08.08.12
Posted in Microsoft, Patents at 1:44 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Sharp pays Microsoft for Android
A FEW days after the last extortion [1, 2] we find that, as usual, the Microsoft boosters are quick to cover a Sharp deal as though it’s normal practice that’s acceptable and not extortion. They normalise the criminal activity. To quote one such booster, “Sharp has succumbed to the charms of a Microsoft licensing deal for the filing system exFAT.
“Microsoft will license its Extended File Allocation Table technology to Sharp in a deal covering the consumer electronic giant’s Android-based smartphones.
“Sharp joins Panasonic, SANYO, Sony and Canon in coughing up for exFAT from Microsoft.
“ExFAT is Redmond’s patented file allocation system for flash drives used to exchange files between a device and desktop PCs. The new system has increased the size of files that flash memory devices can support by up to five times the amount supported by other implementations of FAT systems.”
Tuxera helps Microsoft spread such patents. Like sharp, it is a company to avoid. It helps proxify the extortion much of the time.
Microsoft has a massive PR campaign going to sell us a war on Android; it is trying to convince us that racketeering is an acceptable business pracitce and it bribes those who stand up against this. █
“Did you know that I left Novell 11 months ago? I’m not part of the “Novell marketing people” that you seem to think I am. I parted ways with Novell for the very same reasons that you cite about the MS agreement–not its evilness, but the careless disregard for the people that the company never bothered to consult (including me).”
–Ted Haeger
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Posted in Microsoft, Vista 8, Windows at 1:32 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Disposable garbage
“The hardest thing about replacing Windows 7 with Linux is getting the damn sticker off,” Tim wrote. (credit: OpenBytes)
Summary: GNU/Linux is set to gain on the desktop as dissatisfaction with Windows ascends from customers to concerned OEMs
THE joke which is Vista 8 is going to help Microsoft’s competitors, argues SJVN. He asks: “What is Microsoft thinking? First, the company decided that it was going to compete with its own partners of decades in the growing tablet market with its Surface tablet. Then, it decided that it’s going to force feed Windows 8 users its “Metro” interface. Can they really be surprised when their partners and customers start to turn their back on them?
“Vista 8 is the next Vista.”“Microsoft has always been a “my way or the highway” kind of company and it worked… when they have a lock on the desktop. That was in the 90s and 00s, it’s the twenty-teens now and the desktop is no longer the center of the computing universe. Now, we use tablets and smartphones as well and we do much, sometimes most, of our “desktop” work on Web sites and with cloud-based applications.”
Vista 8 is openly being slammed by OEMs before its arrival. To give the latest example: “The CEO of the Microsoft partner tells the Financial Times that the competition would have “a huge negative impact” for the computing ecosystem.”
Acer also complained about Vista and said that other OEMs did too. Vista 8 is the next Vista. A reader of ours added information about another antifeature that he found (pardon the deficient English). To quote his E-mail, “Important info about Windows 8″:
When you install Windows 8 there is question:
Send Microsoft info to help make Windows and apps better.
But in Task Scheduler Application Experience, Autochk, Customer Experience Improvement Program is enabled!!!!!!
One very interesting task is NetTrace task. For what!
This Roy is too much. Why this was not asked in Windows 7????
Why I am tracked?
Why? Because it’s Microsoft. It doesn’t give a damn about privacy of its customers victims. Richard Stallman calls Windows "expected malware". █
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Posted in FSF, Patents at 1:21 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
FFII and FSF target software patents as a matter of priority
Hartmut Pilch (FFII founder) and Richard Stallman (FSF founder)
Summary: The Free Software Foundation explains its position on the bill which proposes discouragement of patent trolls for the most part
THE FSF is a moral compass to many and a legal advisor to some.
According to this new statement, the FSF does not consider the SHIELD Act to be useful. To quote: “The Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes Act (SHIELD Act) fails to protect the free software community from software patents.”
“The bill would make things better, but it does not go far enough.”It’s really all about trolls, but there’s the flogging of software patents too. It does not go as far as invalidating the latter. To quote a report: “Two US congressmen are hoping to deter frivolous, counterproductive patent litigation through a new bill that would mandate that losers in patent litigation pay for defendants’ legal costs.
