Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Shill Warning: Eric Savitz/Barron's

"Microsoft: Next Stop, $40?"

--Eric Savitz in Barrons.com, 2007



Summary: Belated flagging of a known Microsoft pseudo-journal/journalist

FOR THOSE who think that this assessment is based on one single article, it's not. In fact, for several years I have been pointing out in several separate places that the Microsoft bias at Barron's and Motley Fool should be taken for granted already and the publications treated accordingly. It is hardly even concealed that Barron's and Eric Savitz in particular are known for their pro-Microsoft bias, which some other publications even complained about openly (e.g. The Street).



See for example:

i. Stop the Barron's Microsoft Series

That particular story about how Microsoft was still a growth stock was dated€ July 26, 2004. Between then and now, it bears mentioning, Microsoft's stock € price has been stuck in the mud, barely budging in a market that has flown€ to the heavens. € 

But a horrid call, even made twice, is forgivable. What got me was that somewhere else in my steel trap of a mind was the memory of yet a third big bullish profile in Barron's by Savitz about how Microsoft was, uh -- hey, you're really catching on here -- still a growth stock! That was titled "Pointing Up," from a bit over a year ago, April 3, 2006. €  € 

The Business Press Maven has a couple of concerns here. These articles appear written from the same template, without enough new information to merit such repetition, especially this latest one. € 

Stop the presses! A company stated publicly that it was still relevant! It is overkill, boosterism. Microsoft has a public relations department that takes care of that; it does not need outside help. € 


ii. Barron's Battle Goes Another Round

The contretemps between The Business Press Maven and Barron's turned a bit ugly in recent days, even degenerating into a Barron's reporter putting a hex on Alex Rodriguez as I headed toward what I hoped to be his 500th home run. The hex, I'm sorry to report, worked. € 


For those who may insist that we randomly pick on Eric Savitz, we recommend reading the following posts where we specifically mentioned Eric Savitz [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] (and Barron's too). We did not mention most of his writings, which are quite consistently pro-Microsoft, but we just never tackled this issue separately until he decided to attack GNU/Linux using spin and lies.

Two readers have just independently written to us to warn that Eric Savitz is at it again. Calling it "yet more Google FUD," one reader writes: "you should collect these into an article for BN." Only 25 minutes apart, another reader contacts us to say "I wonder how much Microsoft paid this guy," who concludes with a folksy statement: "The boys in Redmond are holding the better hand."

“Two readers have just independently written to us to warn that Eric Savitz is at it again.”"Among his more outrageous claims," claims the latter reader: "Windows 7 is well-reviewed. Ha! Virtually everything else he says shows massive bias. Barron's could do better."

Beneath the PR it is clearly visible that Vista 7 is the real Mojave. It is a marketing bubble boosted by bribed bloggers and Windows enthusiasts who can't help waiting for Vista 7 to reach store shelves. Critics of Vista 7 come under attacks. As for Microsoft's simultaneous attacks on Google and GNU/Linux, we anticipated and wrote about this just a few hours ago. We gave more examples yesterday.

When Microsoft constantly attacks something using its pseudo-journalists/analysts, then we know that Google is on the right track. Fear rationalises aggression.

"Every time you use Google, you're using a machine running the Linux kernel."

--Chris DiBona, Google



PS - It seems like a good opportunity to make an Ogg out of the following video, which we mentioned here after Moody's had given Microsoft (MSFT) debt a high rating. Welcome to FraudStreet.





Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Has Not Much Left to Show Investors, Shares Fall Almost 20%
It's not even clear how Microsoft makes money anymore
The Fall of the Open Source Initiative (OSI): The OSI Election is Rigged, Biased Against People Who Oppose the Openwashing of GPL-Violating Bots Operated by Microsoft for Profit (OSI Gets Paid to Promote This)
they reckon that pretence of calm would serve them best, helped by puff pieces
In Vietnam, statCounter Sees Microsoft Windows Falling Below 7% "Market Share"
Can Microsoft still demand $500 or more per Windows licence?
Fresh IBM Layoffs Reported in Europe and North America, Jobs Allegedly Moved to South Asia (Low Salaries)
As usual, IBM does not talk about this
The Ludicrous Mythology of Commonality as Signal of Value, Merit, Popularity
Devalue what's true, promote marketing?
 
