Bonum Certa Men Certa

GNU/Linux Users, Developers and Advocates Being Painted as Unruly and Rude by Corporate Media Looking to Undermine Software Freedom

Video download link | md5sum d9454d6683def04335771df0b30595a9



Summary: Corporate media, funded by companies that nonchalantly oppress people, would have us believe there's something wrong with people who reject corporate masters in their computing; reality, however, suggests that it is a wholly false narrative induced or cemented by endless repetition, so this framing ought to be rejected outright

THE potential power of projection tactics is often underestimated at peril or risk to ourselves; yesterday we showed how scammers claim to be the victims of "scammers", and in the context of GNU/Linux we habitually see accusations against its users (or developers) that shamelessly distract from the accusers' own behaviour. To give just one example, which is probably recent enough to remember, IBM claims to be saving lives when IBM is in fact partly responsible for history's worst genocides and racism against blacks. Where does IBM summon this audacity to accuse anybody of racism???



Why are Free software activists so rude? That's Just Something Abusive Coprporations SayIn the previous post ("The Free Software Community Needs Solidarity and Stronger Resistance Against Corporate Oligopolies With Their Overlapping Interests"), which is discussed in the video above, we show the extent/lengths to which this sort of spin can go; they have money and they dominate the media (using the media's thirst for cash), so they get to control some 'coin-operated' liars in 'journalist' clothing. They shame grassroots communities while hailing racist corporations. When they're confronted over their lies they proceed to claim to have been "trolled" by some "rude" people. Who provoked who?

"Their goal is to scuttle anything that's not serving their sponsors."This is a very common strategy of narrative inversion; the abuser, which is well rewarded financially for the abuse, claims to be the victim of "abuse"; we oughtn't fall for it. Because if we do, then they will split us apart and spit into our well. Their goal is to scuttle anything that's not serving their sponsors.

We could go on and name some of the culprits (publishers, authors, etc.) but keeping the description generic enough is probably beneficial as it averts unneeded controversy and sidesteps accusations of ad hominem attacks (which is actually what those culprits themselves are doing). Spotting the projection tactics is always worthwhile because it makes responses/rebuttals a lot easier. In due course, if liars walk away because they’re rebutted effectively, they may refrain from doing more of the same, as guilt and shame tend to accompany dishonesty.

I've been doing advocacy for Free software since my early twenties and I've seen plenty of these liars (or corporate spinners) walking away, vanishing abruptly or gradually. We hardly hear the name "Enderle" anymore and publication volume in sites like ZDNet is decreasing. The thing about chronic lying is, overdoing it diminishes the impact and over time the incentive to do that just isn't there anymore.

Our hope is that the likes of IBM will quit trolling the community and defaming people; we see what proxies (if not employees then media that they pay) engage in defamation, and the financial harm caused by retaliation from communities may beget cessation. In Microsoft's case, they've become more clever in the way they attack or belittle GNU/Linux because they've come to realise that FUD is detrimental to sales (many of their customers also use GNU/Linux). Vigilance certainly goes a long way and pointing out errors discourages repetition of these errors (or intentional lies).

One way to help the Free software cause is to respond and correct; if claims are being made of all sorts of "isms", then we need to examine the underlying evidence and if there's insufficient evidence we can talk about it. A lot of the time we may find hypocrisy and double standards from the accusers (projection) and talking about it publicly can certainly discourage repetition. It really does work!

Remember that 15 years ago we focused on responding to lies told by Microsoft and Novell. Over time they shifted the targets, moved the goalposts, and changed their story. At the end Novell simply collapsed and Microsoft's dream of universal "Linux tax" didn't work out. It only temporarily worked to a certain extent and now they're incapable of suing companies over patents in relation to "Linux" because it would cause a massive backlash and customer exodus. Microsoft still hates Linux, but it cannot say so publicly. Microsoft still fights against the GPL (see Copilot), but it is paying the SFC to infiltrate events about copyleft and hijack keynote slots. There is an extensive campaign of deception and we should be too wise to fall for it. The better we prepare to confront the deception, the less likely this deception is to recur. At some point it goes away completely. Then we win... the argument.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Speed of GNU/Linux
The media seldom speaks of the dangers of "proprietary software"
Proprietary Windows Versus "Linux" News (Trying to Keep People on Windows, Never Exploring GNU/Linux)
Good editors know better how to recognise threats and not give them lip service
Ensuring That Every Computer User Anywhere in the World Can Take Control of All His or Her Computers
We must fight the people who attack general-purpose computing, in particular those who push this agenda very aggressively inside Linux
Gemini Links 28/04/2025: Autism and Structural Navigation
Links for the day
What Happened to the Open Source Initiative (OSI) Elections: The Purge, the Cover-up, and the Witch-hunts
OSI has gone "full Microsoft"
 
