Bonum Certa Men Certa

Scepticism Versus “Analysts”

“Whether or not it actually represents ‘pay for play’ is, I suppose, in the eye of the individual but it is certainly true that many vendors refer to engagements with Gartner as ‘paying the analyst tax.’”

--Mike Karp, Infrastructure Analytics analyst



Summary: Novell resorts to using so-called 'analysts' and Microsoft's own analysts are shown to be knowingly/deliberately lying to give Microsoft ammunition

TWO YEARS ago Novell acquired Managed Objects (BSM), which it made almost no use of (and the CEO left). Over the past couple of weeks we have given some examples of Novell's PR people trying to play up BSM and here is another new example (specifically this report). To make its case for BSM, Novell resorts to citing Gartner, which is essentially a company you pay to say whatever you want it to say (provided there is some trick for justifying it). Gartner is a business (with investors that include Bill Gates), it's not a firm that's dedicated to conducting unbiased research. The disclosure policy is very iffy, for reasons that we named and showed on several occasions in the past. The so-called 'analysts' themselves come from the commercial sector, which leads to conflicts of interests.



There is a new example of analyst lies. The annual IDC/BSA study [1, 2, 3, 4], which Microsoft uses for propaganda about counterfeiting, is a famous case of fabrication/deception. Here is a new article which exposes the BSA for spreading lies with IDC:

The BSA’s figures for software piracy in this country need adjusting. It could start by surveying some South Africans.

If it’s May, then it’s time for the Business Software Alliance’s annual Global PC Software Piracy Study. The study, a comprehensive look at the state of unauthorised software around the world, is commissioned by the BSA and carried out by research giant IDC, which uses its data from quarterly PC shipments and market indicators from around the world to come up with a global figure as well as rates for individual countries. South Africa’s piracy rate was given as 35 percent this year, not as bad as some other countries but not good either, according to local BSA chairperson Charl Everton.

[...]

How was the 35 percent rate arrived at? It’s a guess, or rather, a combination of guesses combined with some market data and presented as a final authoritative percentage.


As someone who claims to have worked for IDC told us anonymously in IRC, these numbers are indeed just based on gut feeling. They are guesses accompanied by a press blitz, which is easy for IDC to achieve because it has IDG, the media giant. As for the BSA, it is funded by Microsoft. It is essentially a front group.

One absolutely needs to treat analysts' output sceptically. They are not academics and they do have an agenda. If they don't, they won't survive in this business.

“Analysts sell out - that’s their business model… But they are very concerned that they never look like they are selling out, so that makes them very prickly to work with.”

--Microsoft, internal document [PDF]

Recent Techrights' Posts

Who really owns Debian: Ubuntu or Google?
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Keeping Computers at the Hands of Their Owners
There's a reason why this site's name (or introduction) does not obsess over trademarks and such
In May 2024 (So Far) statCounter's Measure of Linux 'Market Share' is Back at 7% (ChromeOS Included)
for several months in a row ChromeOS (that would be Chromebooks) is growing
Links 03/05/2024: Microsoft Shutting Down Xbox 360 Store and the 360 Marketplace
Links for the day
Evidence: Ireland, European Parliament 2024 election interference, fake news, Wikipedia, Google, WIPO, FSFE & Debian
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Enforcing the Debian Social Contract with Uncensored.Deb.Ian.Community
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 03/05/2024: Antenna Needs Your Gemlog, a Look at Gemini Get
Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, May 02, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, May 02, 2024
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Jonathan Carter & Debian: fascism hiding in broad daylight
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Gunnar Wolf & Debian: fascism, anti-semitism and crucifixion
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Links 01/05/2024: Take-Two Interactive Layoffs and Post Office (Horizon System, Proprietary) Scandal Not Over
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, May 01, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, May 01, 2024
Embrace, Extend, Replace the Original (Or Just Hijack the Word 'Sudo')
First comment? A Microsoft employee
Gemini Links 02/05/2024: Firewall Rules Etiquette and Self Host All The Things
Links for the day
Red Hat/IBM Crybullies, GNOME Foundation Bankruptcy, and Microsoft Moles (Operatives) Inside Debian
reminder of the dangers of Microsoft moles inside Debian
PsyOps 007: Paul Tagliamonte wanted Debian Press Team to have license to kill
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
IBM Culling Workers or Pushing Them Out (So That It's Not Framed as Layoffs), Red Hat Mentioned Repeatedly Only Hours Ago
We all know what "reorg" means in the C-suite
IBM Raleigh Layoffs (Home of Red Hat)
The former CEO left the company exactly a month ago
Paul R. Tagliamonte, the Pentagon and backstabbing Jacob Appelbaum, part B
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Links 01/05/2024: Surveillance and Hadopi, Russia Clones Wikipedia
Links for the day
Links 01/05/2024: FCC Takes on Illegal Data Sharing, Google Layoffs Expand
Links for the day
Links 01/05/2024: Calendaring, Spring Idleness, and Ads
Links for the day
Paul Tagliamonte & Debian: White House, Pentagon, USDS and anti-RMS mob ringleader
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Jacob Appelbaum character assassination was pushed from the White House
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Why We Revisit the Jacob Appelbaum Story (Demonised and Punished Behind the Scenes by Pentagon Contractor Inside Debian)
If people who got raped are reporting to Twitter instead of reporting to cops, then there's something deeply flawed
Free Software Foundation Subpoenaed by Serial GPL Infringers
These attacks on software freedom are subsidised by serial GPL infringers
Red Hat's Official Web Site is Promoting Microsoft
we're seeing similar things at Canonical's Ubuntu.com
Enrico Zini & Debian: falsified harassment claims
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
European Parliament Elections 2024: Daniel Pocock Running as an Independent Candidate
I became aware that Daniel Pocock had decided to enter politics
Publicly Posting in Social Control Media About Oneself Makes It Public Information
sheer hypocrisy on privacy is evident in the Debian mailing lists
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 30, 2024