10.24.07
Looking for Microsoft Insiders at Novell
Remember Acacia employees that used to work for Microsoft before the lawsuit against Linux? Remember a top XenSource executive who used to work for Microsoft just before what is believed to be a hijack by proxy? Or the iPlayer fiasco [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] that goes on in Britain? It all happened after a deal with Microsoft where ex-Softies had grabbed top roles at the BBC. Mark Taylor from the OSC had this to say:
Q: Now, when you say a smoking gun, what exactly do you mean?
Mark Taylor: Well, the — (laughter) — the thing is, the iPlayer is not what it claimed to be, it is built top-to-bottom on a Microsoft-only stack, the BBC management team who are responsible for the iPlayer are a checklist of senior employees from Microsoft who were involved with Windows Media. A gentleman called Erik Huggers who’s responsible for the iPlayer project in the BBC, his immediately previous job was director at Microsoft for Europe, Middle East & Africa responsible for Windows Media. He presided over the division of Windows Media when it was the subject of the European Commission’s antitrust case. He was the senior director responsible. He’s now shown up responsible for the iPlayer project.
Does anyone know Novell employees (executives in particular) that have a career record or direct involvement with Microsoft? Miguel de Icaza and Nat Friedman come to mind [1, 2], but who else?
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kosmonaut said,
October 25, 2007 at 2:24 am
A little old, but related to some extent to the BBC (remember BBC is government owned) case:
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071011_019649.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_global+business
Roy Schestowitz said,
October 25, 2007 at 4:11 am
If you want to got further, here are some of my references. Someone might found them helpful. Bear in mind that the BBC sacked thousands of people after spending hundreds of millions on this binary blob called “iPlayer”.
BBC Corrupted
,—-[ Quote ]
| Today the BBC made it official — they have been corrupted by Microsoft. With
| today’s launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of
| duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution
| of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating
| system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must
| own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital
| Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be
| allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC.
`—-
http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted
BBC iPlayer Protests
,—-[ Quote ]
| Who are the people responsible for creating this mess?
|
| * Mark Thompson, BBC director general (DG)
| * Erik Huggers, group controller at BBC Future Media & Technology
| * Ashley Highfield, director of new media and technology
|
| Right now, there is very considerable concern within the BBC that the actions
| of the Director General and his team are sending the corporation in the wrong
| direction. The BBC has been embroiled in a number of recent controversies,
| all linked back to the DG’s leadership.
`—-
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/iPlayerProtest
Beeb slammed for ‘fawning’ to Bill Gates
,—-[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb’s news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed – details courtesy of the BBC’s
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC’s “impartiality”, were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill’s
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`—-
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
Brits! Act now to save the BBC from Microsoft
,—-[ Quote ]
| The BBC are holding an open consultation regarding how they’re
| going to delivery on-demand content, they want answers to
| questions like: “How important is it that the proposed seven-day
| catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who
| are not using Microsoft software?”
`—-
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/brits_act_now_to_sav.html
BBC courted for Xbox link
,—-[ Quote ]
| Microsoft was attracted to the BBC’s library of content and to
| high-definition programmes such as the award-winning series Planet Earth,
| Honey said.
`—-
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2412752.ece
MPs rap BBC over Siemens deal
,—-[ Quote ]
| But public spending watchdog the PAC said BBC executives misled the board
| of governors about possible savings while trying to convince them to give
| the deal the go-ahead.
|
| The committee of MPs found £60m of costs was excluded when budgets were
| put to the governors for approval.
|
| [...]
|
| The PAC said the BBC was failing to manage the contract properly.
|
| [...]
|
| The report suggests the BBC should open up its accounts to government
| officials for proper scrutiny.
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/06/29/pac_bbc_siemens/
Microsoft, Siemens to develop in-car infotainment
http://phunds.xxtreeme.com/sep10_microsoft_siemens_to_develop_in_car_infotainment
BBC Trust chairman scuppered by Skype
,—-[ Quote ]
| The BBC has gone into a massive navel gazing operation after an internal
| investigation that revealed it had made quite a few mistakes.
|
| Naturally every hack+dog on the British national press is weighing in
| describing it as a scandal, a “breach of trust” and the rest.
|
| [...]
|
| ohn Humphreys, the interviewer, proceeded to explain that the chairman was
| using something called Skype. Sort of re-assuring that the BBC Trust isn’t
| wasting licence payers’ money though.
