03.03.11
IDG is Again Advertising and Whitewashing Microsoft in Articles About ‘Open Source’
Summary: Microsoft agenda is served through systematic deception and talking points which are injected by Microsoft employees (poached from an open source background)
IS IT PROVOCATION or is it simply PR? After the Microsoft “loves open source” nonsense [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Jon Brodkin from IDG (Network World) strikes again. He linked to the “loves open source” nonsense in the articles too, probably for some provocation or needless mind control. They do that a lot in Network World, embedding incorrect statements in articles that can only be corrected in rational readers’ comments. For the uninitiated, the Fox News/News Corp. of technology seems to be IDG (paid by Microsoft through IDC) because it controls a lot of publications that cover technology. It has a lot of influence to sell and it sure sells influence by taking steps such as creating a “Microsoft Subnet” and stuffing it — along with other so-called ‘subnets’ — with Microsoft sympathisers. One of them writes about Windows Live Mesh and points out that GNU/Linux is excluded. “On March 31,” she writes, “Microsoft will stop supporting the beta version of Live Mesh. Users of the file synching service must manually upgrade to the full production Windows Live Mesh service or lose the data stored in their folders. This cloud service synchs files between multiple Windows machines and Macs, but because it doesn’t support Linux, other services like Dropbox still have an edge.”
“Microsoft employee defends Microsoft? No way!”Yes, Microsoft sure loves open source, eh? It does not support a single open source platform, even on the Web which is supposed to foster open standards (Microsoft is also banning Free software in its phones). Anyway, in IDG’s Microsoft section/s there is new poison and it comes in pairs. The Microsoft PR campaign now involves its employee, Gianugo Rabellino, who Brodkin says “takes on the hardest job at Microsoft” (we have heard the same thing about Hilf and Ramji). “A few months ago,” says Brodkin ,”Gianugo Rabellino traded his Linux and Mac PCs for a Windows 7 laptop, left the open source company he founded and moved to Redmond for a new job with Microsoft. His goal: improve Microsoft’s credibility within open source circles.”
Bollocks.
His goal was to become rich. He only accepted this job because Microsoft is poaching (or at least trying) open source luminaries like Simon Phipps. His departure from “Linux and Mac PCs for a Windows 7 laptop” was just part of the deal. He sold out. There are mostly reasonable comments in the article and more in LWN (even a reference to Techrights). The whole thing is a whitewash and Dr. Glyn Moody responded to it with: “so, about those software patents MS claims OSS infringes…”
By the same author there is a second piece which got little attention. It’s still from the same source, which is a full-time Microsoft employee. To quote: ‘”Rabellino says his main focus right now “is to enable PHP to shine on our platforms,” including Windows Azure.”‘
Microsoft employee defends Microsoft? No way!
Satipera writes: ‘Rabellino “This company (Microsoft) has changed” What nonsense. If MS could kill #FLOSS today it would.’
