09.04.19
Gemini version available ♊︎Openwashing Report: Microsoft Controlling Linux Means That Open Source Wins, Apparently
“Open Source Wins,” declares one headline when “Open source champion Microsoft” (another headline) imposes its specifications on Linux!
Summary: The Linux Foundation is out of control; it’s revealing that it’s little more than a propaganda operation of proprietary software giants (something it certainly wasn’t at inception back in 2007) and the Foundation’s links to media sites amplify this propaganda
TRUTH no longer matters. Apparently. There’s “no money” in truth as opposed to distortion thereof.
We were sadly reminded of this a few days ago when we saw this lengthy new article entitled “History of Microsoft: Timeline and Facts” (wow! Facts! Sounds promising!).
Obviously, as one might expect, it’s a bundle of Microsoft lies. This perhaps is the publisher’s business model (revisionism as a service). You know you’re lied to when Microsoft, in 1994, is called “little company”. It wasn’t an underdog back then and it isn’t an underdog now. The Street is just doing a bunch of Microsoft revisionism, which we’d rather not quote without a detailed rebuttal (this can take a long time when the lies are long). We want to remind readers that Microsoft in 2019 still commits a lot of serious crimes. The company depends on that. Microsoft has, since its genesis, depended on breaking laws. If there’s animosity, distrust and even hostility towards Microsoft, it’s very much deserved; Microsoft earned that. Its very own actions are to blame.
We are saddened (but won’t regret) to say that the Linux Foundation (LF) is now in the business of reputation laundering/whitewashing of businesses that break the law. It happens almost every day. We’ll give an example that is only hours old.
“If there’s animosity, distrust and even hostility towards Microsoft, it’s very much deserved; Microsoft earned that.”“How VMware is becoming a good open source citizen” is an actual headline published yesterday afternoon. It’s VMware-sponsored crap, but this time it comes from an LF associate, Swapnil, who received LF money for this propaganda (for a serial GPL violator). We don’t find this amusing. Something called LF (where the “L” stands for Linux) is the culprit, not some corruptible media like The Street. There’s more of the same, just far too shallow…
What this whole thing boils down to is VMware PR. Hohndel again does revisionism for his employer, aided by (and sponsored by) the Linux Foundation… those associates help relay the Big Lie. The Linux Foundation is an unstoppable propaganda machine that defends GPL violators and attacks GPL enforcers. Why? Because it receives bribes from GPL violators. That’s how corrupt that foundation is. A foundation of lies.
The headline of the next piece too is a lie: “VMware Didn’t Violate The GNU/GPL License” (yes, that’s an actual headline, which is not even supported by the body).
The piece is about mere belief by a new hire of the company (about something that happened before the hiring). The Linux Foundation’s team, or Team Zemlin or whatever, became so obsessed with money that it’s willing to intentionally lie for large corporations. Club Linux Foundation is a propaganda operation; an “Infringers’ Club” is what Bruce Perens called it.
“Club Linux Foundation is a propaganda operation; an “Infringers’ Club” is what Bruce Perens called it.”This isn’t just about VMware. Swapnil has just eagerly pushed Microsoft proprietary software ‘ads’ into the site called LINUX.COM, which the LF lets him edit all on his own. This is the LF in 2019: SQL Server promotion.
If we said a decade ago that this would happen…? People would probably laugh at us. So the LF defends GPL violations, proprietary software etc. Not a word about software patents or anything like that…
Who (or what) is this Foundation useful to?
“So the LF defends GPL violations, proprietary software etc. Not a word about software patents or anything like that…”The Linux Foundation in 2019 is the “environmentalist” who tells greens that they’re ‘too harsh’ on oil companies (while taking fossil fuel money) or the “atheist” who says to atheists that they’re extremists and that agnostics aren’t…
A former Microsoft employee, Jake Hamby, told me this about the Linux Foundation a few hours ago: “Yes, but who else is going to fund them? Of course they’re propaganda for Microsoft and friends: those are the guys with the money who need their reputations laundered. Everyone else just uses GNU/Linux for free and doesn’t pay anyone or think about it.”
So the Linux Foundation is little but a service for “guys with the money who need their reputations laundered…”
Sounds about right. That’s Hohndel’s job at VMware.
And let’s not go into the fact that Hohndel’s previous employer had put NSA back doors in every chip and committed loads of crimes while he was openwashing them. The money (‘business’) is in lying, in whitewashing. Facts don’t ‘pay the bills’…
Speaking of bills, the latest twist in the Foundation’s nonsense? Accusing me of being paid to attack them. Evidence? Nothing. Because it’s false. OK, so defaming their critics is the last resort.
“And let’s not go into the fact that Hohndel’s previous employer had put NSA back doors in every chip and committed loads of crimes while he was openwashing them.”Now they try to insinuate — falsely and without evidence — that I’m paid to criticise them.