If Tesla Shares (and Alleged Value) Fell 55% (From $489 to $222) in a Few Months Maybe It's Not Worth Anything At All (It's Just Gambling)
Tesla swasticars have turned from a "status symbol" into a "public embarrassment" and cause for casual humiliation
Coming Soon: Microsoft Fake Results, Mass Layoffs, and Silence About All the People Microsoft Pressured to "Quit" (So That They Don't Get Counted as Layoffs)
there will be more mass layoffs
Chromebooks' Adoption in Sweden No Longer Depends on Schools
School breaks are when classrooms are shut
No, IBM is Not Investing $150 Billion in the US and It Doesn't Even Have That Kind of Money
Here we go again... media as a vehicle of lobbying and misinformation
Leak: The EPO's General Consultative Committee (GCC) Does Not Consult Staff on Crucial Matters and Bypasses the Administrative Council (AC) to Do Illegal Things
violations against the EPO's very staff
New Leaks Coming Soon, We Maintain 100% Record of Successful Resistance to Censorship
We won't be told what we can and cannot say (especially when it's true)
Central African Republic (CAR): Vista 11 is Only ~0.2% Market Share
99.8% to go!
BSD and GNU/Linux Replaced Microsoft in Secure Servers, All Microsoft Has Left is LLM Slop for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD)
the FUD machine never rests
Gemini Links 28/04/2025: A Simple Task Tracking and Auto-Prioritization Tool and Other Programs
Links for the day
Links 28/04/2025: Canada's Election, Pakistan-India Conflict
Links for the day
Glue Inside Your Pizza (or Why People Will Get Fed Up With Slop)
People are given "answers" from non-intelligence word dumpsters
Links 28/04/2025: Cyberattacks Happening, Chatbots Disappointing, and "Free Speech Under Fire"
Links for the day
Phone Adoption Very Low in Vatican, Windows Usage Fell Nonetheless
Even in places where people still use desktops/laptops most of the time (and have access to these) Windows is gradually losing ground
GNU/Linux 9% in Cuba, Vista 11 Waning, Android Dominant
Microsoft has pretty much lost Cuba
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 27, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 27, 2025
In 24 Countries Observed by statCounter Vista 11 is Still Less Than a Quarter of Windows Users Despite All Other Versions Being 'Expired'
They ought to move to GNU/Linux
Links 27/04/2025: Pope Goodbyes, "Politics of Fear", Slop Redux and More Google Shutdowns (Google Debt Had Grown This Year)
Links for the day
Links 27/04/2025: Serenity Dialectics, Hockey Jersey Ethics, and More
Links for the day
Links 27/04/2025: Death of Nest Thermostats, Death of Metaverse
Links for the day
Links 27/04/2025: Projects Workflow and Discovering Technology
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 26, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 26, 2025
Microsoft Isn't on the Map in USSR
To them, it's either Google or Yandex
In Central America Windows Became a Small Force
These are countries where Windows used to have well over 95% of the "market"
What's Very Vexing to GAFAM, EPO and Others Is That It's Incredibly Hard to Censor Us (and Nobody Ever Successfully Did That Before)
resist, do not capitulate
Site May be Even Faster Now
It basically takes less than a tenth of a second to serve the page
Receiving SLAPPs and Collecting Them Like Trophies (the SLAPPs Always Fail)
People who file lawsuits bring even more attention to themselves (or to embarrassing statements about them)
Year of GNU/Linux on the Laptop?
It's not happening only in Lenovo
What People Must Understand About the Open Source Initiative (OSI)
some facts about the Open Source Initiative (OSI)
Many of the Scandals Are Interconnected (Overlapping People and Corporations)
We're only getting started
More Copyright Lawsuits Against LLM Slop Providers and Suppliers of LLM Slopfarms Would Benefit Society
It's not just bad for the Web and for society; it's also legally dangerous
Links 26/04/2025: General Assassinated in the Town of Balashikha, US Promoting Seafloor Mining
Links for the day
Links 26/04/2025: Facebook Layoffs Again, Remembering What's Real, and Say No to Mass Surveillance
Links for the day
Links 26/04/2025: NOAA Budget Cuts and "Dog Days Ahead"
Links for the day
In defence of JD Vance, death of Pope Francis
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Three Years in Prison for Disney Employee’s ‘Menu Hacking’: The Economic Fallout of Digital Menus
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 25, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 25, 2025