01.30.12
Posted in Apple, GNOME, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Oracle, Patents at 3:52 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Another quick look at the patent play against Android/Linux and who is behind it
Regarding a story that was mentioned here before (because Microsoft lobbyists were trying to spin it ) Muktware states that it should really be blamed on Apple’s own aggression, not on Google or Android:
Apple has created a hostile environment in the mobile world by dragging almost every Android player to the court. We are noticing that Apple has started to lose legal battles in the courts, which is a good sign for the growth of the industry. Apple has used every kind of patents they can, even the rectangular design of a tablet, to exhaust their competitors and monopolize the market. Now, the tables have turned, Motorola, the inventor of cell phones has sued Apple, seeking an injunction against the iPhone4S and the iCloud.
This is a deterrent against Apple’s attacks. Nokia, having signed a deal with Apple and Microsoft, proceeds to feeding patent trolls as we covered last week:
Nokia sells more than 450 patents to patent troll
Following a long history at the forefront of the wireless industry, Nokia holds more than 30,000 patent licenses and applications. On Thursday, the Finnish vendor’s portfolio was confirmed to be slightly lighter as patent troll Sisvel International announced that it had acquired more than 450 Nokia patents.
It would not be shocking if Sisvel went after Android vendors, along with MOSAID (also fed by Microsoft/Nokia). Nokia is controlled by Microsoft and Apple signed an agreement with Nokia last year. Nokia itself, led by a mole from Microsoft, keeps imploding based on this news:
Nokia’s Windows Phones not selling
Nokia Oyj reported a 73 per cent fall in fourth-quarter earnings as sales of its new Windows Phones failed to dent the dominance of Apple Inc.’s iPhone or compensate for diving sales of its own old smartphones.
Apple itself cannot quite get its way causing an embargo against Android; there are new software patents coming from Apple, but patent proxies (perhaps Oracle too) are likely to come. Here is a new article that speaks of a new Apple patent: “This SDK would act as a sort-of “interpreter” of language between a mobile device and another gadget. It would make it possible for accessory makers to build apps for the iPhone or iPad that could communicate directly with their devices. For example, it would be like using your phone to control a desktop radio.”
A Microsoft lobbyist, Florian Müller, is working to weaken (at least in the press) the case for Android by feeding Android-hostile claims (fuelled by Apple), but fortunately enough not many journalist pay attention to him anymore (all the stories, including this latest one are consistently anti-Android). Perhaps they finally realised who was paying his wage. He is still a lobbyist for hire. █
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09.26.11
Posted in Apple, GNOME, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Patents at 11:18 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: How news reports serve as a reminder of Microsoft’s real strategy which is abrasive and non-productive, especially in the area where it commands just 1% market share (whereas Linux has nearly a majority)
TECHRIGHTS had been expecting the patent troll MOSAID to be used against Linux long before this became very apparent [1, 2] and even an antitrust concern. Microsoft-friendly news sites keep whitewashing patent trolls by painting as “trolls” practising companies that are aggressors and not really trolls, but they are not truly fooling anyone (not even Motley Fool). The public in general is against patent trolls because these are a massive toll [1, 2, 3].
“The public in general is against patent trolls because these are a massive toll.”According to several reports (e.g. [1, 2]), Microsoft will not only use MOSAID (through Nokia) to tax Android if it can; Microsoft itself keeps patenting smartphone ideas even if Microsoft hardly sells any smartphones at all. A lot of design-related patents which apply to tablets and phones were in fact conceptualised, implemented and even sold well beforehand by others (just not patented). But the patent system, being as defective-by-design as it is (run by patent maximalists for patent maximalists) will carry on ushering such madness.
Novell’s role in what Microsoft has been doing is particularity relevant to us and we shall cover some Novell news shortly. In the news we are reminded of how Novell relates to the attack on Android:
The CPTN Holdings consortium has reared its head once again – initially formed as a patent holding company led by Microsoft, which acquired patents from Novell, CPTN’s members are now believed to include Apple, Oracle and EMC, which Google accuses of an orchestrated and hostile attack on the Android operating system waged through “bogus patents”.
