Bonum Certa Men Certa

Openwashing Report: Microsoft Controlling Linux Means That Open Source Wins, Apparently

"Open Source Wins," declares one headline when "Open source champion Microsoft" (another headline) imposes its specifications on Linux!

Weekly openwashing report



Summary: The Linux Foundation is out of control; it's revealing that it's little more than a propaganda operation of proprietary software giants (something it certainly wasn't at inception back in 2007) and the Foundation's links to media sites amplify this propaganda

TRUTH no longer matters. Apparently. There's "no money" in truth as opposed to distortion thereof.



We were sadly reminded of this a few days ago when we saw this lengthy new article entitled "History of Microsoft: Timeline and Facts" (wow! Facts! Sounds promising!).

Obviously, as one might expect, it's a bundle of Microsoft lies. This perhaps is the publisher's business model (revisionism as a service). You know you’re lied to when Microsoft, in 1994, is called “little company”. It wasn't an underdog back then and it isn't an underdog now. The Street is just doing a bunch of Microsoft revisionism, which we'd rather not quote without a detailed rebuttal (this can take a long time when the lies are long). We want to remind readers that Microsoft in 2019 still commits a lot of serious crimes. The company depends on that. Microsoft has, since its genesis, depended on breaking laws. If there's animosity, distrust and even hostility towards Microsoft, it's very much deserved; Microsoft earned that. Its very own actions are to blame.

We are saddened (but won't regret) to say that the Linux Foundation (LF) is now in the business of reputation laundering/whitewashing of businesses that break the law. It happens almost every day. We'll give an example that is only hours old.

"If there's animosity, distrust and even hostility towards Microsoft, it's very much deserved; Microsoft earned that.""How VMware is becoming a good open source citizen" is an actual headline published yesterday afternoon. It's VMware-sponsored crap, but this time it comes from an LF associate, Swapnil, who received LF money for this propaganda (for a serial GPL violator). We don't find this amusing. Something called LF (where the "L" stands for Linux) is the culprit, not some corruptible media like The Street. There's more of the same, just far too shallow...

What this whole thing boils down to is VMware PR. Hohndel again does revisionism for his employer, aided by (and sponsored by) the Linux Foundation... those associates help relay the Big Lie. The Linux Foundation is an unstoppable propaganda machine that defends GPL violators and attacks GPL enforcers. Why? Because it receives bribes from GPL violators. That's how corrupt that foundation is. A foundation of lies.

The headline of the next piece too is a lie: "VMware Didn’t Violate The GNU/GPL License" (yes, that's an actual headline, which is not even supported by the body).

The piece is about mere belief by a new hire of the company (about something that happened before the hiring). The Linux Foundation's team, or Team Zemlin or whatever, became so obsessed with money that it's willing to intentionally lie for large corporations. Club Linux Foundation is a propaganda operation; an "Infringers' Club" is what Bruce Perens called it.

"Club Linux Foundation is a propaganda operation; an "Infringers' Club" is what Bruce Perens called it."This isn't just about VMware. Swapnil has just eagerly pushed Microsoft proprietary software 'ads' into the site called LINUX.COM, which the LF lets him edit all on his own. This is the LF in 2019: SQL Server promotion.

If we said a decade ago that this would happen...? People would probably laugh at us. So the LF defends GPL violations, proprietary software etc. Not a word about software patents or anything like that...

Who (or what) is this Foundation useful to?

"So the LF defends GPL violations, proprietary software etc. Not a word about software patents or anything like that..."The Linux Foundation in 2019 is the "environmentalist" who tells greens that they're 'too harsh' on oil companies (while taking fossil fuel money) or the "atheist" who says to atheists that they're extremists and that agnostics aren't...

A former Microsoft employee, Jake Hamby, told me this about the Linux Foundation a few hours ago: "Yes, but who else is going to fund them? Of course they're propaganda for Microsoft and friends: those are the guys with the money who need their reputations laundered. Everyone else just uses GNU/Linux for free and doesn't pay anyone or think about it."

So the Linux Foundation is little but a service for "guys with the money who need their reputations laundered..."

Sounds about right. That's Hohndel's job at VMware.

