Bonum Certa Men Certa

It Is October Already and There Are New Normals (Some Permanent)

October



Summary: The profound changes caused by coronavirus since one year ago (COVID-19) are generally beneficial to GNU/Linux, even if they're anything but beneficial to the economy (and the status quo) at large

"WHEN will things be/get back to normal?"



Each and every one of us heard/read that question quite a lot back in April (if not much earlier, depending on where one lives).

A common reply was, especially as time went on, "there's no going back to normal" or "there will be a new normal..."

Remember those who lied, arguing with unbridled optimism that there would be a vaccine by year's end? 'Pump and dump' of their shares (stock)? Either way, as we've said all along, it can take a very long time to develop an effective vaccination programme/regimen and the substances manufactured must undergo a lot of testing before being injected into the bloodstream/circulation of billions of people. We also noted long-term effects of COVID-19 and mentioned that just because one got it and then recovered from it doesn't imply immunity; mutation and recirculation trumps innoculation. This thing is here to stay for quite some time to come and landlords of office buildings would be foolish to wait for a resurgence. The workers aren't coming back. Not any time soon (if ever).

"This past summer Microsoft laid off about 5,000 workers, though the media hardly paid attention to that (Microsoft worked hard to ensure people would barely notice)."In the meantime, as expected, more OEMs (even the very largest ones) offer GNU/Linux as a standard option (in the OS selector, configurator and so on). This is undoubtedly a positive development.

ESR already falls all over himself with more of his crazy theories (albeit not political but technical this time around) and sleazy ZDNet amplifies his theories not once but several times (second time a few hours ago, this time by SJVN). Expect this propaganda site of Microsoft to push that narrative wherein Microsoft sort of 'owns' Linux in the same sense it owns and controls GitHub. This is an attack, definitely not an embrace. They have plans. They have a nefarious strategy.

3 pumpkinsAs GNU/Linux becomes more and more mainstream expect the attacks on it to intensify (e.g. "security" FUD) and vary some more. Creative new attack vectors will be explored and we've covered some of them. GNU/Linux is winning in the "market share" sense (software freedom is another matter). It's the "platform to beat" right now. COVID-19 has generally changed business models, harming some old technology companies that aren't accustomed to the 'new norm'. This past summer Microsoft laid off about 5,000 workers, though the media hardly paid attention to that (Microsoft worked hard to ensure people would barely notice).

When we say there's no "back to normal" and "there's a new normal" we also mean to say that Free software becomes a lot more prevalent, partly for economic reasons. But that in itself does not guarantee software freedom; at the moment we see many attacks on copyleft, with the goal of developing proprietary software by exploiting the work of volunteers, then using this software to spy, maim, and sometimes even kill people. When they tell us stuff like "Open Source has won" they mean to say openwashing (of proprietary programs) has "won" or GitHub (i.e. Microsoft monopoly) is taking control of the competition. This isn't quite what Richard Stallman envisioned or how he foresaw it developing back in the early 1980s. But we're evolving as the threats become better understood. Even Bruce Perens (who created OSI) speaks about those new threats. He quit OSI earlier this year, citing the openwashing trend which deeply concerned him. Unlike the other OSI co-founder (ESR), Perens does not need to beg for money. Perens is no crackpot. He supports neither political fascism nor technical fascism. Perens also supports Stallman, whereas ESR saw OSI as an opportunity to 'cancel' Stallman back in the 1990s. Halloween is coming, but ESR seems to have forgotten about the Halloween Documents (which he published). Scary times. Collective amnesia calls for recollection. Gates deposition tapes are coming back. Microsoft leaks too. Stay tuned. We have some "October Surprises"...

Recent Techrights' Posts

Traf-O-Data, the Company That Jeffrey Epstein's BFF (Bill Gates) (Co)Founded 53 Years and Went Out of Business Due to Heavy Losses
Who will die first, Bill or Microsoft?
A Note on SimilarWeb
Or why SimilarWeb is meaningless for more than 99% of the sites on the Web
IBM Said to be Shutting Down Offices or Sites in the United States
the press can no longer avoid admitting that IBM moves many jobs to India
LLM Slop as Attack Vector on the Reputation of Linux
The attacks on Linux have escalated to information warfare
 