Also from the news, titled “Are patents all that great in IT,” we see that the author mentioned Novell for its role: “That raises a question: Every so often a vendor will boast about how many patents it owns, and indeed patents are the reason Google acquired Motorola, and Apple, Sony and others collaborated to outbid Google for Novell patents. Those are all public knowledge, and the nature of technology is that an R&D budget can look into a patent, and at some point, improve on it.”
“A lot of deception is being spread by Microsoft folks disguised as ‘reporters’.”Another new article says: “Meanwhile, Apple, Microsoft, EMC and Oracle are seeking regulatory approval to buy about 800 wireless-technology patents from Attachmate for $450 million, which the latter now owns as a result of its acquisition of Novell. Microsoft has said Google rejected an invitation to join the consortium in acquiring these patents.”
That’s what Microsoft said, but it’s shameless spin. What we saw with CPTN is the passage of monopoly power to a cartel of Android foes. Google oughtn’t have any interest in joining, as it explained at the time. Microsoft’s booster Matt Rosoff is currently trying to give Google antitrust problems using his appointment as a ‘journalist’. Rob Enderle too has been given a spot at Forbes Blogs. Watch the AstroTurf war. A lot of deception is being spread by Microsoft folks disguised as ‘reporters’. █
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01.26.11
Posted in GNOME, Microsoft, Novell, Open XML at 6:01 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Implicit endorsement of OOXML by Novell (paid by Microsoft for this endorsement) and to some extent by the GNOME Foundation both recalled
YES, we are still writing about OOXML in Australia [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], having written over 1,000 posts about document formats/standards. The NoOOXML Web site states:
Australia is looking into OOXML adoption while other nations move forward with ODF. What’s special about the Australian move is that they want to support the ECMA format. It is hard to understand how the Whole-of-Government Common Operating Environment (WofG COE) Policy would strengthen procurement powers of the Australian public sector and help to overcome lock-in.
Sam Varghese, an Australian, argues that this latest “OOXML kerfuffle [is] similar to that of 2007″ and he does have a point because, as stated in ZDNet Australia (although the Linux Australia president speaks collectively for other people), there is not so much that’s new here other than a report which stresses yet again how the government is deep in Microsoft’s pocket and “[t]he OOXML standard selection has drawn the ire of many commenters on the AGIMO blog, with some accusing the government of moving towards a vendor lock-in with Microsoft.” Here is what Varghese claims:
At that time [2007], Microsoft was trying to get Office OOXML accepted as an ISO standard in opposition to the Open Document Format (ODF) which had been championed by OpenOffice.org and its variants.
Comments, reportedly made by members of Australia’s GNU/Linux community, reflect exactly the kind of ambivalence which was expressed by the GNOME Desktop project in 2007.
At that time, once it was discovered that people from the GNOME Foundation were participating in meetings to discuss adoption of this OOXML, then-foundation media spokesman Jeff Waugh had to try and douse the flames. He was not successful.
Things became worse when the KDE Desktop Project issued a statement, saying it would not offer support for the Microsoft standard, because in part, “The standardisation process of OfficeOpenXML has turned sour, not in the least because Microsoft couldn’t resist the temptation to cheat.”
Let’s not forget the role played by Novell back then, promoting OOXML. █
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12.29.10
Posted in Europe, GNOME, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Windows at 5:20 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Nicolas Sarkozy with Laura Bush
Summary: Cablegate/Wikileaks material reveals that Business Software Alliance (BSA) employees can be Microsoft employees simultaneously; new French law may tax Linux-powered devices but not Windows-based ones
EARLIER this year we gave many examples of the BSA attacking Free software and we assumed that the BSA was merely a front group for Microsoft. But based on this newly-leaked cable from Spain, one can be IP Development Director at Microsoft and Vice President at the BSA at the same time. Does that explain much? Let’s remember that the BSA delivers a lot of propaganda for political reasons in copyright too, along with IDC (see recent examples in this Wiki page).