And let's not go into the fact that Hohndel's previous employer had put NSA back doors in every chip and committed loads of crimes while he was openwashing them. The money ('business') is in lying, in whitewashing. Facts don't 'pay the bills'...

Speaking of bills, the latest twist in the Foundation's nonsense? Accusing me of being paid to attack them. Evidence? Nothing. Because it's false. OK, so defaming their critics is the last resort.

"And let's not go into the fact that Hohndel's previous employer had put NSA back doors in every chip and committed loads of crimes while he was openwashing them."Now they try to insinuate -- falsely and without evidence -- that I'm paid to criticise them.

Amazing!

But wait, it gets worse!

A certain ill-minded Foundation staffer/associate has compared me about 6 times to Donald Trump (whom I object to) with no factual basis. Why? Because he has no argument with which to justify their Microsoft lies...

I don't even respond to him, but he seems to be bombarding me with tweets (maybe 8 in a row now; I don't even reply).

The Code of Conduct (CoC) at the Linux Foundation is worthless. Their staff is calling me "fucking idiot" (3 times this week) and I didn't curse or anything remotely like that. Six times or so I've been compared to Trump. Six times. That's how many times these people ('Linux' Foundation) compared me to Donald Trump.

I can take an insult or two (or three, like "fucking idiot", thrice), but comparing me to Trump is basically comparing me to a criminal.

See the logic?

"A certain ill-minded Foundation staffer/associate has compared me about 6 times to Donald Trump (whom I object to) with no factual basis."People who expose the LF's bad behaviour are now the "liars" and the "criminals"; welcome to the LF Logic. Is there a group called "LF Logic" (yet)?

This very much echoes the rhetoric of Microsoft as a company. It pretends to stand for "ethics" while it does illegal things (like unlawfully banning and imprisoning people).

As for VMware?

If VMware still chooses to weakly deny GPL violations, then it's choosing to bribe people to spread lies instead of apologising and seeking to correct what was done. That would only make VMware more of a villain and stain anyone who spreads the lies. Swapnil is just angry because he agrees to spread lies and he doesn't like the consequences of these lies. So now he's flinging insults at me all day long.

As an aside, I guess that to LF folks anyone whom they don't agree with is "Trump" (even Trump opposers).

I also got called "fucking idiot" thrice. CoC anyone? Turns out the Linux Foundation is nowhere as polite as it claims it wants others (e.g. actual Linux developers) to be. Try to concentrate on promoting Linux, dear Linux Foundation, instead of insulting actual Linux advocates, OK? You spend too much energy promoting Microsoft, GitHub etc.

"I also got called "fucking idiot" thrice. CoC anyone? Turns out the Linux Foundation is nowhere as polite as it claims it wants others (e.g. actual Linux developers) to be."It's time to rename perhaps. It's time to recognise that the LF isn't at all dedicated to Linux (its staff certainly isn't!).

"Dear Linux Foundation," I sarcastically wrote yesterday. "Let me tell you about this thing called "WINDOWS"

"Did you hear about it?

"WIN-DOWS.

"It's an operating system

"Microsoft makes it

"Microsoft bribes people to use it

"It competes against Linux."

Linux Foundation staff uses Windows. These people tell us that we're "winning" because Microsoft gave us some patented code, such as exFAT. Fossbytes, in last week's article, went even further. It thinks Microsoft imposing a trap on Linux is "Open Source Wins" (that's right there in their headline).

"Microsoft which has recently become a big Linux fanboy," says Fossbytes in the opening part of the article. Maybe the next sentence will say Trump loves black people because he 'hollers' at Kanye West.

What on Earth? Who writes such nonsense?

"As an aside, I guess that to LF folks anyone whom they don't agree with is "Trump" (even Trump opposers)."Here's another new example: "Microsoft is bringing its exFAT patents to Linux and open source"

Words like "bringing its exFAT patents to Linux" show that TechRadar's authors understand neither patent law nor Linux. The headline alone makes no sense at all. What lunacy. What nonsense.

Here's what happens when your sole "Source" for an article about Linux is... Microsoft, which considers Linux to be something to wage "Jihad" against (Bill Gates' word). They ended up adding the cocky "Microsoft loves Linux" image to the article!

