Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Discriminates Against Liberation Serif -- Claim

Summary: Somebody in the #techrights IRC channel claims that Microsoft stifles font interoperability

Can any of our readers please confirm if this is true? And if so, is it "just a coincidence" or intentional? It's clear what Microsoft would say -- pretty much the same thing is says when it wipes the MBR/all partitions upon Windows installation.



twitterI had an annoying thing happen the other day.  I tried to share with a Microsoft user, only to find out that Office 2007 displays a horrid font for Liberation Serif.Jan 14 00:01
twitterInstead of displaying the nearly identical Times New Roman or Liberation Serif, it displays some kind of win 3.1 era font.  I don't see this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Font_Comparison_-_Liberation_Serif_to_Times_New_Roman.svgJan 14 00:02
TechrightsBot-trError processing the URL: HTTP/1.0 403 ForbiddenJan 14 00:02
twitterI see something else.Jan 14 00:02
twitterWhen I looked the issue up , I found " Microsoft                                         Unicode BMP only"Jan 14 00:03
twitterhttp://www.fonts2u.com/liberation-serif-bold.fontJan 14 00:03
TechrightsBot-trTitle: Liberation Serif Bold font .::. Size~: 38.13 KBJan 14 00:03
twitterSo how's that for interoperability?  You can't cooperate with a malicious bully.  The bully will always do something nasty and blame you for the results.Jan 14 00:04
twitterOn the funny side, I also noticed that Microsoft is a big Linux user http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=social.answers.microsoft.comJan 14 00:04
TechrightsBot-trTitle: Netcraft What's That Site Running Results .::. Size~: 12.39 KBJan 14 00:04
twitter" F5's BIG-IP product is based on a network appliance (either virtual or physical), which runs F5's Traffic Management Operating System (TMOS), which runs on top of Linux." -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F5_NetworksJan 14 00:05
TechrightsBot-trTitle: F5 Networks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .::. Size~: 51.47 KBJan 14 00:05
DaemonFCtwitter, There's a word for that.....Jan 14 00:05
DaemonFC"Oops! :)"Jan 14 00:05
DaemonFCthey're so petty they'll even screw up the fonts in a document someone made without MS WordJan 14 00:06
twittermost of those kinds of screw ups are intentional.  there's no reason for Microsoft to not carry and render common free software fontsJan 14 00:07
DaemonFCYou never know what you'll get when you trade documents with an MS Office userJan 14 00:07
DaemonFCor what will happen when they go to open yoursJan 14 00:07
DaemonFCgood thing OOXML is such an open standard and always works the same way twiceJan 14 00:08
twitteryou can be sure that nothing will ever interoperate with Microsoft, not even Microsoft.Jan 14 00:08
DaemonFC:)Jan 14 00:08
DaemonFCyeah, 2010 finally supports the OOXML ISO standard, but only for readingJan 14 00:08
DaemonFCif you get a valid file in Office 2010 and save it, it uses the same broken format as Office 2007Jan 14 00:09
twitterWell, the real answer is to tell the person on the other end to just get Open Office.Jan 14 00:09
DaemonFCso even if the next Office actually spits out ISO OOXML, the first time an Office 2010 user opens and saves, it'll be screwed up againJan 14 00:09
twitterThey do a free download and install or you spend $400, and have to find a VM with Winblows on it.Jan 14 00:10
DaemonFCit's pointless to support the valid standard for import when there's nothing that can actually create a compliant fileJan 14 00:10
DaemonFCincluding their own productJan 14 00:10
DaemonFCmakes me wonder why they did itJan 14 00:10
DaemonFCI still save to Word 2000's binary formatJan 14 00:11
DaemonFCbecause it's the only way to be sure they'll open in newer versions of MS OfficeJan 14 00:12
cubezzzjust use ASCIIJan 14 00:12
twitterMicrosoft made a phoney open document format so they could pretend to meet government standards for software freedom and interoperability.Jan 14 00:12
cubezzz;-)Jan 14 00:12
twitterI use ODF for my work.Jan 14 00:12
twitteror plain text via email.Jan 14 00:12
DaemonFCIndiana says that it's acceptable for government agencies to use OOXML, ODF, or PDFJan 14 00:12
cubezzzok, sometimes I do use pdfJan 14 00:13
DaemonFCbut all you ever get from them is OOXMLJan 14 00:13
twitterwhy did they start using OOXML?Jan 14 00:13
cubezzzI've never used OOXMLJan 14 00:13
DaemonFCthe state is schizophrenicJan 14 00:13
cubezzzembrace -> extend (you are here) ->Jan 14 00:13
DaemonFCthey use OOXML, at the same time they transition their websites over to Apache on LinuxJan 14 00:13
twitterYou can be sure they get a lot of complaints.Jan 14 00:14
DaemonFCthey're also migrating to W3C compliant pages on those sitesJan 14 00:14
DaemonFCbut about half the sites haven't switched over yetJan 14 00:14
twitterYou should complain to them.Jan 14 00:14
DaemonFCso you need Internet Explorer to open half, and a compliant browser to get the compliant pages IE won't loadJan 14 00:14
DaemonFCit's a clusterfuck of Microsoft and Open SourceJan 14 00:15
DaemonFCa train wreckJan 14 00:15
twitterTell them that it is wrong to be forced to buy a $400 text editor.Jan 14 00:15
DaemonFCI don't know what they're doing, I don't think they do eitherJan 14 00:15
twitterThey might be making a mess on purpose.Jan 14 00:16
DaemonFCI have to keep a copy of IE 6 in Wine around for when I have to access some state websitesJan 14 00:16
DaemonFCit's terribleJan 14 00:16
twitterThe lesson to learn is that Microsoft does not mix.Jan 14 00:16

