Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft's Entryism and Infiltration-Type Attacks on GNU/Linux Are Nothing New

They're been trying to do that as long as this site's existence, with help from the likes of Bill Hilf, Sam Ramji, and Miguel de Icaza

I am The Loraxsoft. I keep saying I 'love Linux' and therefore I now speak for Linux



Summary: Whatever Microsoft does to embrace-extend-extinguish (EEE) GNU/Linux and Free software at large, none of that is entirely new; it's just a progression of old strategies (e.g. replacing the defunct CodePlex with GitHub, at a great cost). We need more whistle-blowers from Microsoft to shed light on these things.

TACTICS of assimilation. They're not new. They're not so innovative. You basically try either to identify with your competition or try to make your competition identify with you (blurring differences, then taking control). This is discussed a lot behind the scenes in Techrights, albeit most of this discussion is visible in the form of IRC logs.



"I don't do this all by myself; we're a fast-growing team of passionate Free software proponents."Microsoft's assimilation tactics are nothing new. Back when the Novell patent deal was signed -- way back in 2006 -- we already saw plenty of examples of that. Among them: document format wars, Mono, Hyper-V...

https://twitter.com/TvPrivacy/status/1207002964415660032

We acknowledge but never regret that our focus on EPO scandals from 2014 to present reduced our ability to debunk Microsoft FUD. Our capacity improved a lot over the past year, so now we can cover both. Daily Links are bigger (in terms of volume) than ever before and we nowadays publish IRC logs on a daily basis -- as we used to do about a decade ago. I don't do this all by myself; we're a fast-growing team of passionate Free software proponents. We have had more guest posts over the past year and the Editorial Team publishes articles as well (sometimes it seems appropriate to not name the author).

People Who Come From Microsoft Are Sometimes Microsoft-Hostile



While it's too easy to de-humanise everyone who has worked for Microsoft, we increasingly see more people who regret their time at Microsoft. They even speak strongly against it and file formal complaints. Mr. Lunduke worked for Microsoft (a long time ago), the most prominent critic of Microsoft's tax evasion had come from Microsoft, and some of our sources also come from Microsoft. In recent years it has become increasingly common to blow the whistle on one's employer -- a trend which billionaires are eager to curb because it scares them. Last week we saw reports about Amazon's chief (Bezos) threatening staff who speaks about climate change and Google increasingly resorts to union-busting tactics, just like Microsoft. We should strive to always encourage this behaviour and facilitate -- in the form of an anonymity-preserving platform -- those wishing to express their views/share their inside secrets without putting a name on the voice (or hard evidence).

"Never underestimate people's ability to change or reconsider their positions."One of the more amusing things I've witnessed in recent years is online fights, notably in Twitter, between former Microsoft staff and current ones. They're sparring over Microsoft's lies and delusion. It's a refreshing change. Dissent from within the company helps dispel the myths it is trying to spread (e.g. "Microsoft loves Linux").

In a similar vein, many of our sources about EPO abuses are directly or indirectly connected to the EPO. Unlike Microsoft, the EPO is a monopoly in the institutional sense (there cannot be another EPO, it enjoys a monopoly over the whole region), so people who work there recognise their obligation to the public. The EPO's 'conscientious objectors' -- like Microsoft's -- are humanity's brave, courageous risk takers. Never underestimate people's ability to change or reconsider their positions.

"One strategy that Microsoft has employed in the past is paying for the silence of people and companies. Charles Pancerzewski, formerly Microsoft’s chief auditor, became aware of Microsoft’s practice of carrying earnings from one accounting period into another, known as “managing earnings”. This practice smoothes reported revenue streams, increases share value, and misleads employees and shareholders. In addition to being unethical, it’s also illegal under U.S. Securities Law and violates Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (Fink)."

--2002 story about Charles Pancerzewski, Microsoft

Recent Techrights' Posts

Peter Moon's (Computerworld) Interview With Richard Stallman
Stallman: If you want freedom don't follow Linus Torvalds
At What Point Does Outsourcing Constitute Malpractice?
Brett Wilson LLP's new staff page is misleading
From Do Your Own Research to Do Your Own Search
The Web is full of garbage; search engines amplify this garbage
 
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 23, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 23, 2025
Gemini Links 23/06/2025: Mass Tourism, Hair Love, and Google Gemini as a Googlebomb
Links for the day
Law Firm Burgess Mee Does Not Fully Deny Participating in Abusive Litigation for Serial Strangler From Microsoft
I am not unfamiliar with these tactics
The Modus Operandi of Wayland Pushers: Make It Political
do what I say or you're a nazi...
Links 23/06/2025: RFE/RL Contributor Vladyslav Yesypenko Released, Recording Industry Cutbacks
Links for the day
Brett Wilson LLP Solicitors (M): Over 99.9% of Our E-mail is Self-Marketing, We Send You 3.5MB E-mails for Less Than 1KB of Text
Why would tech people entrust legal matters to such people?
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sailing to GNU/Linux, According to statCounter
countries in that region will quickly learn the price of neglecting digital sovereignty
More People Moving to Geminispace?
at age 6+ Gemini Protocol seems to have gained some maturity and it seems like more people use it
Permutation in LLMs Does, Inevitably, Change Meanings and Therefore LLMs Cannot Properly Rephrase or Summarise Texts
LLMs lack actual grasp or comprehension of what they spew out
Links 23/06/2025: Many Security Breaches, Population Declines
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/06/2025: "America at the Crossroads" and OpenWRT Surgery
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 22, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 22, 2025
Pure Dove
Different means different, and sometimes those who "deviate" from "the norm" have a point
Censorship is a Sign of Weakness Which Invites More Censorship Attempts
revolutionaries don't succumb to pressure from bullies
Why It's Unlikely That LLM Slop Will Dominate the Web in the Long Run
Slopfarms will eventually perish (they have no actual value) and "survivors" on the Web will be sites that never depended on search engines and social control media
GNU/Linux in Argentina Now Measured Near 5%
Like in central Europe, they must be seeing an increasingly hostile US
BetaNews is Fake News, Composed by LLM Slop
nothing in BetaNews is written by humans anymore
Links 22/06/2025: Giving Up on Smartphones and 'Jaws' at 50
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/06/2025: Furniture Construction and Bubble for Comments
Links for the day
Links 22/06/2025: Windows TCO Tales and YouTube Getting More Hostile to Users
Links for the day
The FSF Board and FSF Beard
So the FSF's Board has grown
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
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
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
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