Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft's Entryism and Infiltration-Type Attacks on GNU/Linux Are Nothing New

They're been trying to do that as long as this site's existence, with help from the likes of Bill Hilf, Sam Ramji, and Miguel de Icaza

I am The Loraxsoft. I keep saying I 'love Linux' and therefore I now speak for Linux



Summary: Whatever Microsoft does to embrace-extend-extinguish (EEE) GNU/Linux and Free software at large, none of that is entirely new; it's just a progression of old strategies (e.g. replacing the defunct CodePlex with GitHub, at a great cost). We need more whistle-blowers from Microsoft to shed light on these things.

TACTICS of assimilation. They're not new. They're not so innovative. You basically try either to identify with your competition or try to make your competition identify with you (blurring differences, then taking control). This is discussed a lot behind the scenes in Techrights, albeit most of this discussion is visible in the form of IRC logs.



"I don't do this all by myself; we're a fast-growing team of passionate Free software proponents."Microsoft's assimilation tactics are nothing new. Back when the Novell patent deal was signed -- way back in 2006 -- we already saw plenty of examples of that. Among them: document format wars, Mono, Hyper-V...

https://twitter.com/TvPrivacy/status/1207002964415660032

We acknowledge but never regret that our focus on EPO scandals from 2014 to present reduced our ability to debunk Microsoft FUD. Our capacity improved a lot over the past year, so now we can cover both. Daily Links are bigger (in terms of volume) than ever before and we nowadays publish IRC logs on a daily basis -- as we used to do about a decade ago. I don't do this all by myself; we're a fast-growing team of passionate Free software proponents. We have had more guest posts over the past year and the Editorial Team publishes articles as well (sometimes it seems appropriate to not name the author).

People Who Come From Microsoft Are Sometimes Microsoft-Hostile



While it's too easy to de-humanise everyone who has worked for Microsoft, we increasingly see more people who regret their time at Microsoft. They even speak strongly against it and file formal complaints. Mr. Lunduke worked for Microsoft (a long time ago), the most prominent critic of Microsoft's tax evasion had come from Microsoft, and some of our sources also come from Microsoft. In recent years it has become increasingly common to blow the whistle on one's employer -- a trend which billionaires are eager to curb because it scares them. Last week we saw reports about Amazon's chief (Bezos) threatening staff who speaks about climate change and Google increasingly resorts to union-busting tactics, just like Microsoft. We should strive to always encourage this behaviour and facilitate -- in the form of an anonymity-preserving platform -- those wishing to express their views/share their inside secrets without putting a name on the voice (or hard evidence).

"Never underestimate people's ability to change or reconsider their positions."One of the more amusing things I've witnessed in recent years is online fights, notably in Twitter, between former Microsoft staff and current ones. They're sparring over Microsoft's lies and delusion. It's a refreshing change. Dissent from within the company helps dispel the myths it is trying to spread (e.g. "Microsoft loves Linux").

In a similar vein, many of our sources about EPO abuses are directly or indirectly connected to the EPO. Unlike Microsoft, the EPO is a monopoly in the institutional sense (there cannot be another EPO, it enjoys a monopoly over the whole region), so people who work there recognise their obligation to the public. The EPO's 'conscientious objectors' -- like Microsoft's -- are humanity's brave, courageous risk takers. Never underestimate people's ability to change or reconsider their positions.

"One strategy that Microsoft has employed in the past is paying for the silence of people and companies. Charles Pancerzewski, formerly Microsoft’s chief auditor, became aware of Microsoft’s practice of carrying earnings from one accounting period into another, known as “managing earnings”. This practice smoothes reported revenue streams, increases share value, and misleads employees and shareholders. In addition to being unethical, it’s also illegal under U.S. Securities Law and violates Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (Fink)."