Recent Techrights' Posts

IBM is "Making an Exit". Only the Executives Will Get Rich.
failure disguised as success
2026 is the Year of Blockchains, Says IBM's CEO a Decade Ago?
"falling upwards"
Most Coders Used to be Women, Not Men (and Men Who Dropped Out of College Now Plunder Everything They Can)
"Ethics For Hackers"
 
Links 06/06/2026: 'Linux' Foundation Openwashing Slop on Microsoft's Payroll, Ukraine Wants Permanent Ceasefire With Russia
Links for the day
[AGemini Links 06/06/2026: "Competing" With LLMs and "Automation of Any Kind"
Links for the day
50% of the 'Gains' Made by "Quantum" Hype Already Evaporated
"It was all hype about quantum nonsense. Heading back to reality now. Expect sub-$220 after earnings release next month."
Heap of Trash Online, Not Just the Fault of LLM Slop But Enabled by Slop
Google News has just promoted a pair of prolific slopfarms
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, June 05, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, June 05, 2026
Links 05/06/2026: Lawyers in Trouble for Citing Cases That Don't Exist (Slop Too Bad to Justify Costs; Even It It Did Work, It Would Still be Far Too Expensive)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/06/2026: Bears in the Streets, WWII Revisionism, and Westworld
Links for the day
Microsoft's LinkedIn Called "Dying Platform" by One Who Worked There
The co-founder of LinkedIn has just stepped down too
GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft) Layoffs Are Due to Surging Debt, or About 120 Billion Dollars Borrowed in One Year Alone
It's well above 150 billion dollars if one adds Oracle
After One Jeffrey Epstein Associate 'Leaves' Microsoft's Board Another Jeffrey Epstein Associate Steps Down, Workers Concerned About the Mass Layoffs
How many more loans can Microsoft receive? Those loans are becoming increasingly risky.
IBM Exploits Overambitious, Hungry Young Men to Help the "Great Quantum Hype Campaign" (Pumping the Stock Based on Deliberate Misinformation or Outright Disinformation)
The boot-licking campaign is live...
What Will Likely Happen When the Slop Bubble Pops (and When It'll be Widely Accepted That It Popped)
all the "most successful" slop companies are so deep in debt
The Register MS is Part of the Problem, It's Publishing "AI" SPAM Because it's Paid by Chinese Military-Connected Firms
Given that The Register MS is run by a Microsofter (since last summer), destruction seems inevitable
IBM's CEO Does Not Use GNU/Linux, So Why Did He Suggest Buying Red Hat Only to Lay Off Its Workers, Market Slop Instead of Linux, and Sack UNIX Professionals?
Shortly after IBM had bought Red Hat and there were mass layoffs we pointed out that Red Hat's CEO was not using GNU/Linux
If You're Not Focusing on Software Freedom, All You'll Get is Slopware and Buzzwords
If you're not focusing on attaining Software Freedom (and remember "Linux" is just a brand), then you're losing sight of the goals that actually matter
Red Hat/IBM: Microsoft is Our Partner of the Year
Red Hat is a really bad gravy
Gemini Links 05/06/2026: Enshittification of Institutes for Project Management, Codebases Contaminated With Slop, Personal Stories
Links for the day
Communicating With Freedom - Part II - Quibble Breathing New Life Into LibreJS
Notice how work on one thing led to thousands of lines of code added to a mostly dormant (but nevertheless important) project
Slop Has no ROI, an Economy Built on False Assumptions of Slop is Doomed
we're all going to suffer from this Ponzi scheme
Links 05/06/2026: More GAFAM Layoffs, Google Faces Regulatory Crackdown in UK Over Plagiarism in "AI" Clothing
Links for the day
Rumour That Layoffs at Microsoft Will Kick Off on July 1st, 2026 (Impacting 10,000 or More Workers)
this is what the rumour mill or the word through the grapevine is
Mission:Libre, Which Teaches Young People Free Software Ideals, Needs Financial Backing
plea for assistance with Mission:Libre
The Slop Ponzi Scheme is a Problem and Threat to All of Us (Even Those Who Don't Invest in or Use Slop at All)
This problem is systemic, not contained
"Blind Justice" Examines the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Turning a Blind Eye to Abuse by British Solicitors
