Bonum Certa Men Certa

GNU/Linux Users Locked Out of Olympics, Need Silverlight 2.0

Silverlight puke, barf



To use his own words, Miguel de Icaza has just gone to hang out at Microsoft. Yes, that's how close Novell's executives are to Microsoft. But that's totally besides the point that he's actively assisting adoption of Microsoft Silverlight, which is a huge threat to the openness of the World Wide Web and also to viability of Free software desktops (unlike Flash).



“As the FOSS world probably knows by now, Moonlight is a semi-cooked catch-up work.”Just over a week ago we showed how Microsoft was ruining good football and also the Olympic games. We wrongly thought it was a matter of paying 'Microsoft tax'. This had happened just before it was confirmed that Moonlight may indeed be a poison pill. It's part of a broader issue introduced by Novell.

On the face of it, however, it's no longer just a legal matter but perhaps also one of feasibility because the Summer Olympics will require the very bleeding edge of Microsoft Silverlight. As the FOSS world probably knows by now, Moonlight is a semi-cooked catch-up work. Microsoft wouldn't port Silverlight to GNU/Linux.

NBC's player is based on the latest beta version of Silverlight, which the Democratic National Convention will also use to distribute video in August. Silverlight 2.0 is due out in the fall.


It sounds as though not only will GNU/Linux users be left out in the cold. Novell's paying customers (with 'licensed' Moonlight) will possibly be left out as well.

This was supposed to be a huge international event (recurring just once in four year), but Microsoft and its former partner (MS)NBC received exclusivity.

Say no to Silverfish and those who support it. Say no to Novell, whose official Web site is already saturated with Adobe Flash. Expect Silverlight too. Microsoft and Novell are partners now.

"Our partnership with Microsoft continues to expand."

--Ron Hovsepian, Novell CEO



Ron Hovsepian and Steve Ballmer

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Links 22/09/2025: Breaches, Windows TCO, and Arrests
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/09/2025: Rabbit Hole and DeGoogling Fairphone
Links for the day
Links 22/09/2025: Russian War Planes Invade NATO Airspace While Dihydroxyacetone Man Escalates Attack on Free Speech Because of Critics
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 21, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 21, 2025
Links 21/09/2025: "Hey Hi" (Hype) Under Fire, Fakes Identified; Tesla Burns Family
Links for the day
Google's Software is Malware and Malware in Mobile Devices
Originally posted by Rob Musial
Links 20/09/2025: Hegemony Coming to a Close, Luigi Mangione Ruled Not Terrorist
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/09/2025: "Charlie Kirk Was a Hateful Piece of Shit" and Slop Code Attempted by Microsofter
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 20, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 20, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Snowy Photos and utism is a Spectrum
Links for the day
Microsoft-Sponsored Xenophobia and Nationalism
IBM is very similar in this regard
Vintage is Sometimes Better
Why can't we get back to "simple" if (or where) "simple" means better?
Climate Breakdown Means We'll be Publishing More, Not Less
Press freedom will be a common, recurring theme
Our 5-Year Geminispace Anniversary is Coming Up
I still remember when Gemini Protocol was quite new
It's Right to Point Out Violence From the Right
Violence is a recurring theme
Tentative Summary of Things to Publish in Project 2030
I'll still be in my forties by then
Web Browsers That "Do Hey Hi" (AI)
State-of-the-art plagiarism or "autocomplete on steroids" (not coined by us, nevertheless a nice description) don't have much/any prospect
Links 20/09/2025: Hardware Projects in View, Some Independent Publishers About Russia Prosper After Cheeto Cuts Funding
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Options and TV Time Machine
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Retrocomputer, Antique Phone Experience, and More
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Internet Shutdowns, Media Censorship, and Climate Worries
Links for the day
About 700 New Gemini Capsules in 13 Months (or 54 Per Month)
4.8K would represent a 20% increase
Rust People: Drain the Swap, You're Holding It Wrong
Does Rust make sense?
Techrights the Name Turns 15
About 6 weeks from now we turn 19
Microsoft is Running Out of Time and Floating Fake Figures, Fake Projects, Fake Narratives, Fake Excuses
Also, a lot of Microsoft's "revenue" claims are circular financing (i.e. Microsoft buying from itself, which means Ponzi-like fraud)
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, linuxconfig.org, and Plagiarised Phoronix
Many articles out there are nowadays fake
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 19, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Navigating the Pressures of Modern Life and SpellBinding Accidentally Wrote Another Gemini Server
Links for the day