Bonum Certa Men Certa

(Another) Microsoft-Commissioned 'Study' Inverses Truths

If the giant oil companies do it, so can Microsoft

ONE TREND WE HAVE been spotting recently is that Microsoft-favourable pseudo-studies were either funded by Microsoft or conducted by its former employees. The former example is an anti-GNU/Linux study from September (there are many more). The latter example is an anti-Google study that downplays the progress made by Google in applications.



The press is humming about claims that Microsoft's bribery is paying off because Microsoft -- allegedly -- gains market share and approaches Google. This is not only far from the truth, but it also turns out to have been seeded by Microsoft funds.

Several independent studies demonstrate Microsoft's continued decline, but not those pseudo-studies which Microsoft itself pays for (probably to please executives, meet and fulfill promises, elevate its investors' ego and pat itself on the back). IDG has the details where beans are spilled too (with regards to funding).

Memo to Microsoft: Enough With The Bribery



[...]

Here's the problem, though: Despite Microsoft's recent claims that its efforts were succeeding -- those claims, by the way, were based on a study Microsoft itself commissioned -- the numbers just don't add up. Offering a few bucks may get people to use the service once, but it's not enough to get them to leave their preferred product behind for good.

Don't take my word for it. Check out traffic measurement company ComScore's analysis of the shifting search market share over the past several months:

April 2008 (before Microsoft launched Live Cashback)

● Microsoft: 9.1%

● Google: 61.6%

● Yahoo: 20.4%

October 2008 (most recent rankings):

● Microsoft: 8.5%

● Google: 63.1%

● Yahoo: 20.5%


There are lies, damn lies [1, 2, 3], and Microsoft sponsorships. People must always read the fine prints and investigate properly if they do not exist.

Magnifying glass



NB: In the IDG article referenced above, mind Microsoft's use of penguins imagery. Microsoft must have known that this 'collides' with the Linux mascot, but was undeterred. It was caught advertising its products a few weeks ago using penguins, as well (Ken Starks reported on the findings).

This 'dilutes' Linux branding in the same way that Microsoft/Windows-only open source harms the open source movement as a whole and 'Open' XML shattered the credibility of standards and standards-setting bodies. To Microsoft, it is a win-win situation.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
Slopwatch: Fake Articles About "Linux", Slop Images in VentureBeat, Linux Foundation Spam Made With LLM Slop and Slop Images
The only relief or upside - if any exists - is that the pace of slop was down a bit this week
Richard Stallman (RMS) Talk in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress Will be Remote
This past week RMS received lots of accolades online
Links 28/08/2025: Chatbots Distorting/Fabricating History and Also Driving Suicide
Links for the day
 
Links 29/08/2025: Arti 1.5.0, War on Public Health (CDC), and Slop 'Bros' Made to Pay for Their Mass Plagiarism
Links for the day
No, 4Chan is Not Fighting for You by Lawyering Up Against Ofcom (UK)
Don't mistake proto-fascists for people who "fight for you". They don't.
Downlplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
In Many Places in the World Vista 11 "Market Share" is Going Down, Not Up
In some countries Windows is already down to third place or lower
More Microsoft-Connected Layoffs, at Least Third Time This Month! (Also Another Death on Campus)
Microsoft as a "gaming" company is where studios, projects, games, and even developers come to die
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 28, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 28, 2025
Gemini Links 29/08/2025: Poems, Games, and Java 25 Performance
Links for the day
Links 28/08/2025: Greenland 'Interferences' by US and Skinnerboxes to Get Banned in Korean Schools
Links for the day
The Register MS (Run by Microsoft Operatives): Free Software is Putin, Hence Evil and Dangerous
The current editor in chief is an American Microsofter, the previous one went to work for Google (US)
Gemini Links 28/08/2025: Back in Japan and Why "Hacker News" Sucks
Links for the day
A Much-Needed Wake-up Call to Users of Wordpress.com, Blogspot, Substack and All Those Other Outsourced (and Centralised) Platforms
There are several lessons in there
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Resists Software Freedom, Even by Attacking Its Own
The OSI is compromised
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Slopwatch: linuxsecurity.com, Slopfarms in Google News, and More
Some readers of ours end up sending us links that are from slopfarms, not realising those are slopfarms
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Katrina Memories and Google Versus Software Freedom
Links for the day
Links 27/08/2025: Police Against Media Freedom in the UK, Energy-Hungry Countries Targeted by China
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows Fell to All-Time Lows in Egypt This Summer, Vista 11 Adoption Decreases While GNU/Linux Increases
Vista 11 is going down rather than up
Links 27/08/2025: Microsoft Demoralises Staff With Slop Demands, Leaving Mastodon Explained
Links for the day
12 Hours Ago The Register MS Published a Fake (Paid-for) Article, But This One for a Change Did Not Promote a Ponzi Scheme
There are also Free software alternatives, but they don't pay The Register MS for "synthetic" so-called 'journalism'
More People Need to Call Out and Put a Stop to Serial Sloppers
Unless slopfarms are stopped, people will read and share Microsoft propaganda made by chatbots
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Headphones and Tartarus
Links for the day
Morale at Microsoft is Terrible (Proprietary Plagiarism Machines Have No Future, LLM Slop is a Bubble)
The slop sceptics/critics are going to have lots of "told you so" moments
GNOME "governance issues, staff reduction, etc." amidst Albanian whistleblowing and women trafficking
Notice the connection to Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) and GNOME
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 26, 2025