We have some jaw-dropping examples of how the SRA does not do actual regulation - to the point where its staff does not actual work and does not look into any evidence at all!
7 Days From Now the FSF's Founder Gives a Talk in Bern, the FSF Has Just Advertised This
Meanwhile the FSF (or GNU) processes and uploads many recent talks by RMS
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Down But Not Out – Costa's Comeback
he managed to secure a top-level EU position in June 2024
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, June 04, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, June 04, 2026
Links 04/06/2026: Self-hosting Remotely and GemText Emphasis
Links for the day
Links 04/06/2026: Ukraine’s Daily Moment of Silence and Uber Lays off 23% of HR
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 98 Out of 200: Microsoft Threatening Real Security Researcher With Criminal Investigation for Talking About Microsoft's Bug Doors/Back Doors
The crime should be the back doors (deliberate attack on every user's data protection), not talking about those back doors
Microsoft Would Get Away Even With Pedophilia
"Microsoft should never be above the law"
Journalists Should be Ashamed for Parroting False Claims From IBM Management About "Quantum Computing", Say IBM Insiders Who Work on "Quantum Computing"
IBM is a buzzwords vendor. International Buzzwords Machines.
Free Software is Nourishment to Software Users, Unlike Proprietary Software
Quit treating "mere users" of software "like animals"
The "Peanut Gallery" of GAFAM Has Infiltrated Free Software Projects or Disrupts Free Software Communities
They contribute nearly nothing and do substantial damage; they're freeloaders who attack the most productive members of projects
Coding is Not a Quantity Game (It Never Was!)
"less is more"
Exposing Corruption Using a Highly Resilient Platform
Growing levels of trust, based on our track record, help us attract whistleblowers
Mass Layoffs Expected at Microsoft in July 2026
They're preparing more "lists" of people
Reflection on EPO Leadership That Harbours Cocaine, IBM Leadership That Pumps-and-Dumps the Shares, and More
ManCity replaced Manuel Pellegrini with a more famous manager it didn't envision winning 20 titles in 10 years (it could only hope) [...] Team-building is something that "Pep" seemed to be good at, as was Jürgen Klopp
Pump and Dump by IBM Insider Traders: Nickle LaMoreaux, Gary Cohn, James Kavanaugh, Arvind Krishna, Robert Thomas, and Others
the shares are already collapsing
FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) Has Weakened If Not Ruined What's Left of Big Media
Many things that have existed for decades are now being rebranded as "AI"
SLAPP Censorship - Part 97 Out of 200: Garrett in Hiding (From the Simple Observable Fact He's Closely Connected to the Microsofter Who Strangles Women, Tells Women to Kill Themselves, and Worse)
They use one another; they are coordinating this via the SLAPP industry in another continent
Links 04/06/2026: Microsoft Threatening Security Researcher for Naming Back Doors in BitLocker, "Demand is Booming for" Old Tech
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/06/2026: "Word Vomit", Slop", and Moving to Gopher/Gemini
Links for the day
Rust Outsources its Financing (or Financial Control) to Microsoft
How long before the third "E"?
"Format Sovereignty" Can Only be Accomplished With LaTeX or OpenDocument Format (ODF) or Vendor-Neutral Standards for Editable Documents
Microsoft is, in effect, above the law
IBM's Shares Fell Nearly 13% in One Day (Including After Hours)
its main product is false promises
The Cyber Show on the Importance of Software Freedom and Why GNU/Linux Could Not be Stopped
an excellent article
Drew DeVault Can Still Redeem His Reputation. Revisiting His Attacks (and Attack Site) on Richard Stallman Might be a Good Start.
DeVault has openly apologised (this past spring)
The Register MS is Publishing Paid SPAM; Some of It is Designed to Prop Up the "AI" Pyramid Scheme
The Register MS participates in scams
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: "Operation Influencer"
Costa's political career was far from finished
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 03, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 03, 2026