Bonum Certa Men Certa

Dwindling Confidence in NewsForge

NomoExchanging principles for cash?

A Mono (Monkey) in Sheep Clothing



A Linux.com writer is sort of advocating Mono applications again, and without warning about the accompanying dependencies. It ought to become an issue when Novell's software patent poison is treated as though it's an ordinary thing that needn't even be flagged in some way. It worries when it's taken for granted.

It comes at the expense of perfectly good applications that suffer from none of the same issues. Under normal circumstances, it's best to just ignore (therefore we offer no hyperlink here), but Zonker did this too recently. Later on it was Glyn Moody who innocently linked to this, but again, without a warning that it's a Mono application, such mistakes are bound to happen. "Avoid and avoid" should be the advice, unless one is a paying customer of Novell.

Writing About GNU/Linux to Later Deter Readers?



Some time ago we saw SourceForge succumbing to the budget of Microsoft Corporation. This is not helpful, no matter how you look at it. On several occasions we also warned that Slashdot appears to be ushering Microsoft's entrances into the open source universe. It does this in a variety of subtle ways that we explained before [1, 2, 3]

“Microsoft is happy to be serving hot FUD and NewForge is happy to be making more money that way.”All sites are from the same network; so is Linux.com, which lost some credibility when it began embedding large anti-Linux advertisements from Microsoft in its articles which cover GNU/Linux. People were angry about this at the time and the writers, as opposed to publishers, has no control over this.

The excuses that come from writers vary from substanceless to hilarious. The matter of fact is that the Linux-curious would google their way into these article only to find huge graphical ads telling them that "Linux is a Huge Risk" and that "The London Stock Exchange Dumped Linux" (or something along those lines). Microsoft is happy to be serving hot FUD and NewForge is happy to be making more money that way. Writers and readers would be less than happy. This needs to stop.

Rewriting History About Microsoft/Novell Deal



Looking at Linux.com again, it's unfortunate to find that, at least in the comments, there's disinformation suggesting that SLED and SLES don't bring revenue to Microsoft. This is incorrect. Maybe a lie, maybe a denial. The Microsoft/Novell deal was not a case of a "one-time payment," as some people conveniently put it. We showed this before using Novell's annual report, in addition to explicit words from Novell and Microsoft.

Novell pays Microsoft based on sales volume. It pays Microsoft for GNU/Linux. They share revenue in a single direction. Microsoft 'Linux tax' is real and denying its existence won't make it magically disappear. It might, on the other hand, lead to dangerous complacency (as in "hush-hush, pass me your earning please because Free software is no longer free"). Remember what Steve Ballmer said last year:

"We believe every Linux customer basically has an undisclosed balance-sheet liability [...] I do think it [Novell deal] clearly establishes that open source is not free."

The following comment from Linux.com, which is appended to a recent review of SUSE, is quite telling:

How easily people forget the details of a controversy. The problem with the patent deal is not the payment to Microsoft, nor the interoperability it brings.

The problem with the patent deal was that it eroded the rights granted in the GPLv2 by adding additional restrictions on the code, without tripping any clause in the GPLv2. This is called a loophole. It meant that not every recipient of the GPLv2 code got the same rights, some got more through the "non-aggression treaty" from MS for Novell code. Which is against the spirit of what the GPLv2 was supposed to accomplish.

Novell was cut some slack by the FSF with the GPLv3 by the grandfather clause, but GPL-ed code was never meant to be burdonned with unequal rights through patent promises.

Sometimes people hate and they very well know why. In this case, I don't think people abhor Novell, but loathe the deal itself.


Disclaimer: I love Linux.com, I have read it for years, so the above is merely feedback from a concerned reader. I also have a project on SourceForge, so there are no hidden/malicious motives.

"Linux is a very complete and sophisticated operating system. And there is a lot of work being done to improve it in and of itself, particularly to make it easier to use and easier for people to set up on their personal computers."

--Paul Maritz, Microsoft

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

LLMs as Attack Method Against Free Software and Programming
DDoS in "hey hi" (slop) clothing
Google as a 'Bullshit Generator' Disguised as Intelligence
It'll probably cause Google to get sued a lot, both by individuals and companies
As Expected, Google in the UK Now Experiments With Slop Instead of Web Search
At this point more people ought to stop and think: Does Google's search engine deserve trust?
Sabotaging Linux on Behalf of Microsoft With UEFI 'Secure' Boot (De Facto Remote 'Kill Switch'), Then Defaming, Stalking and Harassing Critics of 'Secure' Boot for 12 Years, Then SLAPPing Their Spouses and Them
The sorts of stubborn lunatics we've been dealing with
 
