Summary: Microsoft spreads its FOSS suppressors with SXSW promotion, Barnardos 'donation', and more

EVERY NOW and then we see Microsoft dumping software in order to block its competition. Microsoft always passes it by the press as "charity" or "donation", which essentially recasts anti-competitive behaviour as goodwill (for the gullible). We gave an example from the UK one week ago.

It is unfortunate to see SXSW selling out to Microsoft for promotion, according to this press release.

South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive is now accepting entries for the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW competition. Debuting last year, the first edition of Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW generated entries from more than 200 innovative companies from around the United States and across the world.

Microsoft is still dumping software using the *Spark programmes, which we wrote about to explain in:

• Poor Microsoft Gives Poor Software to Youngsters, Hoping to Remain Relevant
• Microsoft's Anti-Linux Dumping Crusade: Chapter 11.1
• Microsoft Tries to Fight Libre with Gratis
• An Open, Gentler Microsoft: The Best Illusion Only Novell Can Buy
• Microsoft's Last Breath: BAD (Bribing, Addicting, Dumping)
• Microsoft's B.A.D. (Bribing, Addicting, Dumping) Comes to the Philippines
• Down with Microsoft... in India (Updated)
• Microsoft Takes Dumping Tactics up a Notch
• The EDGIfication of the Philippines

There is also some new dumping in Barnardos, which the New Zealand press covered as though it was "donation of software to childcare charity." Well, "open source" is mentioned there among the comments, so people are not foolish enough to fall for PR ("donation", "children", and "charity" all in the same sentence).

Microsoft chief financial officer Chris Liddell, a New Zealander, on Monday announced a $1.4 million donation of software to childcare charity Barnardos New Zealand.

Software cannot be donated, as it costs nothing to copy. People should read up on EDGI. Here is a similar publicity stunt from Microsoft's extortion racket subscriber, Samsung.

The philanthropic initiative will reward winning writers with a Samsung Go Netbook and their local schools with cutting-edge Samsung products, Microsoft software, DIRECTV educational television programming and cash grants as well as special @15 gift cards supplied by Best Buy.

Best Buy and Microsoft software are quite a pair, aren't they? They bash GNU/Linux together [1, 2, 3, 4]. ⬆