--2002 story about Charles Pancerzewski, Microsoft

Recent Techrights' Posts

If You Don't Control Your Online Platform, Then Someone Else is Controlling You
be (or become) independent
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Has a Policy on Racism and Sexism
In then future we'll show the misogyny and racial slurs
Links 22/09/2025: Murdochs Might Join Fentanylware (TikTok) 'Investors' (Masters), United Kingdom Recognises Palestinian Statehood
Links for the day
The 50-Pound Note Experiment and the "War on Cash"
Britain is actually seeing a rebound in cash payments, and it's not a temporary phenomenon
 
What Scares Them the Most is Independent News Sites That They Cannot Control and Censor
Wikileaks was a good example of this
Oracle Started This Year With Slop. Then It Stopped.
Passing fads are like this
Distros That Run on PCs Made 20 Years Ago and Don't Use Systemd
Betas for now
The Complaint About Brett Wilson LLP - Part I - Abusing British Women on Behalf of American Men Who Abuse American Women
Transparency is important to us, so we've decided to make this series
Slopwatch: Google News and the Evident Slopfarm Infestation
This is what people get about Linux when they query Google for Linux
Gemini Links 22/09/2025: Esperanto Music History and Apps For Android
Links for the day
Links 22/09/2025: More American 'Censorship' (Retaliation for Journalism), Cheeto "Might Be Losing His Race Against Time"
Links for the day
The Blob Slop
Give me more words, give me some text
Slopwatch: Blaming the Victims for Microsoft's Failures and Plagiarising Phoronix
That's what Google has been reduced to: slop and slopfarms
Links 22/09/2025: Breaches, Windows TCO, and Arrests
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/09/2025: Rabbit Hole and DeGoogling Fairphone
Links for the day
Links 22/09/2025: Russian War Planes Invade NATO Airspace While Dihydroxyacetone Man Escalates Attack on Free Speech Because of Critics
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 21, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 21, 2025
Links 21/09/2025: "Hey Hi" (Hype) Under Fire, Fakes Identified; Tesla Burns Family
Links for the day
Google's Software is Malware and Malware in Mobile Devices
Originally posted by Rob Musial
Links 20/09/2025: Hegemony Coming to a Close, Luigi Mangione Ruled Not Terrorist
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/09/2025: "Charlie Kirk Was a Hateful Piece of Shit" and Slop Code Attempted by Microsofter
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 20, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 20, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Snowy Photos and utism is a Spectrum
Links for the day
Microsoft-Sponsored Xenophobia and Nationalism
IBM is very similar in this regard
Vintage is Sometimes Better
Why can't we get back to "simple" if (or where) "simple" means better?
Climate Breakdown Means We'll be Publishing More, Not Less
Press freedom will be a common, recurring theme
Our 5-Year Geminispace Anniversary is Coming Up
I still remember when Gemini Protocol was quite new
It's Right to Point Out Violence From the Right
Violence is a recurring theme
Tentative Summary of Things to Publish in Project 2030
I'll still be in my forties by then
Web Browsers That "Do Hey Hi" (AI)
State-of-the-art plagiarism or "autocomplete on steroids" (not coined by us, nevertheless a nice description) don't have much/any prospect
Links 20/09/2025: Hardware Projects in View, Some Independent Publishers About Russia Prosper After Cheeto Cuts Funding
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Options and TV Time Machine
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Retrocomputer, Antique Phone Experience, and More
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Internet Shutdowns, Media Censorship, and Climate Worries
Links for the day
About 700 New Gemini Capsules in 13 Months (or 54 Per Month)
4.8K would represent a 20% increase
Rust People: Drain the Swap, You're Holding It Wrong
Does Rust make sense?
Techrights the Name Turns 15
About 6 weeks from now we turn 19
Microsoft is Running Out of Time and Floating Fake Figures, Fake Projects, Fake Narratives, Fake Excuses
Also, a lot of Microsoft's "revenue" claims are circular financing (i.e. Microsoft buying from itself, which means Ponzi-like fraud)
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, linuxconfig.org, and Plagiarised Phoronix
Many articles out there are nowadays fake
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 19, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Navigating the Pressures of Modern Life and SpellBinding Accidentally Wrote Another Gemini Server
Links for the day