EPO Central Staff Committee: "The Strategy of the Office Lacks Transparency and Cannot be Understood"
Microsoft and the EPO violate data protection laws
Links 11/03/2025: Spring and Misfin Server
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 10, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, March 10, 2025
Latvia (and Lithuania) Stepping Away From GAFAM, Microsoft
Windows becomes unessential as Android and GNU/Linux rise
Microsoft Layoffs Are Infectious (Don't Get Acquired or Become a Partner)
It seems like companies choosing to become "buddies" with Microsoft are dooming themselves and their products
A Closer Look Inside the EPO, Courtesy of Benoît Battistelli's Submissive Lapdogs Roberta Romano-Götsch and Elodie Bergot
new report comes from the Local Staff Committee Munich (LSCMN)
Links 10/03/2025: Staff Strikes, Mass Layoffs in Gaming Industry
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/03/2025: "Eat The Rich" and Two-Year Anniversary of the 'Space Elevator' Orbit (Like 'Webring')
Links for the day
Links 10/03/2025: Small Web Praised, LLM Chatbots Exposed as Worse Than Useless Again
Links for the day
A Call for GNU/Linux and BSD Developers to Unite Against GAFAM and the Regime They Empower
We have long encouraged and continue to encourage people who value Software Freedom to altogether boycott GAFAM
[Video] Richard Stallman on the Four Essential Freedoms (Manuel Cuda News, 2025)
Added to a channel several days ago by Manuel Cuda News
Gemini Links 10/03/2025: Realisation About Young People, Punks, and Discord IPO
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 09, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, March 09, 2025
[Video] Richard Stallman on Understanding the Misconception of So-called 'Artificial Intelligence'
to "know and understand"
FSF's Defective by Design (DBD): Amazon Tightens the Digital Handcuffs
Reproduced verbatim
The Fall of the Open Source Initiative (OSI): Plenty of Issues, Plenty of Censorship
The OSI is abusive on many levels!
EPO Staff Appraisals Apparently Benefit Kakistocracy, Including Cheaters Who Grant Illegal Patents and Punish Good Patent Examiners (Who Find Valid Reasons for Denials)
In prior reports the staff representatives said that rewards typically went to people who granted many patents, i.e. didn't do proper examination and instead just allowed many fake patents get enshrined as EPs, causing fiasco (from which some patent attorneys could profit)
As The Web Gets Drowned Out, Sinking in a Pool of LLM Slop, Real News Sites With Real News Become Increasingly Rare If Not Extinct
This is a real problem
Links 09/03/2025: Moderna Patents Thrown Out, Climate United Sues E.P.A.
Links for the day
Gemini Links 09/03/2025: Lagrange 1.18.5 and Writing Mannerisms
Links for the day
Links 09/03/2025: FiveThirtyEight Killed by Disney, Nature (Journal) Chooses Suicide by Slop
Links for the day
Links 08/03/2025: International Women's Day, Software Patents Being Squashed
Links for the day
Hiding Problems Doesn't Work
transparent organisations will be more stable and sustainable
The Harder They Try to Censor, the Bigger the Scandal (and the Impact) Will Be
We don't plan to self-censor our coverage; sometimes we just delay publication a little
Gemini Links 09/03/2025: Leasehold Derangement Syndrome, Raspberry Pi, and More
Links for the day
All-Time Low for Microsoft in Africa
it helps show how irrelevant Microsoft is becoming
French woman (frontaliere) trafficked to promote unauthorised cross border Swiss insurance
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
New York Times & Guardian reporting on Modern Slavery Act prosecution of Glodi Wabelua
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Diana & Adrian von Bidder-Senn, EVP, Palm Sunday & Debian death on wedding day
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
The RTO (Return-to-office) Layoffs or 'Soft' Layoffs at IBM and Red Hat
There are certainly many layoffs going on there, but many are described as "resignations" or "retirements" after RTO or some other form of relocation
Under the Pen Name "John O'Donnell" (LLM Slop, Not Real Article or Author) LinuxLinks Pushes Spammy Page
it happened some hours ago.
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 08, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, March 08, 2025