Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Slashes Benefits to Its Covert Partners

Open hands



Summary: Microsoft to offer less 'schwag' and kickbacks to people who help it defend an empire

Microsoft has built itself an ecosystem which includes students whom it bribes with gifts to promote the company, professors whom it bribes to mention the company's products, vendors which it pays to pretend that they recommend Windows [1, 2], assemblers that it pressures to drop GNU/Linux offerings [1], shops that it pressures to drop GNU/Linux options [1], and hardware companies that it blackmails to drop support of Linux [1, 2, 3, 4]. There is concrete proof here for each and every claim, even in the form of antitrust exhibits. Microsoft is not shy to admit that bribery is seen as an acceptable strategy and those who stand in the way are being labeled "haters" and subsequently lose their job sometimes.



“Companies and individuals whom Microsoft works with usually get to share the loot with Microsoft as long as they suppress Microsoft's opposition and serve the company's agenda in all sort of ways.”Microsoft has summoned a mechanism whereby it can have impact on the industry that the company's paid employees alone could not ever achieve. For example, Microsoft uses partner companies like Wipro, Infosys and TCS to control India by extension. Companies and individuals whom Microsoft works with usually get to share the loot with Microsoft as long as they suppress Microsoft's opposition and serve the company's agenda in all sort of ways. Vista 7 launch parties which Microsoft intends to fund with gifts (thus making these parties AstroTurf, not grassroots) are a newer example of these tactics. The OOXML scandals are an ocean of such examples.

As we pointed out a week ago, Microsoft's grip on the software industry is clearly slipping. Among those who feel the pinch are not just Microsoft employees but also their extended family which is MVPs. Mary Jo Foley points to this almost-forgotten report which indicates that MVPs will lose some of the benefits that Microsoft gave them.

From October 1, we will retire these benefits: Company Store (MVP Bucks), E-Academy, E-Reference Library, MS Press Book Reviews


What will this mean and what will be the impact on their faithfulness to Microsoft? Might they choose to walk away and instead serve the goals of shareable code and freedom? Free software cannot offer kickbacks like Microsoft does, but it sure offers a wonderful experience to people who love computing.

"Copying all or parts of a program is as natural to a programmer as breathing, and as productive. It ought to be as free."

--Richard Stallman

Recent Techrights' Posts

Sounds Like IBM is Preparing for Mass Layoffs/Redundancies in Red Hat, Albeit in "PIP" (Performance Improvement Plan) or "Relocation" Clothing
This isn't the "old" IBM; they're applying pressure by confusion and humiliation
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Role of Language and Back to Mutt for E-mail
Links for the day
 
Links 19/04/2025: "Infantilization at Big Tech" and LLM Slop Abused in Defiance of Workplace Rules/Policies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Palm Addiction and Real Experts
Links for the day
Egypt is Controlled by Google, Not Microsoft
Moving from Microsoft to Google is not the answer
Microsofters Say They Cannot Find a Job (That They Want) Because of Techrights, But Techrights Merely Reported on Their Behaviour
Quit pointing the finger at people who are recipients of abuse or merely mention the abuse
Free Software and Standards - Not Marketing Blitz - Needed Amid Growing Severity of Dependency on Hostile Suppliers (or Another Country's Sovereignty)
ZenDiS can be described as the "Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration"
When It Comes to the Web, Google is Evil and It Destroys the Web's Integrity With LLM Slop
Even academia, which is meant to keep standards high, is being lured into LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 18, 2025
Links 18/04/2025: "Fentanylware (TikTok) Exodus Continues", Chinese Weapons Allegedly in Russia Already
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Price of Games and State of Tinylog
Links for the day
"Sayonara" (さよなら), Microsoft
Windows had fallen below iOS in some countries
Links 18/04/2025: Layoffs at Microsoft Infosys and Qt Becoming Increasingly Proprietary (Plus Slop)
Links for the day
Google News is Dying
treating MElon's algorithmic/biased site as a source of verified news
Microsoft's Attack Dogs Have Failed. Now What?
It would be utterly foolish to assume that Microsoft has any intention of changing
All Your "Github Projects" Will be Gone One Day (Just Like Skype)
If you have code you wish to share and keep, then start learning how to do so on your own
To Understand Who's Truly Controlling You Follow the Trail of Censorship (or Self-Censorship)
Do not let media steal and steer the narrative; CoCs are not about "social justice", they're about corporate domination
Fedora Already Lost Its Soul Under IBM
Fedora used to be very strict compared to many other distros and it had attracted very bright volunteers
Microsoft is Still Attacking GNU/Linux and the Net
Microsoft bribed the government using money that did not even exist
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 17, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Pinephone Pro and Linux is too Easy
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2025: Calling Whistleblowers at Microsoft, Slop Doing More Harm Everywhere
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2025: Russian Bot Farms Infect TikTok (Which US Government and SCOTUS Decided to Block January 19), US Hardware Stocks Crash Due to Tariffs
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Sticking to Free Software, Smolnet, and Counting the Reals
Links for the day
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: In Conclusion and Enforcement Action Proceeds Against OSI at the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
There's too much to cover in one single part
When You Fail to Filter Your Clients You End Up SLAPPing Reporters on Behalf of Bad People From Microsoft in Another Continent
“American Psycho”
Links 17/04/2025: LayoffBot and Tesla Cheats Buyers
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 16, 2025