Amazing!
But wait, it gets worse!
A certain ill-minded Foundation staffer/associate has compared me about 6 times to Donald Trump (whom I object to) with no factual basis. Why? Because he has no argument with which to justify their Microsoft lies…
I don’t even respond to him, but he seems to be bombarding me with tweets (maybe 8 in a row now; I don’t even reply).
The Code of Conduct (CoC) at the Linux Foundation is worthless. Their staff is calling me “fucking idiot” (3 times this week) and I didn’t curse or anything remotely like that. Six times or so I’ve been compared to Trump. Six times. That’s how many times these people (‘Linux’ Foundation) compared me to Donald Trump.
I can take an insult or two (or three, like “fucking idiot”, thrice), but comparing me to Trump is basically comparing me to a criminal.
See the logic?
“A certain ill-minded Foundation staffer/associate has compared me about 6 times to Donald Trump (whom I object to) with no factual basis.”People who expose the LF’s bad behaviour are now the “liars” and the “criminals”; welcome to the LF Logic. Is there a group called “LF Logic” (yet)?
This very much echoes the rhetoric of Microsoft as a company. It pretends to stand for “ethics” while it does illegal things (like unlawfully banning and imprisoning people).
As for VMware?
If VMware still chooses to weakly deny GPL violations, then it’s choosing to bribe people to spread lies instead of apologising and seeking to correct what was done. That would only make VMware more of a villain and stain anyone who spreads the lies. Swapnil is just angry because he agrees to spread lies and he doesn’t like the consequences of these lies. So now he’s flinging insults at me all day long.
As an aside, I guess that to LF folks anyone whom they don’t agree with is “Trump” (even Trump opposers).
I also got called “fucking idiot” thrice. CoC anyone? Turns out the Linux Foundation is nowhere as polite as it claims it wants others (e.g. actual Linux developers) to be. Try to concentrate on promoting Linux, dear Linux Foundation, instead of insulting actual Linux advocates, OK? You spend too much energy promoting Microsoft, GitHub etc.
“I also got called “fucking idiot” thrice. CoC anyone? Turns out the Linux Foundation is nowhere as polite as it claims it wants others (e.g. actual Linux developers) to be.”It’s time to rename perhaps. It’s time to recognise that the LF isn’t at all dedicated to Linux (its staff certainly isn’t!).
“Dear Linux Foundation,” I sarcastically wrote yesterday. “Let me tell you about this thing called “WINDOWS”
“Did you hear about it?
“WIN-DOWS.
“It’s an operating system
“Microsoft makes it
“Microsoft bribes people to use it
“It competes against Linux.”
Linux Foundation staff uses Windows. These people tell us that we’re “winning” because Microsoft gave us some patented code, such as exFAT. Fossbytes, in last week’s article, went even further. It thinks Microsoft imposing a trap on Linux is “Open Source Wins” (that’s right there in their headline).
“Microsoft which has recently become a big Linux fanboy,” says Fossbytes in the opening part of the article. Maybe the next sentence will say Trump loves black people because he ‘hollers’ at Kanye West.
What on Earth? Who writes such nonsense?
“As an aside, I guess that to LF folks anyone whom they don’t agree with is “Trump” (even Trump opposers).”Here’s another new example: “Microsoft is bringing its exFAT patents to Linux and open source”
Words like “bringing its exFAT patents to Linux” show that TechRadar’s authors understand neither patent law nor Linux. The headline alone makes no sense at all. What lunacy. What nonsense.
Here’s what happens when your sole “Source” for an article about Linux is… Microsoft, which considers Linux to be something to wage “Jihad” against (Bill Gates' word). They ended up adding the cocky “Microsoft loves Linux” image to the article!
Thom Holwerda (OS News) said: “Microsoft ♥ Linux – we say that a lot, and we mean it!”
He repeats a lie and means it. Great. Reminds me why I boycotted all his articles and blocked them at mail client (Thunderbird) level 10+ years ago.
This is PR at work. A lot of these people know they’re lying, but they do so anyway. It’s like reverse writ of libel (saying something positive which they know to be untrue).
“This is PR at work. A lot of these people know they’re lying, but they do so anyway. It’s like reverse writ of libel (saying something positive which they know to be untrue).”“Open source champion Microsoft,” says the headline of Brian Fagioli (who calls GNU/Linux users, collectively, “cheapskates”).
The company that attacks Open Source the mostatent aspec is “Open source champion”… right? Like Ken Livingstone calling Hitler “Zionist” (a real scandal at the time).
Other tabloids did more of the same after the exFAT news, which we covered in [1, 2]. Patent aspects were mentioned as far back as July. █
ᶃ Gemini Space
This post is also available in 
Content is available under CC-BY-SA