Bonum Certa Men Certa
← On Ron Hovsepian's Latest GNU/Linux FUD | Why Buy SUSE Ballnux →

Novell Promotes an OOXML Web Equivalent on Behalf of Microsoft

Silverlight puke, barf



We have already seen on numerous occasions how Novell essentially markets Microsoft's OOXML while everyone else slams it. But OOXML may be just the tip of the iceberg.

We have not mentioned Microsoft's Silverlight in a while, but it's a seriously ill lock-in which needs to be tackled as soon as possible. Antitrust regulators are already looking into it, but they seem to be lagging, almost falling behind the curve. Novell is a major part of this problem.

“...OOXML may be just the tip of the iceberg.”Like Microsoft Office, which Microsoft might try to make synonymous with OOXML (for marketing purpose using "open" on the one hand while dissociating and hiding the tight relationship between those two), Silverlight supports Macs and Windows PCs but not GNU/Linux. This is deliberate, so it is not a case involving technical deficiencies or impossibility. Expect the same from Microsoft's XPS.

In many ways, therefore, OOXML (not ISO OOXML, but the 'thing' which Microsoft will continue to implement further, undocumented) can be equated to XAML. It's the same darn mess and a case against Free software. It also brings us to yesterday 'news' (vapourware morelike).

Microsoft has been trying to create Silverlight hype recently (self-fulfilling prophecies it would hope). It has been saying that Silverlight support would triple and it is now "teasing" people with what they call "big" deals to be announced. Reconsider the Nokia-Silverlight story and its effect on Linux.

From the news:

Microsoft teases mobile developers with 'big' Silverlight deals



[...]

Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of Microsoft's developer division, told the company's ReMix 08 conference the goal is to run Silverlight "everywhere".

He did not name names, but promised more deals in the months ahead.

[...]

It sees ubiquity as key to Silverlight's success, and it is gunning for the player and its runtime to match Adobe Systems' Flash in market- and mind-share and on PC and mobile platforms.


"Ubiquity as key," eh? Novell to Microsoft's rescue! Once again.

"At Microsoft I learned the truth about ActiveX and COM and I got very interested in it immediately."
   --Miguel de IcazaScott Guthrie has a friend (almost colleague) at Novell, whose name is Miguel de Icaza. Miguel&Novell is [sic] helping Microsoft in its fight against Adobe, which happens to be a new member of the Linux Foundation. This ought to show you just how close Microsoft and Novell have become, despite the fact that Silverlight is a case against Linux and the GPL. Remember that Flash is not another Silverlight. They are very different.

Remember again and bear in mind that Microsoft does not support Linux but pretends that it does in order for Web developers not to avoid it. At the same time, Microsoft is likely to have already assigned an OSP to Silverlight and it excludes the GPL, by design. Even Miguel saw this and protested out in the open, yet he continues to work on the very same tool which is intended to sabotage GNU/Linux. From Ars technica (yesterday):

At LugRadio Live this past weekend, Novell developer Miguel de Icaza gave a presentation on Moonlight, an open source implementation of Microsoft's Silverlight web framework. During the presentation, he described the current status of Moonlight and showed some of the ways that it can be used to create richer applications for the Linux desktop.

The earliest work on Moonlight was done in a very short period of time by a group of highly dedicated Novell programmers and Mono community members so that it could be demonstrated to the general public at the Paris MIX 07 event. Moonlight later received Microsoft's backing as the official Silverlight implementation for Linux.


Of course Microsoft supports a case against GNU/Linux, which is done independently from Microsoft (i.e. no expenses), always playing catchup, and putting users at legal risk (or forcing them to forge software patent deals with Microsoft). It's the same scenario with Novell's OOXML translators. Novell believes it's a mutual relationship. Or is it? ⬆

"We need to slaughter Novell before they get stronger….If you’re going to kill someone, there isn’t much reason to get all worked up about it and angry. You just pull the trigger. Any discussions beforehand are a waste of time. We need to smile at Novell while we pull the trigger."

--Jim Allchin, Platform Group Vice President, Microsoft

Comments

← On Ron Hovsepian's Latest GNU/Linux FUD | Why Buy SUSE Ballnux →

Recent Techrights' Posts

How to Identify Demonisation or Dehumanisation Tactics Against Interesting Figures or Luminaries in Free Software
Rather than in general or generally in technology
We Should Learn From Bulgaria
Why can't European companies and government recognise and react to a threat (when they see one)?
Canonical: Ubuntu is GAFAM (US), We're Resellers of American Proprietary Software
They want people to pay for a licence
Links 03/02/2026: "Distraction is a Sin" and Fake "Encryption" (Surveillance With Good Marketing)
Links for the day
 
