Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Attacked/Attacker Paradox

"If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good."

--Bill Gates, Microsoft



Gates animation



Summary: Microsoft's cult-like tactics have never been this blatant; the Microsoft 'mascot' keeps doing 'media tours', pretending to be an expert at things he hasn't the slightest clue about, pretending to save the world because he cannot even save his own company anymore (and the other co-founder died years ago)

Paradoxically perhaps, if not as expected, when one 'wins' one becomes the target of attacks. The famous saying goes like this (attributed to various people, with slight variations): "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." (Usually attributed Mahatma Gandhi).



"Microsoft's entryism, including takeover of GitHub (on which Microsoft loses loads of money each quarter, desperate to somehow control the rivals), may in fact be somewhat symptomatic of the fact that GNU/Linux and Free software take over everything and Microsoft tries -- even at great expense (expenditure) -- to sneak its ugly head into the photograph."What we're trying to say here is, in 2020 GNU/Linux makes big gains on servers (even Azure uses GNU/Linux on almost two-thirds of instances) and on the desktop, not to mention Android in mobile and all sorts of embedded devices or gadgets (Linux is almost the de facto standard on all). Windows lost majority market share about a decade ago (depending on what form factors are counted). Being Microsoft's common carrier, without Windows domination the Microsoft we once knew cannot sell all sorts of other junk. They go in bundles. There have been many Microsoft layoffs since Vista and quarterly losses were sometimes announced (then spun by media moles).

Microsoft's entryism, including takeover of GitHub (on which Microsoft loses loads of money each quarter, desperate to somehow control the rivals), may in fact be somewhat symptomatic of the fact that GNU/Linux and Free software take over everything and Microsoft tries -- even at great expense (expenditure) -- to sneak its ugly head into the photograph. Remember that, as per insiders' account, Azure loses loads of money. Datacenteres are being shut down, customers complain about provisioning problems, and Munich is said to have dumped Microsoft partly due to this. It's in the French media this week.

"Are they so desperate to fake the number of users that exist on GitHub?"Whatever concerns we have about Microsoft hijacking projects using GitHub, sometimes by bribing the projects at hand (Python is one recent example of it) or infiltrating them by hiring particular people, we need to assess the exit barriers/costs. GitHub is proprietary software designed to entrap and 'addict'; using the network effect it makes it hard for developers to leave. The other day I checked my GitHub account which I deleted within hours of rumours of Microsoft buying GitHub. Turns out, they never truly deleted it. Even request for complete deletion cannot be honoured by thugs from Microsoft and it's still publicly listed (yes, a deleted account). Are they so desperate to fake the number of users that exist on GitHub? We once heard that many GitHub projects and users had quit, causing somewhat of a panic at Microsoft. Did they pay for a dud after all? Is there a long-term plan/business model?

"Microsoft therefore resorts to the mentality of sacrificial death cults or suicide bombers, trying to cause us all to drown along with Microsoft."Bill Gates left Microsoft a couple of months ago to further pursue his political career, pushing his patents for power and for profit. He too may have realised that Microsoft doesn't have much of a future. He took his money and ran, looking to profit at vastly higher rates from billions of "shots" and maybe implants. We'll spare the mention of conspiracy theories related to this; the actual facts were covered here before and they're different from what a bunch of yahoos on the Web claim rather baselessly, doing a disservice to informed critics of Gates. The Gates-funded publishers/broadcaster (NPR for example) spend a hufe amount of space and time ridiculing them, collectively painting all Gates critics as outright insane. A couple of days ago NPR 'journalists' started blocking Twitter users who merely pointed out that Gates had paid part of their salary as recently as 2018 (they pay in 'installments' -- conditionally -- to ensure NPR keeps saying what Gates wants... to keep that money coming).

Gates lost the argument ("letter to hobbyists") a long time ago. Free software is the way to go. Paul Allen is dead. Our prediction is that Microsoft will die before Bill Gates. His father is still alive (albeit clinically demented, as acknowledged by the media), so "Junior" might be around for a few more decades, sowing destruction and poverty, as usual.

The fight or the 'war' isn't over. But it's rather clear that in terms of "mindshare" and market share GNU/Linux is 'winning'. Microsoft therefore resorts to the mentality of sacrificial death cults or suicide bombers, trying to cause us all to drown along with Microsoft. Don't cooperate with them; never negotiate with radicals. Only the radicals stand to gain.

"Where are we on this Jihad?" [Against Linux]

--Bill Gates

Jihadi John



Recent Techrights' Posts

Polygamy, from Catholic Synod on Synodality to Social Control Media & Debian CyberPolygamy
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Only a Third of or 1 in 3 Web-Connected Devices is a Desktop or Laptop, According to statCounter
we can expect Android to widen its lead
 
Gemini Links 24/06/2025: Stimulants and Subscription Costs for DRM
Links for the day
When the Microsoft Aggressors Rely on Several Law Firms ('Attack Dogs', 'Guns for Hire'), Not Just One, Lawyering Up Against Techrights (Acting on Behalf of Americans Against UK Publishers)
From serving customers at some restaurant he has moved on to bullying people with demand letters
Links 24/06/2025: OpenAI [sic] May Soon Die (Too Much Debt) and Social Control Media Accused of Being Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda Amplifier
Links for the day
Nirbheek Chauhan in Planet GNOME Explains Why Wayland Pushers Are Losing
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
The Days Are Getting Shorter, the First Half of 2025 is Almost Over
We're gratified to see significant increase in traffic and also positive feedback on the work we do
Turning GNU/Linux Into a Political Football
X (not the site) is Free software
X Server Still Works for Many People
A lot of people will grow suspicious of Wayland boosters/pushers if they persist and insist on using these tactics
Exactly a Week Ago "BetaNews Staff" Said "Betanews Is Growing Alongside You". Since Then Every Article (All by "Camila Nogueira") Has Been LLM Slop.
BetaNews is basically a slopfarm
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 23, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 23, 2025
The "Tarzan Effect" in Compilers and Software
What happens when you forcibly make things 'work', either by hacks or by disregarding warnings (like those that compilers tend to issue)?
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?
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
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sailing to GNU/Linux, According to statCounter
countries in that region will quickly learn the price of neglecting digital sovereignty
From Do Your Own Research to Do Your Own Search
The Web is full of garbage; search engines amplify this garbage
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