Bonum Certa Men Certa

ZDNet's 'Open Source and Linux' Blog Consults With Pro-Microsoft Campaigner

Healing field flag



Summary: Microsoft's agenda gets spread to other areas using a European booster-for-hire who masquerades as a "FOSS" guy

FOR REASONS we can understand -- given Dana Blankenhorn's Windows-oriented background in computing -- his blog chooses to be hostile to the very same subject it is covering sometimes. Blankenhorn's intentions are good and he does not do this deliberately. In recent months, however, he was one among countless journalists who were sprayed by the mass-mailing operation of Microsoft Florian, a .NET developer whose life and philosophy seem to revolve around one company's doctrines. That's all fair, but to pretend that he is a FOSS person is where he clearly crosses the line, especially if he mass-mails journalists and gives them this false impression. Microsoft Florian promotes interests that are opposite to those of FOSS, e.g. MPEG-LA and RAND (covered in the previous post).



“H.264 is now free as in beer, as opposed to WebM’s open format aimed at HTML5...”
      --Dana Blankenhorn
MPEG-LA is in dire need of some PR (propaganda and FUD) right now because as Blankenhorn correctly puts it, "MPEG LA tries free as in beer against WebM" (many do not understand the distinctions inherent in the word "free"). We addressed this subject some days ago [1, 2, 3, 4] and Blankenhorn says: "H.264 is now free as in beer, as opposed to WebM’s open format aimed at HTML5...

"It’s not free for everyone. Those who charge for their video, whether it’s a service like Hulu, a Blu-Ray disc company, or Apple’s iTunes, which wants to charge 99 cents to see shows from free TV, will still pay. (If you’re charging for free beer it’s no longer free to you, is the idea.)"

Now watch who shows up in the comments to play ball for MPEG-LA and promote his anti-IBM blog. It's the same person who 'injects' his opinions into many of Blankenhorn's blog posts. Sadly, Dana Blankenhorn still pays attention to Microsoft Florian and focuses only on Apple when talking about "Global struggle over software patents", e.g.:

From this it’s clear Apple thinks it has a worldwide monopoly on how the iPhone works, one that could last until late in the next decade. The questions courts must ask are:

1. Does this cover any portable touch screen system, as Apple contends, or just this particular system? 2. Should the patents be considered valid, since Google asserts it was working on its own Android system before the iPhone patents were filed.

There is another important question. Does it respect and reward innovation to give Apple control of all portable touch screen devices, for as long as touch screens may be an interface of choice? Would society have benefited if Microsoft had to wait until the 21st century to deliver Windows, or something like it?


Watch where the focus on Apple came from (it's there in the text). Blankenhorn is hopefully not becoming a tool of Microsoft Florian, but based on new posts like this one, he is. Why would Blankenhorn want to take his guidance and advice from the Microsoft crowd? ____ * Apple sues Linux just like Microsoft does (Microsoft commends Apple for doing so while they cross-license). Microsoft Florian defends Microsoft's approach and vilifies the rest, including Apple's to an extent. While some sites are stalking this company's patents and publishing examples, it is not Apple which hires lobbyists to spread software patents, making them applicable in the entire world.

Finally, two Apple patents hint at how Apple TV will allow users to browse content and store information.


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