`—-
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=41100
BBC iPlayer ups its restrictions
http://flickr.com/photos/coneee/1321390740/?addedcomment=1#comment72157601896989250
Ubuntu Linux maker joins OSC over iPlayer campaign
,—-[ Quote ]
| As the Internet becomes part of everyone’s lives – we will all go online
| using more types of device. Locking access to BBC iPlayer content to phones
| and internet tablets running Windows(tm) is shortsighted and bad for
| fee-payers. Platform neutral means that we need
| a solution that supports Linux and Apple’s OSX.”
|
| We fully support the OSC’s vital campaign that the iPlayer support Linux and
| trust that the BBC sees why this is in the interest of feepayers.”
`—-
http://www.sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=33204&hilite=
What tricks is the BBC up to with Microsoft?
,—-[ Quote ]
| The twin elephants in the meeting room will be Microsoft’s Silverlight and
| PlayReady.
`—-
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/16/silverlight_iplayer_playready/
BBC’s iPlayer’s Prospects Looking Bleak
,—-[ Quote ]
| “The future of iPlayer, the BBC’s new online on-demand system for delivering
| content, is continuing to look bleaker. With ISPs threatening to throttle the
| content delivered through the iPlayer, consumers petitioning the UK
| government and the BBC to drop the DRM and Microsoft-only technology, and
| threatened legal action from the OSC, the last thing the BBC wanted to see
| today was street protests at their office and at the BBC Media Complex
| accompanied by a report issued by DefectiveByDesign about their association
| with Microsoft.”
`—-
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/15/1721229&from=rss
BBC iPlayer protest report
,—-[ Quote
| First on site with me is Tom Chance, Green Party spokesperson on Free
| Software. He has organized for Dr Derek Wall, lead spokesperson for the Green
| Party to join us and make some statements about BBC iPlayer and the Microsoft
| lock-in it establishes.
|
| [...]
|
| We have 1500 fliers to distribute, that focus on the key issue with the
| iPlayer, and why $130 Million and 4 years of development don’t get you much
| when you choose Microsoft DRM.
`—-
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/iPlayerProtestReport
Anti-DRM Protesters call on the BBC to eliminate DRM from the iPlayer
,—-[ Quote ]
| London and Manchester, England – Two weeks after the BBC officially launched
| the iPlayer, protesters wearing bright yellow Hazmat suits gathered outside
| BBC Television Center in London and BBC headquarters in Manchester to demand
| that Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) be eliminated from the BBC.
|
| The BBC have developed the “iPlayer” at a cost to the BBC license fee payer
| of £130 Million and rising.
|
| [...]
|
| FSF Executive Director attending the protest spoke about the corrupting
| influence of Microsoft, “BBC values have been corrupted because BBC
| Executives are too closely associated with Microsoft. BBC values have been
| corrupted because the iPlayer uses proprietary software and standards made
| under an exclusive deal with Microsoft. BBC values have been corrupted
| because license fee payers must now own a Microsoft operating system to
| download BBC programming. BBC values have been corrupted because license fee
| payers must accept DRM technologies that spy and monitor on the digital files
| held on their computers. We are here today to help BBC Director General Mark
| Thompson, clean up this DRM mess, and to encourage the BBC Trust to reverse
| course and eliminate DRM from the BBC iPlayer”
`—-
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11186/anti-drm-protesters-call-bbc-eliminate-drm-iplayer
Internet groups warn BBC over iPlayer plans
,—-[ Quote ]
| Some of the companies involved have told the BBC that they will consider
| limiting the bandwidth available to iPlayer – a process known as traffic
| shaping. The measure would limit the number of consumers who could access the
| iPlayer at any one time.
`—-
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2856766.ece
Lobby Group: Microsoft Too Close to BBC
,—-[ Quote ]
| A software lobby group is campaigning to highlight the role of software giant
| Microsoft Corp. in the British Broadcasting Corp.’s digital media strategy by
| petitioning Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown to address the issue.