It is not too shocking to find that in France, where Sarkozy enjoys an intimate relationship with Microsoft executives and promotes their agenda, there is a ridiculous law proposal which may echo their friends from Canada (so-called 'hypePod tax') but guess who gets the break? That’s right, Microsoft:
France Wants To Extend Private Copying Levy To Tablets… But Not If They Run Microsoft Windows
Kurata points us to the news that French politicians are debating extending the “you must be a criminal” private copying levy to tablet computers — but, oddly, the new levy would not apply to tablets running Windows (Google translation from the original French). The tax would apply to any iPad or Android-based device, but apparently Windows tablets won’t be counted, since they’ll be classified as full computers, while the other tablets are in this new taxable category.
This seems like a pretty major scandal. A few minutes ago I got a pointer to it via the Fsuk-manchester mailing list, where someone wrote: “What does everyone think of this? Basically, the French government seem to be assuming that people buying tablets with a non-Windows OS will pirate it and install it anyway and so are considering charging a tax on all non-Windows tablets in a similar fashion to the tax on CDs. I can see this being the start of a slippery slope if it gets passed, does anyone know if this is likely to happen?”
In addition, Microsoft is trying to collect “Linux tax” for unnamed patents in all Android devices. Shame on them. It’s racketeering [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Our reader Wayne wrote to Glyn Moody in Identi.ca: “Sure I saw evidence. The attempt to exempt Windows OS tablets is proof… Rather than Vince Cable or Jeremy Hunt, they should hire you to make the BSkyB decision… Not a circular argument. I’ve read a lot of the Comes documents on Groklaw and this is how Microsoft operates… If there’s one thing I’ve learned about #Microsoft it’s that assuming the worst is your best case scenario… Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The only way to handle Microsoft” (some of these message framed in another context). █
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11.02.10
Posted in FSF, GNOME, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Mono, Novell at 4:31 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Mono is still piggybacking GNOME Zeitgeist with Zeitgeist-Sharp
THE quest of Mono carries on and it gets additional contact with GNOME through Zeitgeist-Sharp bindings 0.1, which has just been announced:
Just a quick notice that the Zeitgeist team released Zeitgeist Framework 0.6 and also the Zeitgeist-Sharp bindings 0.1
For a little bit of background see:
Zeitgeist is not a Mono application, but it allows Mono to piggyback itself. With all due respect to the developer, is it wise to facilitate/encourage development in C#? The FSF does not think so. █
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10.25.10
Posted in GNOME, GNU/Linux, Mono at 3:14 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Development and architecture in GNOME to make Mono pluggable via Zeitgeist
NOVELL’S PROJECT, Mono, still wants to be inside GNOME Zeitgeist and it is still a threat, as we’ve been seeing recently and warned about even a year ago. Now we find some new updates about Mono bindings in Zeitgeist:
The great Manish Sinha has blogged about the development of Zeitgeist-Sharp bindings. Since I am too lazy/busy and preparing some new stuff for UDS, I just posted his whole blog post.
These bindings do not imply that Zeitgeist will depend on Mono. However, it never helps to have Mono bindings because of the way applications evolve and plugins which people may choose to use/develop with them.
As an aside, the latest Banshee endorsements neglect to point out that Microsoft's MCP makes it explicitly uncovered for patent matters (maybe the whole of Mono is not covered, either). █
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09.30.10
Posted in GNOME, GNU/Linux, HP, Microsoft, Novell, Patents at 9:54 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
“Open source is great for debugging, but it’s crucial not to touch [the code...] Intellectual property [IP] socialism is the worst that can happen to any IP-based society. And we are an IP-based society. If there is no way to protect IP, there is no reason to invest in IP.”
–Shai Agassi, SAP president
Summary: A SAP CEO becomes the CEO of HP after HP began to explore Linux very seriously, just like Nokia had its CEO canned to give way to a Microsoft President after it had moved aggressively and strongly in MeeGo’s (Linux/LSB) direction
WHAT WE dreaded the most is becoming a reality. One of the biggest OEMs in the world — just like the world’s biggest mobile phones manufacturer — seems to have become somewhat of a victim of Microsoft entryism and assimilation after supporting Linux ‘too much’. The CEOs got thrown out under mysterious circumstances. The subject was discussed in IRC a few hours ago, but here is just a preliminary summary (more information to come later).