Of course it would, but it is trying to invade it to cause harm, just like in Nokia. More remarks about these whitewash pieces from Jon Brodkin can be found in Tuesday’s IRC logs (specifically here onwards) and some of yesterday’s. To quote bits and pieces from yesterday morning (including the complete quote from Groklaw), “page two is all Microsoft talking points, ass covering and propaganda.” Pamela Jones wrote: “Of course, Microsoft wants developers to write for Windows instead of for Linux. But why in the world would a community person want to help them do it? Other than money. Because the end result will not be FOSS, with the F as in freedom.” We’re adding logs below (mostly quoting one longtime reader). █
| I’m having a look this finally. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/030111-microsoft-rabellino.html | Mar 02 05:36 | |
| TechrightsBot-tr | Title: Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft .::. Size~: 129.16 KB | Mar 02 05:36 |
| While this “Apache guy” and “Hard core Debian-ista” might not be able to talk for the free software world, we can be sure that he and Network World are talking for Microsoft and I like some of the things I’m reading. | Mar 02 05:38 | |
| For instance, the company finally admits, “Developers nowadays are mostly to be found in the open source world. We need to go where they are,” | Mar 02 05:39 | |
| This has been apparent for about ten years but Microsoft has steadfastly denied it, arguing that no one could possibly make a living off the hobby OS and slinging other insults that we all remember. | Mar 02 05:40 | |
| The company is also keen to avoid “theoretical” discussions and talk about “specifics” like how to make Windows less dismal by wasting developer time porting free software there. | Mar 02 05:42 | |
| Ick, they brag about having an unnamed “insider” someone that, “has inside knowledge about how to connect with [free software] people even if their contact information is not publicly available. He knows all the backchannels.” I’m guessing this is more the result of Microsoft’s careful monitoring and infiltration efforts than it is a real person but it’s really creepy either way. | Mar 02 05:45 | |
| barf, page two is all Microsoft talking points, ass covering and propaganda. No one following free software can read this kind of drek without feeling ill…. why am I wasting my time on it? To see what else slips out of the obviously prostrate company. | Mar 02 05:48 | |
| [...] | ||
| he he, his friends were all polite about his move to Microsoft as we might expect from free software people but not Microsoft themselves or fauxpen source exploiters. | Mar 02 05:52 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] 2011-03-01 French, English and US Special Forces Enter Libya to Reinforce Uprising #Libya #Feb17 http://ur1.ca/3dbzg | Mar 02 05:54 | |
| LOL, “We’re living in a mixed IT environment. If you want to develop something that has an impact, you cannot discount the community. Microsoft has a huge community of developers, and has always been about developers. Developers … ” He must have missed Steve Ballmer’s “Advertisers, Advertisers, Advertisers” speech where Microsoft dismissed their own community. | Mar 02 05:54 | |
| schestowitz | Hi, twitter | Mar 02 05:54 |
| hi | Mar 02 05:54 | |
| schestowitz | Hold on, lemmie read.. | Mar 02 05:54 |
| TechrightsBot-tr | Title: 2011-03-01 French, English and US Special Forces Enter Libya to Reinforce Uprising #Libya #Feb17 | WL Central .::. Size~: 210.66 KB | Mar 02 05:54 |
| I’m getting tired of the article, it’s mostly a puff piece. I went there because PJ laughed at it. | Mar 02 05:55 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] The #Nouveau Driver Is Moving Along Slowly But Surely http://ur1.ca/3dbzx #linux | Mar 02 05:55 | |
| TechrightsBot-tr | Title: [Phoronix] The Nouveau Driver Is Moving Along Slowly But Surely .::. Size~: 17.58 KB | Mar 02 05:55 |
| schestowitz | It’s 2 | Mar 02 05:56 |
| schestowitz | Joe | Mar 02 05:56 |
| schestowitz | Posted two whitewash piece | Mar 02 05:56 |
| schestowitz | Posted two whitewash pieces | Mar 02 05:56 |
| schestowitz | http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/030111-microsoft-php-opensource.html?hpg1=bn | Mar 02 05:57 |
| TechrightsBot-tr | Title: PHP user group lauds Microsoft’s open source contributions .::. Size~: 126.46 KB | Mar 02 05:57 |
| schestowitz | It’s the same “Microsoft subnet” fluff | Mar 02 05:57 |
| PJ nails it. “Of course, Microsoft wants developers to write for Windows instead of for Linux. But why in the world would a community person want to help them do it? Other than money. Because the end result will not be FOSS, with the F as in freedom.” | Mar 02 05:57 | |
| What I liked was the admission that the developers are all in the free software world now. | Mar 02 05:58 | |
| That’s really the reason Windows sucks so bad, Microsoft drove everyone off. | Mar 02 05:58 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] ♺ @@johnsu01 The February issue of the Free Software Supporter is out, and should be landing in your mailbox shortly. | Mar 02 05:59 | |