`—-
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/microsoft_bbc.html?.v=1
http://labs.live.com/photosynth/BBC/default.htm
Requires ActiveX, IE, Windows…
Silverlight looks better by the Moonlight
,—-[ Quote ]
| The BBC has already experimented with Silverlight and says it is looking for
| an “embedded media solution”.
`—-
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/insideit/story/0,,2123942,00.html
BBC iPlayer petition hits 10,000
,—-[ Quote
| More than 10,000 people have signed an e-petition on the 10 Downing Street
| website urging the BBC to make its iPlayer available to non-Windows users.
`—-
http://www.silicon.com/retailandleisure/0,3800011842,39167923,00.htm?r=1
EC threat to BBC over downloads
,—-[ Quote ]
| However, OSC disagrees and says the next step is to make a formal
| complaint to the European Commission (EC).
|
| “We’re preparing the full details at the moment and we will be
| sending a formal letter within the next week,” said Mr Taylor.
`—-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6236612.stm
Open sourcers rattle EU sabre at BBC on demand player
,—-[ Quote ]
| The BBC is being threatened with an anti-trust challenge in Europe over its
| use of the Windows Media format in its on demand service, iPlayer, which is
| in the final stages of testing.
`—-
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/22/iplayer_osc_eu_ofcom/
Free the BBC
,—-[ Quote ]
| We are deeply concerned about the BBC’s use of “Digital Rights
| Management” (DRM) to manage content delivered to users over the
| Internet. There are dozens of arguments against DRM, however we
| believe these are the most important and relevant to the BBC.
`—-
http://www.freethebbc.info/node/5
Save the BBC from Windows DRM!
,—-[ Quote ]
| Clearly, shutting out 25% of your audience sits ill with the BBC’s
| remit of serving all of its users…
|
| There is no denying that this is an extremely difficult area for
| the BBC, since it must negotiate not one but three minefields -
| those of technology standards, copyright and contract law. But
| there are still things that it could do without turning into a
| global advertisement for Microsoft’s flawed DRM approach.
`—-
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000183
BBC plans to lock viewers into Microsoft monopoly says Open Source Consortium
,—-[ Quote ]
| The Open Source Consortium (OSC) believes the plans are anti-competitive
| and will use public money to lock viewers into the technologies of
| a repeatedly convicted monopolist.
`—-
http://www.publictechnology.net/article_avantgo.php?sid=7655
Microsoft Tells Apple To Stop Complaining About DRM
http://www.podcastingnews.com/2007/04/13/microsoft-apple-drm/
Microsoft launches ‘PlayReady’ DRM system
,—-[ Quote ]
| Although digital rights management (DRM) is popular with content
| creators, it has attracted criticism. Sony was widely attacked after
| using a rootkit-like application to hide content protection on some
| music CDs, and earlier this month Apple CEO Steve Jobs called on
| the music industry to drop its use of DRM.
`—-
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6158553.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Golden Rant : Microsoft DRM’s gone too far
,—-[ Quote ]
| Microsoft appears to have hit the wrong button on its critical
| Windows XP download service late last month, pretty well forcing
| every XP user to upgrade to Windows Media Player (WiMP) 11 if
| they (like me and many others) have the automatic download/install
| option enabled for critical updates.
`—-
http://securityblog.itproportal.com/?p=712
The Longest Suicide Note in History
,—-[ Quote ]
| Gutmann: The genie’s out of the bottle before the operating system has even
| been released! But that doesn’t mean Vista users in particular – and
| the computer community at large – won’t end up paying for Microsoft’s
| DRM folly. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, yet
| another reason to move to Linux.
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/01/the_longest_suicide_note_in_hi.html
DRM in Windows Vista
,—-[ Quote ]
| Windows Vista includes an array of “features” that you don’t want.
| These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure.
| They’ll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will
| cause technical support problems. They may even require you to
| upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software.
| And these features won’t do anything useful. In fact, they’re
| working against you. They’re digital rights management (DRM)
| features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment
| industry.
|
| And you don’t get to refuse them.
`—-
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/02/drm_in_windows.html
I have many more about the BBC (in case an indictment is needed). There’s a lot more to show the other government department are not an exception, which pretty much defends Dr. Pugh’s arguments about the British government being in Microsoft’s pocket. I have many references to show this too.