, Some Patent Lawyers Are Fuming

Good news on the software patents front as the USPTO starts rejecting software patent applications, based on patent lawyers' words
Links 15/7/2014: New Plasma, Google Announces Project Zero

Links for the day
Interest in Free Software Coverage and 9 Months With Tux Machines

Thoughts about the level of interest in Free/Open Source software (FOSS) and growth of at least some sites that focus on GNU/Linux
White House Backs Away From Appointing Patents Zealot to Top USPTO Position

Philip Johnson is no longer poised to become the Director of the USPTO, which is basically an establishment that provides protectionism to primarily US-based corporations
Professor James Bessen Presents the Case Against Software Patents After Important SCOTUS Ruling

The debate about software patents in the Unites States continues, with academia on one side and greedy patent lawyers on the other
Software Patents Demising in the US as Microsoft Patent Attacks on Android/Linux Suffer a Huge Setback

M-Cam's assessment of Microsoft's bundle of extortion (using software patents) shows toothlessness, irrespective of the SCOTUS decision to effectively annul "abstract" software patents
Links 13/7/2014: KDE Activity Surge

Links for the day
Pro-Microsoft Spin in Microsoft-Funded News Networks

The rogue media (misinformation) campaign of Microsoft benefits from networks which have been paid by Microsoft over the years
Cronyism at Play: European Hostility Towards Free/Libre Software Despite Espionage and Moles

Europe continues to be held hostage with back doors, lock-in, and massive payments to foreign powers, despite evidence that these powers are destructive and hostile
Wirelessly-Controlled Contraceptives and Other Villainous Bill Gates Initiatives

Remote controls for people's reproductive systems are now in the making and Bill Gates is a prominent investor in the technology
Links 12/7/2014: CrossOver, New Wine

Links for the day
Links 10/7/2014: LXLE 14.04 in Headlines, Plasma 5

Links for the day
OpenDocument Format (ODF) Still Alive and Kicking

Caligra, WebODF and various influential nations' departure from Microsoft Office will help famous projects such as OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice make ODF the only international standard for editable documents exchange
The Effect of Corporate Media Bias: FOSS Demonisation and Microsoft Openwashing

A set of very recent examples where the corporate press produces FOSS-hostile articles (or pro-Microsoft articles) by citing biased sources of convenience
The NSA's Top (and First) PRISM Partner, Microsoft, Lies to Governments and Businesses as Office Gets Banned in China

Developments in China reveal that security and privacy threats posed by reliance on Microsoft are so great that a ban becomes inevitable and continues to expand (Microsoft put on more and more block lists and blacklists)
Microsoft's Propaganda Machine Tries to Shift Security Debate Amid Serious Catastrophes

Observations and analysis of some recent deception in corporate news sites (like Condé Nasty), trying to pretend that Microsoft is secure, that Microsoft is pursuing security, and that FOSS and Android security or privacy are inherently poor