For those who know not so much about Hurd’s departure, it turns out not to have been caused by sexual harassment at all [1, 2, 3, 4] (and it’s not surprising that Oracle immediately hired him after he had been ousted). The CEO who replaces him will be far less sympathetic towards Linux at HP because it is a SAP CEO, Leo Apotheker:
Today was the day eh? HP has chose Leo Apotheker as CEO and President. Who is Leo? Well, for the last 20 years he has been the CEO of a tiny little company called SAP.
HP has already hired some top guns from Microsoft, even a ~20-year veteran who became a Vice President at HP earlier this year. Microsoft must not have liked seeing Hurd drop Vista 7 like a rock Slate, putting instead on his tablets a nice touch of Linux, which performed a lot better (Vista 7 on the Slate is a subject of ridicule at the moment). When Hurd got canned Microsoft seemed to have managed to reverse Hurd’s judgment. And who exactly is this new CEO? It’s the top man from SAP (see our Wiki page about SAP). Microsoft wanted to buy SAP some years ago because it’s Microsoft’s #1 ally in Europe, perhaps if only large companies are accounted for. SAP is also the major party among the few lobbyists for software patents in Europe. As for its relationship with Microsoft at present, they recently signed yet another partnership (right after lobbying together against SUN), building upon other relationships that they had (there are many past deals between this pair). They are close to Novell because Microsoft-taxed SUSE is the main GNU/Linux distribution SAP would dare to touch these days (it was solidified last week). It’s all rather telling and there is a lot more ugly stuff about SAP (see the Wiki and today’s IRC logs).
“Imagine what they can do with their own as well as acquired IP, including Palm. WebOS will pay the MS. tax?”
–ZiomatrixTo quote Ziomatrix about SAP: “They seem like MS’s minime concerning European lobbying. What’s their market cap? [...] Hurd was no saint but who knows what this CEO may unleash onto HP. He could be their Nero. [...] either that or HP will gain abundant market share by becoming a key patent hoarder. Imagine what they can do with their own as well as acquired IP, including Palm. WebOS will pay the MS. tax? [...] you think Nokia’s fate is as much sealed?”
Well, that’s the thing though, there are similarities there too. Nokia was assimilated to Microsoft right after it had moved a little ‘too close’ to Linux (MeeGo) and declared its intent to put Linux on the future crown jewel handsets (N series phones). In Nokia too the CEO got ousted, as if putting a Microsoft President instead of him and then exploring Vista Phone 7 [sic] would provide a lifeline somehow. For background see:
Getting back to HP, Hurd was canned (some would say “framed”) not so long after Microsoft had identified HP as a “risk” and its executives said this to their investors; HP was labelled a threat specifically for ‘daring’ to support GNU/Linux on sun-notebooks/netbooks (see the SEC filing for MSFT) and so was Intel, which built Moblin at the time (now it’s merged with Nokia’s Maemo and Microsoft has influence inside Nokia, the more dominant steward of MeeGo).
“Microsoft’s Elop does not even come from a mobile background, he comes from the Microsoft Movement and Steve Ballmer’s announcement of Elop’s departure seemed so optimistic that it aroused suspicion of it being arranged.”What are we trying to suggest here? In order to counter Android/Linux Microsoft seems to be invading companies which very much promote Linux and develop for Linux. In some cases, Microsoft signs Linux-hostile patent deals with those companies (e.g. HTC, Samsung, and LG), so Microsoft seems to have achieved a lot with this distasteful strategy. Just days ago it seemed like HP put Vista 7 on the HP Slate, even though Hurd had decided to call off this project (or focus a lot more on the Linux-based WebOS, which he bought along with Palm, expending billions). And then there’s the recent news about Vista Phone 7 on Nokia phones. Seriously, how much more evidence does one need to say that the Microsoft Movement is dealing some tricks? Companies don’t just reverse their strategies and return to old, discarded strategies overnight. Management can change in all sorts of ways and just as cats can be shaved in all sorts of ways, CEOs too can be disgraced and canned in many different ways. There was no reason for Nokia, for example (a longtime Microsoft sceptic/foe) to appoint a Microsoft President to become CEO. Microsoft’s mobile business is an utter disgrace and sheer failure, despite huge spendings on it. Microsoft’s Elop does not even come from a mobile background, he comes from the Microsoft Movement and Steve Ballmer’s announcement of Elop’s departure seemed so optimistic that it aroused suspicion of it being arranged.
