11.02.07
Early Signs of Danger: Microsoft Already Fighting to Steal the Web
Squashing the threat before it grows too big
Microsoft has predatory and malicious plans for absolute domination. Neither forget nor underestimate Novell’s role in helping Microsoft conquer the Web [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Novell is — in that respect — Microsoft’s best buddy. Particularly, Mono’s leadership plays a significant role here, but no fingers will be pointed at individuals, for reasons that PJ shrewdly mentioned in my new interview with her. Novell as a whole should accept the blame collectively, for it is them that actively permit this to happen. The logo below speak for itself. It shows what framework is partly responsible for this mess.
You may be wondering about Microsoft’s stubborn attempt to elbow and derail Linux off the Web. Action is progressing. Microsoft has begun butting heads with Mozilla and this development can by no means be ignored.
Eich charged in turn that Microsoft’s arguments are self-serving. “At best, we have a fundamental conflict of visions and technical values between the majority and the minority,” he wrote. “However, the obvious conflict of interest between the standards-based web and proprietary platforms advanced by Microsoft, and the rationales for keeping the web’s client-side programming language small while the proprietary platforms rapidly evolve support for large languages, does not help maintain the fiction that only clashing high-level philosophies are involved here.”
There is a true danger here. I would like to quote a message from a friend. It was posted to USENET only half an hour ago.
I also have no interest in GNU/Linux becoming the “dominant” OS. Unlike Microsoft, I am not interested in “taking over the world”, and therefore I really don’t care what OS other people use, provided their activities do not interfere with mine. However, both Microsoft and their products do in fact cause severe problems for non-Windows users, such as:
- Bot-nets of zombie Windows machines spewing spam and DDoS attacks
- Broken standards in networking, the Web, documents, and media
- Windows-only DRM systems
- Windows-only drivers
- Windows-only hardware (Win-modems, BIOSes, DirectX extensions, etc.)
- Windows-only software and services
- Patents held by mainly proprietary software vendors
- Sabotage of FOSS companies and projects, and their activities
- Anti-Linux FUD and lies spread by Microsoft and their proxies
- Deceit, corruption and bribery by Microsoft, to ensure “dominance”
- Microsoft’s perversion of the standards process and related bodies
- Microsoft’s perversion of public utilities with proprietary standards
- Coercive OEM deals designed to inhibit GNU/Linux adoption
- Government “lobbying” to implement Microsoft’s agenda as law
So I do not think it has ever really been a case of wanting GNU/Linux to “dominate”, but rather a question of simply getting rid of the threat to society posed by Microsoft. Where Windows users would go in the event of such a happy outcome, I really don’t care.
The fact is, that Microsoft and its proxies are violent, aggressive, and grossly reprehensible goons with a criminal mentality, who have embarked on a quest to essentially “take over”, (pretty much everything they can get their grubby hands on), all in the name of greed. They simply do not care how contemptuous their behaviour is, as long as it results in great big wads of cash – that’s all that matters to them.
“Both companies strive to achieve effective exclusion of the competition using proprietary and patent-encumbered technologies.”Watch the links at the beginning of this article again. It would be wasteful to repeat stories we have told before and elaborate on explanation we provided along with references. However, in any case, Novell is clearly becoming an integral part of the aggressor and oppressor, which is Microsoft. As such, both Novell and Microsoft will continue to have our eyes on them. Microsoft’s agenda seems inseparable from that of Novell at times. Both companies strive to achieve effective exclusion of the competition using proprietary and patent-encumbered technologies.
On this Halloween we are reminded yet again that we should be very afraid of Microsoft. Moreover, a column in ComputerWorld, which is a reputable source, dares to tell us that Microsoft needs to be killed. These words come from a long-time Microsoft expert and watcher.
Here’s a scary thought: Microsoft can take over your computer wherever you are, and do whatever it wants to.
Good read. Have a quick look.
Related Article:
Iowa antitrust case: Microsoft exec called software developers ‘pawns
A Microsoft Corp. technical evangelist referred to independent software developers writing for Windows and the company’s other software platforms as “pawns” and compared wooing them to convincing someone to have a one-night stand, according to testimony presented Friday against Microsoft in an ongoing antitrust case in Iowa.
Ed: think about Web developers that blindly use Silverlight and cling on to Microsoft’s void promise of interoperability.
Content is available under CC-BY-SA
Eric Gearhart said,
November 2, 2007 at 3:56 am
As I read the first link all I could think was “Microsoft will forever hate standards, when they are trying to dominate a market.”
I don’t think Microsoft will ever truly “grok” open source and open standards. I think they’ll go down with the proprietary ship even as the OSS community tries to hand them a life vest… I suppose actions speak louder than words and we will see.
Roy Schestowitz said,
November 2, 2007 at 4:06 am
They wrap their proprietary technology in a vest that says “open”. Remember that Microsoft claims that Silverlight is ‘open’ because you can view the Microsoft-specific blocks of code, which require a proprietary software stack for interpretation. Additionally, why do you think Microsoft tried so hard to invade the OSI and — as you put it — “grok” open source? That has already fooled Neelie Kroes, apparently.
What Novell did, along with the OSI’s tactlessness, was bad. No, let me rephrase that actually — it was a first-class disaster.
Eric Gearhart said,
November 2, 2007 at 7:57 am
http://iowa.gotthefacts.org/ hosts Microsoft internal emails and correspondence released to the public as a result of the antitrust trial “Comes v. Microsoft.”
You can read emails actually written by Bill Gates as he talks about Microsoft’s strategy wrt the iPod, and other assorted gems from high level executives like Jim Allchin
If you take the time to read the PDFs it really gives you a deep insight into how Microsoft thinks. “Evangelism is War” is one of my favorites.
Another nice quote:
http://iowa.gotthefacts.org/011607/9000/PX09280.pdf – “This is just life. I am not giving up. I don’t have a Penguin in my basement. I LOVE Windows which is why I want us to face this so we can figure it out”
Eric Gearhart said,
November 2, 2007 at 8:31 am
Just in case that site goes down I’ve mirrored it over at http://nixwizard.net/ComesVsMS/ btw
Roy Schestowitz said,
November 2, 2007 at 9:04 am
Wow. These two two mirrors I was not aware of. It’s actualy grouchy from Groklaw that downloaded the whole thing over low-speed modem and then made available all that stuff on his Web site (shortly after the unexpected settlement that stopped the flow of new exhibits). It later turned into a torrent, which my friend turned into a mirror back in January or February.
I am familiar with many of the memos. It’s good to see more mirrors showing up.