IBM Falls by Over 10%
a recipe for disasters like accounting fraud
Links 03/02/2026: Windows Copies GNU/Linux, Windows TCO Shown Again
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/02/2026: Alhena Turns One, Slop Rejected, and Max Roy Carrouges Recalled
Links for the day
Dr. Andy Farnell on Why and How European Authorities Can Adopt Free Software, Parenting in the Age of Digital Abundance
Will Europe use technology that Europe controls (not the hegemon), for a change?
Seems Like IBM Trolls Use Chatbots to Vandalise Platform That Discusses IBM's Secret Layoffs, Forever Layoffs
Not for the first time either
You Know Your Company is Dead or Basically a Pyramid Scheme When Jim Cramer Keeps Promoting Its Stock
How much does IBM pay for "puff pieces" or "fluff" about QC?
Red Hat (Under IBM) Works for Microsoft (Proprietary Software) and Slop
Yesterday Red Hat's official site, redhat.com, published exactly 5 new blog posts
IBM is Dying (More Layoffs), Red Hat Will Continue to Suffer From the Acquisition
Financial engineering
Colombia Adopting GNU/Linux Even Faster (at Microsoft's and Apple's Expense)
Do politics play any role in this?
An Effort to Tackle Slavery in 'Open Source' Clothing
"a civil rights lawsuit to examine the concerns of censored developers in the free, open source software ecosystem"
$15 billion lawsuit: Ubuntu, Google & Debian crowdfunding campaign launch
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Delusion - Part II - Why We Need to Expose the SRA to More Daylight, Public Scrutiny
SRA is neither effective nor regulated
400-Page US Federal Court Against Abuses by Google, Microsoft and Front Groups That Abuse Volunteers for American Corporations
There are 386 pages in total (in the US claim)
Corporate Influence Never Impacted Us
There's no reason to assume we'll ever "sell out"
Growth of GNU/Linux in Cuba
Right now a lot of the world drafts or already implements a GAFAM exit plan
A Day After EPO Strikes an Escalation to Heads of Delegations to the Administrative Council
They rely on the European media playing along, helping them to hide major blunders, even crimes
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, February 02, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, February 02, 2026
Gemini Links 03/02/2026: Stargazing, Development Boards, and Tcl/Tk Slop
Links for the day
Microsoft Lost 20% of Its Money in the Past 6 Months
Microsoft is hiding what's really happening while mocking critics
Great News, IBM 'Gained' Almost 10% in "Goodwill" Value After Firing Tens of Thousands in 2025
"goodwill" will be inflated despite IBM staff getting sick of IBM
Americans Move to GNU/Linux
some of the biggest American populations
I Still Like Drawing and Various Other Arts (They Help My Activism and Journalism), Slop is an Enemy of Creative People
Recognise that slop isn't intelligence; it's a generational excuse for plagiarism and privatisation of not only the Commons but also proprietary knowledge (without authorisation)
Carmen-Lisandrette Maris (Mission:Libre) Explains to Adolescents and Young Adults How Free Software Improves Privacy
Based on what we've seen and read, Mission:Libre has a solid grasp of Software Freedom
Chatbots Didn't Do Any Good for Microsoft
Google "AI" = search + copypasta
Links 02/02/2026: Cultural Cleansing by China and 'Living Behind Firewalls" in Iran
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Measured at More Than 4% in Russia
growing adoption of GNU/Linux in Russia
Gemini Links 02/02/2026: Stages of Age, Workflows, and Counting Capsules
Links for the day
Oracle's Debt Rose Over 20 Billion Dollars in Just 3 Months
Is "hey hi" becoming a synonym for debt?
Oligarchs' 'Speech Zones' Are Not the "Public Square"
The apologists of social control media, including press that got "addicted" to such fake "media", are helping dictators and oligarchs grab the public attention away from the real press
IBM Misleads and Gaslights Investors With Slop Sold as "AI" (the Business is Waning, Mass Layoffs Continue)
People who do this are dishonest. They should not be put in charge.
Links 02/02/2026: 'Melania' a Horror Movie "Will They Inherit Our Blogs?"
Links for the day
Doing More Detailed Series (Long-Form Works)
Long readings or book-like reading binges are only possible when parts are suitably labeled (name and numbers) if not interlinked
Mobbing at the European Patent Office (EPO) - Part II - Racism, Cocaine Use and White-Collar Corruption
When you hire people illegally, to work for cocaine users and keep quite about the cocaine use, what will be the impact on the reputation of an institution?
A Can of WORMS - Part II - Darkening the Name of RMS, Associating It With Crime
Beware projection tactics
Submit Your Suggestions for EU's Embrace of Software Freedom by Tomorrow
Time to leave GAFAM (US) hegemony behind
Slopless Weekend
This is not sustainable
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, February 01, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, February 01, 2026
Gemini Links 01/02/2026: Fossil Heating Installations and Some FOSDEM Coverage
Links for the day
The State of Memory Leaks in GNU/Linux
The issue won't be solved by adding more memory
Links 01/02/2026: Nvidia's Jensen Talks Down Microsoft 'Open' 'Hey Hi' and Britain's Starmer Makes Friends With China, Japan
Links for the day
Why Microsoft Accenture Has So Many Layoffs in Recent Years
The debt of Accenture doubled a year ago
Links 01/02/2026: Public TV Gutted by Cheeto, Billionaires Fund a Cheeto Propaganda Movie in 'Documentary' Clothing
Links for the day
The New Site ("New Techrights", SSG Since 2023) Exceeds the Old Site in Requests
The "New Techrights" gets about twice as many requests as the "old" (WordPress) "Techrights", the site of 2006-2023
20 Years Ago
Some time soon all this slop frenzy will become like yesterday's "blockchain" or "metaverse"
Gemini Links 01/02/2026: Zdzisław Beksiński and Disconnected Git Workflow
Links for the day
Talks About Nadella's Microsoft Exit After Chatter About Tim Crook Leaving Apple (Years Ahead of Retirement Age)
Mass layoffs and record debt do not represent a company's health.
We Still Cover the Same Problems We Spoke of 20 Years Ago
We're not easily seduced by "novelty" (new things), we try to judge them critically
Patents Standing in the Way
They also cause environmental harm
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, January 31, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, January 31, 2026
IBM, a Microsoft Company
Microsoft and IBM as a pair go a long way back