Bonum Certa Men Certa

The History of 'Paul Murphy' Defaming Linux

ZDNet



Summary: A look back (8 years ago) at what "Paul Murphy" was doing to GNU/Linux, leading to the thread "Rudy de Haas' Defamation"

Our previous post dealt with pseudonym "Paul Murphy", whose fake nickname must have indicated an escape from some past or some shame (sincere people needn't hide their identity), even predating the SCO case. A reader has sent us a pointer to this old message which refers to IDG (LinuxWorld):







-----Original Message----- From: John Alvord [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 5:17 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Rudy de Haas' Defamation

On Mon, 27 May 2002 19:33:01 -0400, "Post, Mark K" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>I thought quite a while before deciding to write this note. I finally >decided that it was worth the trouble and risk of being ignored. > >Rudy de Haas' (aka Paul Murphy) latest and final article in his series on >Linux/390 was really too much to have to deal with in what should be a >reputable publication such as LinuxWorld. Inferring that the subscribers of >the Linux-390 mailing list are the same as gullible members of a religious >cult is crossing the line of responsible journalism into territory that I >don't even know how to categorize. > >In his zeal to criticize IBM and the Linux/390 platform, he seems to be >unaware of one possible explanation for all the things he can't understand >about the platform and its supporters: they might be right and he might be >wrong. In his last column he makes the comment "The list members know >what's going on, most of them have daily access to Linux on the mainframe >and can see its costs and limitations far more clearly than outsiders can." >Which is true. In his mind, though, that just makes them deluded cult >members, as opposed to intelligent professionals who know a good thing when >they see it. > >If Mr. de Haas had actually listened to the responses he got, instead of >taking them as further evidence of a collective delusion, he might have >avoided libeling thousands of honest, hardworking IT professionals. >Instead, he chose to drape himself in the mantel of self-righteousness and >proceed in his own delusion. > >To use a British turn of phrase, bad show, both on his part, and yours as >well. > >Mark Post

Maybe some people here should author a rebuttal and see if LinuxWorld would publish it.

john





The SCO case is practically over, but the usual suspects -- Rud^H^H^H^Hrphy included -- keep flogging a dead horse. It's important that people don't pay attention to them.

"Maureen O'Gara said she was going to call them so it looks better coming from her."

Microsoft's "smoking guns"

Recent Techrights' Posts

Law Firms Facing the Consequences for Patently Abusive Litigation on Behalf of Microsoft Employees Who Got Arrested for Strangulation and Had Done Even Worse Things
Having spent 1.5 years bullying me with patronising letters on behalf of Microsofters, last week they got served a massive bill and, in effect, lost the Hearing
LLMs Breaking Everything
Computing and the Net became a playground for scammers and "bros", like people who "invented" fake currencies and also try to tell us that LLMs spewing out things will have some real value
1989: Free Software as "Open" Software (OSI Didn't Coin "Open Source", It Also Predates Linux)
"One man's fight for Free software"
 
The FSF Board and FSF Beard
So the FSF's Board has grown
New Report From the EPO's Staff Representatives in The Hague (LSCTH) Reveals Many Unsolved Issues
Local Staff Committee The Hague (LSCTH) wrote to staff just before the weekend
Links 22/06/2025: More Slop Lawsuits (Copyrights) and "America’s Oligarch Problem"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/06/2025: Gigantic Toolchest and Annoying Bots
Links for the day
The Calling
Persist and persevere, justice will come your way
So Far Every BetaNews 'Article' is LLM Slop, So BetaNews is Officially Just a Slopfarm
They just don't seem to value what they have
IBM Rumour: Mass Layoffs (RAs) Lists Being Made for Consulting, With Effect in July 2025
Bogus companies with no viable products and no world-leading (in their field) staff are doomed to perish
Links 21/06/2025: Data Breach With 16 Billion Passwords, Dutch Government Recommends Children Under 15 Stay off TikTok and Instagram
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/06/2025: Notes about Typst (and LaTeX) and Opos
Links for the day
Microsoft's Competition Tactics: Sabotage GNU/Linux Installs, Block Chrome
Edge is dying
The Microsoft OOXML Modus Operandi: Throw 1,000 Pages of Other People's Work for a Judge to Read Ahead of a One-Hour Meeting
No time to discuss this - that's the point
Formalities Officers (FOs) at the EPO Are in Trouble, Reveals Internal Report
We already know, based on an HR pattern we saw at IBM and elsewhere, that reallocating roles can be prerequisite for dismissal and those who do so expect many to resign anyway
The Web is Slop and FUD, Let's Go to Gemini Protocol
Lupa sees self-signed capsules at 92.4%
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, June 20, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, June 20, 2025
Links 21/06/2025: Phone Bans for Concerts, Tensions in Taiwan Strait
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/06/2025: Spoilers, Public Yggdrasil Node, Changes to AuraGem Search
Links for the day
"Six years of Gemini!"
From gemini://geminiprotocol.net
Gemini Links 20/06/2025: Summer Updates and Hardware Failures
Links for the day
Links 20/06/2025: Google Shareholder Sues Google and Google Sued for Defamatory Slop ('Hey Hi') Word Salads ('Summaries')
Links for the day
Linux Journal Might Have Become the Latest Slopfarm Targeting "Linux", the Trends Are Concerning for Dying News Sites
They tarnish the Web with junk and then die
On "Learning to Code"
quality may suffer, plus things get bloated
Quick Points Regarding This Week's Court Hearing
it paves the way for us to squash all the SLAPPs from Microsofters
Common Mistake: Believing Social Control Media Will Document Your Writings/Thoughts and Search Engines Like Google Will Help You Find These
Many news sites wrongly assumed that posting directly to Twitter would be acceptable
The Manchester Bees and This Hot Summer
We have had a fantastic week so far this week
Gemini Protocol Enters Its Seventh Year, Growth Has Accelerated!
Maybe in June 20 2026 there will be over 3,500 active capsules?
Mastodon and the Fediverse Have an Issue: Liability for Content (Even in Other Instances) and Costs
self-hosting is the only logical path forward
Why Microsoft and Its 'Hey Hi' (Slop) Frenzy Fail While Sinking in Deep, Growing Debt
Right now, like Twitter around the time it was sold to MElon, "open" "hey hi" is a big pile of debt with a lot to pay for that debt (interest payments)
Europe is Leaving Microsoft, the Press Coverage Isn't Sufficiently Helpful
The news is generally positive, but the press coverage leaves so much to be desired
Slopwatch: Linuxsecurity, BetaNews, and Linux Journal
slippery slope
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, June 19, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, June 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/06/2025: Gemini Protocol Turns 6!
Links for the day