The following timely links from Pogson may help explain why Microsoft had to prevent HP and Nokia/Intel (MeeGo) from releasing Linux-based products. Published today:
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The OEMs are seeing that that other OS is holding them back. They can make more money by cutting prices and selling machines without that other OS but with no OS or GNU/Linux.
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White-box players also believe that even though they have inferior quality over hardware and software, with the addition of GPS, WiDi, micro projector and e-book reading capabilities, as well as a price point of half the mainstream tablet PC’s price, their products can still attract consumers from emerging markets such as China, India and the Middle-East.
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As for Intel’s new Atom N550 processor, based on Acer’s internal testing, the new processor performs 50% faster than the previous generation model, but the price is at about the same range. Since new netbooks are priced at US$300-400, about the same as previous models, while having better performance, Lin believes the price/performance ratio should help attract consumers.
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While a number of IT companies and handset vendors have unveiled tablet PC products, volume shipments are unlikely to hit the market until 2011 as most of the newly developed tablet PC products are still in sampling or small volume production, as well as low yields in lamination of medium-size touch panels, according to Lin Sheng-chang, president of Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT).
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Microsoft is left out of these market segments.
Another question worth asking is, what will happen to HP’s role in GNOME (Stormy Peters et al.) and Free software? Why would a SAP guy be committed to it? SAP hates GNU/Linux (not Ballnux), it loves Microsoft, and it loves software patents (it still lobbies for them in Europe). SAP has a very Free software-hostile history, with notable remarks that include some from Shai Agassi (see the top of this post). █
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Posted in GNOME, GNU/Linux, KDE, OpenDocument, OpenOffice, Oracle, Standard at 12:43 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: A polite call for KDE to put its weight behind LibreOffice
“LibreOffice and the Document Foundation are for sure a hot topic today here at OWF,” wrote Red Hat’s Jan Wildeboer this morning.
This is an important cause at this particular stage, primarily because of Oracle. The goal it to override OpenOffice.org (notice how it came from proprietary StarOffice to dual with OpenOffice.org and now all the way to freedom with LibreOffice).
LibreOffice boasts a growing list of supporters (growing as we speak), but KDE has not yet been added to this list. GNOME has been there for several weeks (based on information Techrights received in advance [1, 2]), so we can only assume that KDE was approached for support and declined.
“[W]hy does the steering committee and founding member list have only two developers?”
–Aaron Seigo, Plasma developerAaron Seigo, one of the most prominent voices from KDE, has voiced his opinion in Identi.ca by writing: “best of luck to Libre Office, as Oracle’s ship of F/OSS sinks faster and faster … though somehow i doubt they care… though i have to say .. “Document Foundation”? really? contender for “Poor Foundation Name Of The Year”, subcategory “Vague and Misleading”… and why does the steering committee and founding member list have only two developers? (inc one guy who worked on the KDE integration)… are there really that few developers left, or are the local(ization) teams for OO.o the managerially savvy ones?”
For reasons we explained this morning, Oracle is not a safe company to trust. Can KDE explain why it has not added itself to the list of supporters, or at least not yet? Might it be because the KOffice team collaborates with OpenOffice.org on some code?
Interestingly enough, 2 years ago we mentioned "LibreOffice" based on this post (“It is time we had a ‘LibreOffice’”). █
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