“The bill, introduced by Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio and co-sponsored by Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, would apply to both computer hardware and software patents, and would mark a shift in US judicial approach to software patents.”
The bill would make things better, but it does not go far enough. Richard Stallman recently explained to us a strategy for tackling this issue. The population has already told President Obama what it wants [1, 2, 3]. █
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Posted in Microsoft at 12:59 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
F***ing priceless hypocrisy
Summary:The Microsoft crowd speaks about “micro” and “soft” penis
AT Microsoft, sexism examples are a dime a dozen [1, 2, 3, 4]. The company was repeatedly accused by Microsoft’s own staff of sexism and a culture of misogynists (concealed, as in many other large companies, by a culture of secrecy and a layer of PR people).
“Microsoft says developers are a one-night stand, so why should anyone help them?”Recently, Microsoft pushed “boobs” into Linux [1, 2, 3] (much to the detriment of Linux) and later “apologised” (it did not even fire the staff who was responsible for this). We are seeing this “apology” strategy again and this time it’s a “penis” scandal. To quote: “It then continues “I got the skills to impress, I’m a computer genius. The words “Micro” and “Soft” don’t apply to my penis”. The closed caption screens at this point also show the words “(or vagina)”.
“Perhaps the typists working the closed captions included the “(or vagina)” as an attempt at inclusiveness. Unfortunately it conjures up a worrying alternative .”
Since Microsoft likes to accuse FOSS of being sexist we must keep track of examples that show Microsoft’s sheer hypocrisy. Don’t let the FUD be. It’s not about daemonising Microsoft but about defending FUD from the Microsoft FUD about “sexism” of “chauvinism” in FOSS. This is reactionary because the FUD usually flows in one direction: against FOSS. This way Microsoft can discourage more than half the population from participating in FOSS. Microsoft says developers are a one-night stand, so why should anyone help them? █
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Posted in Antitrust, Europe, Microsoft at 12:45 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
“The government is not trying to destroy Microsoft, it’s simply seeking to compel Microsoft to obey the law. It’s quite revealing that Mr. Gates equates the two.”
–Government official
Summary: After repeated breaches of the law (competition violations and failure to comply with punishment for these) there is still no indication that justice will be restored
MICROSOFT decided not to obey the law and there are consequences for these actions. One reporter says that “Microsoft could face a fine of up to 10 percent of its annual revenue after admitting failure to implement an EC antitrust browser commitment”(the key word is “could”).
The problem with all those fines is that they fail to correct the market’s status quo and Microsoft often finds that it’s more profitable to accept the fine and not comply. A real answer should not be a fine but a full ban. The only language Microsoft understands is force. That’s what we alleged the last time we wrote about it. █
“Microsoft and its employees now think it is indeed the Master of the Universe.”
–Stewart Alsop, Fortune
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Posted in Apple, FUD, Microsoft, Oracle at 12:35 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Will lie for food
Summary: Oracle’s SCO-like litigation against Android (patents and copyrights) faces an angry judge who wants to know who was paid for spin in the media
THE SCO case is nearly dead because there is no chance of survival, reveals Pamela Jones (lots of resultant coverage), who also celebrates a decision by a judge to expose lobbyists like Microsoft Florian. “My dreams are coming true all day long today,” writes Jones. “First SCO heads for Chapter 7, and now the very Honorable William Alsup has ordered financial disclosure of any financial ties to commentators and bloggers and both parties must reveal any such by noon on Friday.”
To clarify, Techrights was never funded by any of the covered parties or by anyone at all for that matter. It’s run at the expense of volunteers who love software freedom and are willing to absorb personal attacks from certain corporate interests. It’s a personal sacrifice. We are planning to do an episode, Episode #75, about the audiocast (collaboration with OpenBytes) and Techrights.
“How can a design be patented? Designs are an art.”It is worth noting that the to-be exposed lobbyists have also lobbied in favour of other companies, including Apple. Former Apple staff participates also: “The former Apple Inc. (AAPL) graphics designer who invented the smiling computer icon for the original Macintosh testified that the application screen on Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) phones is “substantially similar” to the iPhone design patented by Apple.”
How can a design be patented? Designs are an art. And how many phones has the iPhones copied? Here is how absurd this is. Apple’s case is very weak, so it sure requires a lot of reality distortion factors. Some are paid for. █
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