Links 04/04/2025: LLM Slop Bubble Bursting and Korea Music Copyright Association Bans Slop 'Music'
Links for the day
Why Microsoft's Shares Sank Almost 20% in Recent Months (the Bubble is Imploding)
verified press reports from the past 24 hours
GNU/Linux Rises to Almost 5% in Algeria While Windows Sinks to All-Time Low
GNU/Linux grew tenfold
Where to Get More Gags
A valued reader recommended that to us
Links 04/04/2025: Tech Stock (Inc. GAFAM) Fall, Google Pretends to Do End-to-End Encrypted Emails (With Google in Control)
Links for the day
To Participate in Fedora Diversity You Must Use Proprietary Software
Not for the first time either
Yandex About to Be Three Times Bigger Than Microsoft (Bing) in Asia
That's about 60% of the world's population
Gemini Links 04/04/2025: Decoupling Updates, Elaho as Gemini Client
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 03, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 03, 2025
Microsoft's Trouble in Africa and Asia
A new all-time high for GNU/Linux
Brett Wilson LLP Reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
The saddest thing in all this is that law firms can maintain high standards shall they wish to
Links 03/04/2025: Tariff Pains and C.D.C. Cuts
Links for the day
StatCounter: Microsoft is Masking a Disaster, It's Way Behind DeepSeek Already and Interest in LLMs Has Waned
it turns out the money "raised" for "Open" "AI" may not even exist at all
Links 03/04/2025: SoftBank Money for Microsoft "Open" "AI" Probably Doesn't Even Exist, Wikimedia Foundation Blasts LLM Nuisance While Microsoft Admits Demand Has Shrunk
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/04/2025: Patch Panel and Pictures
Links for the day
Islamic Republic of Iran: GNU/Linux at All-time High This Month, Windows Falls to 12%
Vista 10 is up this month despite being "end of life" (EoL) soon
Indonesia: All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux
What's noteworthy right now is the growth of GNU/Linux
statCounter Says GNU/Linux Usage is Up Again (Internationally)
some preliminary April data
Only on April 1st Can the Free Software Foundation Associate With Microsoft's Open Source Initiative (OSI)
We saw some pranks that day linking the FSF to Microsoft (e.g. "endorsing" Windows)
Confirmed in the Mainstream Media: A Lot of Microsoft "Workloads" Were Just LLM Slop (Helping to Fake Growth for Years, as Microsoft Had Paid "Open" "AI" to Become a "Client") and Demand is Rapidly Waning, Datacentres Canceled and/or Shut Down
Anything to facilitate further accounting fraud
Taiwan's Media Covers Closure of Microsoft's "AI" Lab, It's Time to Talk About the Gradual Death of Windows and Implosion of the "AI" Bubble
Earlier this week we showed that mostly Asian media had the 'nerve' to mention Microsoft silently shutting down its 'AI' lab
IBM Gets Rid of Kelly Chambliss as Mass Layoffs Reported in IBM Consulting, IBM Loses Key Contracts/Graft
IBM Consulting has been in disarray lately
More Gains for GNU/Linux, Based on Web Surveys
the Steam site shows rapid growth for "Linux" this month
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Articles, Not Even Written by Humans
Why aren't Web sites more vocal about this problem?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 02, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Links 03/04/2025: Apple Fined Over Secret Surveillance, "Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: Books and Cold Tea
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: More Layoffs, Nokia Again Takes Advantage of Illegal and Unconstitutional Patent Court With Nokia Staff as 'Judges'
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: Seizures and Returns to Windows of 24 Years Ago
Links for the day
LLM Slop Helps Obscure and Distort News About Layoffs (IBM, GAFAM)
It's hard to find accurate information
Links 02/04/2025: Microsoft Developers Are Threatening to Go on Strike, World Backup Day Noted
Links for the day
Gemini Protocol Has Growing Appeal (the Web Got Too Bloated and Full of LLM Slop)
For any "data plan" with bandwidth limits or "tiers" it would be cheaper to use/browse Geminispace
The Web Can Survive LLM Slop, But Only If We Collectively Shun and Discourage Serial Sloppers
Doing nothing ought not be a possibility
Amid Secret Shut-downs and Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (4 Waves of Layoffs in 3 Months of 2025) Some Microsoft Staff Expected to Go On Strike
workers going on strike
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: No more on Mastodon and Gemini Mention Script in Go
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 01, 2025
My Motion Disbarring or “Striking Off” Brett Wilson LLP for Enabling Violent Americans Who Try to Crush Microsoft Critics in the United Kingdom by Multiple SLAPPs
"Guns for hire" (for Microsoft people who received Microsoft salaries)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Hijacked Again by Patent Litigation Industry, as President Cheeto Prioritises Aggressors
The "mafia" has taken over the "industry" and the Federal system (justice and constitutions trampled upon)
Ubuntu Slop and FUD Manufactured With LLMs and Funded (by Oneself) 'Studies'
Slop and FUD are ruining the Web