Bonum Certa Men Certa

Standards and Choices

Letters and numbers

Summary: GNU/Linux is a very standards-based platform; having lots of choices (e.g. distros to choose from) isn't the principal problem -- or nowhere near the extent sabotage and illegal tactics by Microsoft have been

Choice versus standards. False dichotomy? Many choices can be implemented to comply with a given standard, preventing monoculture while maintaining cooperation at some level. Having multiple measures and units (e.g. decimal/metric versus Imperial) means conversion becomes necessary. Yet the world keeps revolving and we keep trading, even with anomalies in the way we measure things.



"It's not "hatred" to assert that secret deals (typically composed by Microsoft lawyers, often in violation of competition laws) are the primary obstacle. The antitrust case revealed the gory nature of some of these secret deals."Proponents of a so-called 'UNIVERSAL LINUX' (we made a satirical post about it earlier today, using a good ol' car analogy) want us to think that having both GNOME and KDE, or Wayland and X, or many other such things (not the 'same' but one being profoundly outdated and broken, e.g. LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice) is a suicidal path. They blame the wrong thing for limited adoption of GNU/Linux in laptops/desktops. As if the channel 'prefers' Windows because GNU/Linux has inherent problems and not because of Microsoft crimes, including bribery. People who (mis)place the blame on themselves instead of those working to undermine/sabotage their efforts may be suffering a 'self-loathing' complex. They then reinforce the very same FUD patterns originally conceived and disseminated by their adversaries.

In the coming weeks we intend to dig deeper into the Bill Gates deposition transcripts, which include passages about "Jihad" and deliberately breaking standards (to make things like Java work only in Windows). To quote some things that Ryan said in IRC yesterday:

I'd like to see more laptops coming with a KDE distribution. It's a shame KDE doesn't get more attention these days. Means I'm still going to have to do something with it after I buy it. But the defaults never work out for everyone I guess. It could be worse. All kinds of shitty firmware and bugs and an OEM going "Well, we sold it with Windows 10, so....".


The 'problem' with GNU/Linux isn't that it's doing 'too much' for 'too many' people (or only for geeks). There are desktop environments for beginners, not just for advanced (or 'power') users. The open standards are generally there (that's why GTK-based applications are easy to run in KDE and GNOME-based distros deal just fine with Qt) and focus must be placed on the real barriers to widespread adoption. It's not "hatred" to assert that secret deals (typically composed by Microsoft lawyers, often in violation of competition laws) are the primary obstacle. The antitrust case revealed the gory nature of some of these secret deals. Go tell Jim Zemlin from the Linux Foundation that the US government wasn't "kicking a puppy" when it took on Microsoft.

Recent Techrights' Posts

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?
Microsoft Shares Collapse Again (Down $101), Fifth Round of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in Less Than 100 Days in 2025
disaster
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
 
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?
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
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
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
In Iraq, Windows 3.1 (Percent)
There's also zero
One Person's Take on Jef Spaleta, the New Fedora Project Leader
"With a little searching, I wonder what else may be found regarding Microsoft."
Links 06/04/2025: Flood, Cool Gemini Capsule, and Long Form
Links for the day
Links 06/04/2025: Science, Politics, and Pricier Goods
Links for the day
LLM Slop Has Virtually Killed unixmen.com and Many Other Sites
There's no longer any incentive to write real articles in there
Sharp Declines for Microsoft Windows in Bangladesh (Pop. ~175,000,000), Big Gains for GNU/Linux
Microsoft Windows has been having a really hard time in poor countries
Links 06/04/2025: Fake Reviews, Privatisation Heists, and "AI" as Smokescreen for Impoverishing Humans
Links for the day
Taking a Moral Stand Against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and the Worst Offenders/Facilitators
Any other stance would sidle with moral depravity or moral hazard
Links 06/04/2025: Many New Acts of Repression and Elements of Financial Depression
Links for the day
In Qatar GNU/Linux Rose From Under 1% to Over 4% in Two Years (or Over 5% If Counting ChromeOS)
It's a big improvement compared to what we saw last year
LLM Scrapers Are a Nuisance, But They're Also a Reminder It's Time to Make Your Site Static
Perhaps the best protection is the ability to endure surges
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 05, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 05, 2025
Links 06/04/2025: Attacks on Education, Fake Patents, and Fake (Illegal) Patent Courts
Links for the day
France: Apple and Microsoft Down, GNU/Linux Up to New Record Levels
How will tariffs against France impact things in the coming months?
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: What Was Reported to the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
We hope to finish this whole lot within a week, then move on to election, lobbying etc.
Links 05/04/2025: Tariffs Backfiring, YouTuber Arrested, X/Twitter Set to be Fined
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Offline is For Everyone, Copyright Colonialism, and More
Links for the day
Links 05/04/2025: TikTok Unsold (Still), Royal Society is Dead
Links for the day
Techrights Will Spend the Next Few Years Writing a Lot About Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)
It's a growing problem
The State of EPO Staff's Health in Rijswijk or The Hague
We're going to cover the EPO some more later in the month
NVIDIA Corp Lost 36% of Its "Value" Since Cheeto Inauguration, But "Gen Hey Hi" (GenAI) is Totally Not a Bubble
Selling loads of unneeded hardware based on hysterical hype; like selling shovels during a Gold Rush
GNU/Linux Growing in East Asia, Windows by Default No More?
GNU/Linux is now on the shelf
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux 'Articles' From Linux-Hostile LLMs
It is almost always negative things and nobody can be held responsible for it except the charlatans prompting the LLMs
Links 05/04/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) "Sale Looks Highly Imminent" (US), Stock Market Drowning in Panic
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Moving Plants, No to Smartwatches, RAID Hygiene
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 04, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 04, 2025