Links 01/08/2025: "The Great British Firewall" and U.S. Army Sponsors Palantir
Links for the day
For Second Day in a Row, Top Story in The Register MS is "Microsoft Says"
The editor in chief exercises control over everybody else
Stability and Reliability, Backward Compatibility
I don't fancy relying on social control media as "sources"
What "the News" Looks Like in 2025
The "says" (or "sez") phenomenon
History Will Be Distorted, Sometimes Intentionally, Under the Guise of Intelligence (Manipulated/Curated Slop)
Militarised misinformation or military-grade chaff is a national security threat, even domestically
Financial Engineering Companies: A Company Worth 4 Trillion Dollars Would Not Borrow 100+ Billion Dollars at Interest Rates Like Today's
Many headlines perpetuate the lie Microsoft had just 2 waves of layoffs
Microsoft is Googlebombing "Linux" While Paying Former News Sites to Publish SPAM
How much lower will IDG sink?
The Data You Don't Give Away is Your Advantage
stop sharing data that does not need to be shared
Being Obedient or Doing the Right Thing
The world always changes for the better because of people who think "Outside the Box", not the cogs
Gemini Links 01/08/2025: Happy Hacking Keyboards and New Gemini Arrivals
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 31, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 31, 2025
Moving on in Techrights, Geeks Gonna Geek
In the coming weeks we plan to focus (as we explained last week) on patents, GNU/Linux issues, and the occasional philosophical essays
Slopwatch: Google News Has Lost the Plot
Almost the majority of articles returned for "Linux" are fakes
Links 31/07/2025: Australia Restricts YouTube Access, Personal Privacy at Risk
Links for the day
Links 31/07/2025: Spotify Collapses and Spotify Now Forcing Some Users to Undergo Face-Scanning
Links for the day
A Lot of Supposedly "Successful" Businesses Are Just Debt-Racking Vessels Without Any Prospects of Financial Sustainability
The probability of bankruptcy of any business is more than 0%
theregister.com: The Voice of Microsoft US?
It basically sold out
Yes, You Can Love and Adore Things Whilst Also Criticising Them
Is society being divided and groomed/primed to be resistant to constructive criticism?
Links 31/07/2025: War in Ukraine, Security News, and Cyberattacks Against Journalists on the Rise
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/07/2025: Fake Money and Gemini Diaries
Links for the day
An Illusion and Cult Worship of Magnitude (Ubiquity as "Victory")
GNU has been around for over 40 years and it'll likely continue to exist for another 40 (in some form)
Google: From Pointing to Relevant Sites to Pointing to Social Control Media to Actually Parroting Social Control Media as "Facts"
Google has become a misinformation company
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 30, 2025
How to Report Apple Layoffs Without Saying the "L" Word
don't look for the "L" word
Wall Street Does Not Care About Microsoft's Impending (August) Layoffs, It Believes Lies From Microsoft, Whose Debt Grows Rapidly
If Microsoft is doing so well and swimming in money, why so many cuts (about 29,000 layoffs so far this year)?
Wayland Considered Harmful (to GNU/Linux Adoption)
it's not limited to games
My Experience With Judges Has been Positive, But We Must Still Pursue SLAPP Reform in the United Kingdom
We believe it'll be a "feather in the cap" if we can help change laws in the UK to better protect investigative reporters
Slopwatch Makes the Web Better
Remember what happened to BetaNews?
Slopwatch: Google News is Pumping in Lots of Web Traffic Into Fake Sites That Say "Linux"
somewhere between 30% and 40% of today's "news" about "Linux", as seen by Google News, is LLM slop
Links 30/07/2025: Climate Calamities Highlighted, Kyrgyzstan Crackdown on Expression/Freedoms
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/07/2025: Watson’s List of Limits, Lysenko 2000
Links for the day
Riot for peace & Love: Catholic Influencers and Digital Missionaries welcome Jubilee of Youth
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Some People See What Others See... But Only 40 Years Later
When people deviate from "the norm" they typically get ridiculed and dismissed as "crazy"
Links 30/07/2025: Tea Class Action and Google Killing the Web With Slop
Links for the day
Last Month Our IRC Community Turned 17
Funnily enough we never missed a single day when it comes to logging
"The Unix Kernel"
Linux was inspired by MINIX
The Register Relays Microsoft Marketing, Dubs That Marketing "Research"
Hours ago they did a "Microsoft sez" piece
Dealing With Sociopaths, Liars, and Cranks
A dysfunctional society such as this would never develop
Not Owning Mobile Phones
It's not about resistance; it's common sense
Google 'Search' is Fast Becoming No Better Than Social Control Media Infested With Bots
Google emerged almost 30 years ago as a company looking to organise the Web and direct people towards informative pages. That Google is dead.
PCLinuxOS Had Functional Backups Before the House Fire, the Site Will be Restored in New Webhost
This is the direction we want for GNU/Linux, not some IBM sales strategy
Gemini Links 30/07/2025: Two Sides of Me and "Hooked on Cosmic Voyage"
Links for the day
Microsoft Will Continue Resorting to Crimes in Order to Keep GNU/Linux Usage Down
It is a real problem and we'll revisit it later this week
GAFAM 'Revolving Doors' at The Register and a "Bribe Price List"
"an analyst at Microsoft"
Microsoft Rapidly Shrinking (No, It's Not About Efficiency, It's About Unbearable Debt)
We'll soon see how much debt grew in the past quarter
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 29, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Corruption is the Standard Operating Procedure at the European Patent Office (EPO)
The EPO is a dictatorship that stains Europe
Local Staff Committee Munich (LSCMN) at the European Patent Office (EPO) Requests an Urgent Meeting to Avoid Abolishing the Office
This is dictatorship led by the most corrupt
Slopwatch: Fake 'Linux' 'Articles' and Spamfarms/Slopfarms
at least 5 fake articles in one day