| It was always a bad deal but they decided to make it absolutely unbearable for Vista. | Mar 02 05:59 | |
| No developers, no work, game over. | Mar 02 05:59 | |
| I think nouveau is in squeeze. Have not tried it yet but I have a desktop with nvidia and should give it a whirl. The nv driver had always been “good enough” for my purposes. | Mar 02 06:00 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[carlopiana/@carlopiana] RT @giammi @carlopiana Also interesting – neither Salk nor Sabin patented their polio vaccines; they donated the rights as gifts to huma … | Mar 02 06:00 | |
| Intel had me enjoying composite, but I turn it off for the extra speed boost. | Mar 02 06:01 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] ♺ @themadhatter RT @rmcla_ca: VIDEO: “Protests and Civil Liberties” re: #G8 #G20 and Vancouver #Olympics [...] http://bit.ly/fJ0qnE | Mar 02 06:02 | |
| TechrightsBot-tr | Title: Sheldon Chumir Foundation :: Protests and Civil Liberties: Experiences in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver .::. Size~: 18.79 KB | Mar 02 06:02 |
| more funnies -> “”When asked if Rabellino might urge Microsoft to build Windows computers that aren’t plagued by constant updates and can start up and shut down as fast as a Linux machine, Rabellino says, “You know, it’s something we should work on.” | Mar 02 06:02 | |
| beat badly in tech, abandoned by developers, who is Microsoft fooling? | Mar 02 06:03 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[carlopiana/@carlopiana] ♻ @gbraad prediction: “I think you wanna make a phone call. Can I help you?” – #Clippy on the new #NokMsft phone <LOL | Mar 02 06:04 | |
| -TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] ♺ @themadhatter RT @oliviachow: My questions in Parl re Inquiry on #G20 and gov’s response: http://bit.ly/g6O5RU #hw #fb | Mar 02 06:04 | |
| TechrightsBot-tr | Title: Olivia Chow, MP – Olivia Chow in Question Period: Call a public inquiry now .::. Size~: 18.57 KB | Mar 02 06:04 |
| Gross, he does the patent gangster thing. “These licenses offer more patent protection than the more commonly used open source licenses, Rabellino indicates. … It’s really about being pragmatic, it’s not about what license to choose based on an idealistic approach. I see a lot of good stuff in Microsoft licenses when it comes to patent language. There is an advantage there. Why choose one license versus another? Do you want to protect | Mar 02 06:05 | |
| I should probably stop reading | Mar 02 06:05 | |
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twitter said,
March 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm
It’s amazing that Microsoft boosters talk about file sharing. GNU/Linux basically runs the world wide web and any user can run the same software at home for the cost of bandwith. Windows does not work as well as it should with the world wide web, so there are projects like Samba to fill the gaps for people who must share with users of that OS. Free software users can take advantage of rsync and OpenSSH to have free and secure file sharing second to none. This should be obvious by the nature of free software, which requires precision and sharing coordination between thousands of people all around the world. Software that run on Windows is crippled by Microsoft’s poor network stack, lack of user privilege separation, infamous insecurity, digital handcuffs and technical sabotage. No one with any sense would bother.
KettleCooker Reply:
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Thank you for your efforts, twitter, bringing this to attention.
Funny how few-to-no people focus on actual Windows strengths. You get the occasional “good administration tools” bit, but it’s just a layer on Windows, not windows itself.
I would admit XP runs decent on 128MB of ram, providing what it does, and precursor versions could run on less. I haven’t found a Linux distro that could run on < 512k of ram (I own a pc of that sort) – debian on floppies requires 32 Mb for a command line system – I may just be dumb. (can anyone point me in the right direction?)
But for all it's "okay"ness, there's nothing that stands out. And all the negatives make everything but it's familiarity a shroud of incompetence.
There's also a reason M$'s EULA states you cannot use "non-official" benchmarking on any of their software.
twitter Reply:
March 3rd, 2011 at 10:23 pm
You are welcome. The only strength Microsoft has is marketing and coercion but even those fail them now. Tools made for Windows are a reflection of the strength of a developer community and their ability to overcome Microsoft’s flaws, restrictions and malice. As a Microsoft representative admitted the other day, those developers are now mostly writing to free software platforms.
Try DSL on low ram machines. I’ve run Lenny on less than 128MB and a 233MHz PII using E16 as a window manager. The same works better on a 333 MHz PowerPC iMac and Gnome is usable. It is hard to find a lower speced machine now, even handhelds and tablets have more. Happy Hacking.