Thom Holwerda (OS News) said: "Microsoft ♥ Linux – we say that a lot, and we mean it!"

He repeats a lie and means it. Great. Reminds me why I boycotted all his articles and blocked them at mail client (Thunderbird) level 10+ years ago.

This is PR at work. A lot of these people know they're lying, but they do so anyway. It's like reverse writ of libel (saying something positive which they know to be untrue).

"This is PR at work. A lot of these people know they're lying, but they do so anyway. It's like reverse writ of libel (saying something positive which they know to be untrue).""Open source champion Microsoft," says the headline of Brian Fagioli (who calls GNU/Linux users, collectively, "cheapskates").

The company that attacks Open Source the mostatent aspec is "Open source champion"... right? Like Ken Livingstone calling Hitler "Zionist" (a real scandal at the time).

Other tabloids did more of the same after the exFAT news, which we covered in [1, 2]. Patent aspects were mentioned as far back as July.

Recent Techrights' Posts

What Do People Ever Buy From Microsoft Anyway (Not PCs)?
Microsoft sells two things these days: 1) vapourware/promises. 2) its stock.
Gemini Links 20/02/2026: "Mainstream Unix, Underground Unix", Slop Staging DDoS Attacks Against Small Sites
Links for the day
IBM Inclusivity: Red Hat Summit is for Rich Sponsors Like Microsoft and Rich Guests Who Pay $500 a Day
Nothing signals societal tolerance more than paying a large military contractor
IBM Behaves Like a Company Looking for Loose Change Between Sofa Cushions
Chasing laid-off workers for dollars and even pennies, making excuses and devising loopholes (such as PIPs) to flout severance obligations
 
The Little Clique of Sloppers/Spammers About "Linux" Got Even Smaller
Thankfully there are still genuine and legit GNU/Linux sites out there
Links 20/02/2026: Microsoft Intentionally Kills Older Hardware, "The Story of XBox" Shows How Defective Microsoft Hardware Really Was
Links for the day
Turkmenistan One of Many Countries Where Microsoft Fell to Distant Third in Search
We expect many layoffs in Bing some time soon
Don't Wait for "Red Hat Layoffs" Because After Bluewashing They're IBM RAs and Don't Wait for "IBM Layoffs" Because They're Perpetual
IBM layoffs are silent and "forever" (small trickle that never ends and is widespread - after all IBM is a very global and ubiquitous firm)
Links 20/02/2026: Standards, Science, and Politics
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Adoption is Higher in Richer Countries
Is it because freedom is actually expensive - something that only privileged people can pursue?
Links 20/02/2026: Windows TCO Versus Deutsche Bahn, Europe Seeks More Independent Digital Future
Links for the day
IBM, Red Hat and Fedora: Don't Say "Master", It Offends People. Also IBM, Red Hat and Fedora: "Master Podman".
The hypocrisy at Red Hat and Fedora shows no boundaries
IBM Layoffs Aren't Just in IBM 'Proper'
Who is still using Lotus after the HCL move?
The Register MS Gets Paid by Gartner to Promote a Ponzi Scheme for Gartner, Microsoft, and Others
The credibility of that site will suffer because it tries to sell a major scam to its audience
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, February 19, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, February 19, 2026
Gemini Links 19/02/2026: "Towards a Gemini Famicom Resource" and Dumping Microsoft
Links for the day
Microsoft Found Another Bailout Opportunity: Killing People
Good thing that Nadella is not racist!
No "Smart Mobs" (Social Control Media) in BRIC?
It looks like the "Social" "Media" sites tracked by statCounter see little from (or of) BRIC, and moreover it is declining fast
The Few Slopfarms We Saw Today
The sentiment has changed a lot
Links 19/02/2026: Protecting Framework Laptop 13, Hardware Drive Shortages
Links for the day
In Africa's Second-Largest Nation, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Opera 10 Times Bigger Than Firefox (and GNU/Linux Now at 5%)
This will become an accessibility problem
Links 19/02/2026: "A.I.pocalypse" Inevitable and "Butlers to LLMs"
Links for the day
An Inherently Royal (Monarchs') Legal System Where Size Matters (Big Capital Eats the Small)
This reinforces the notion that justice is only for those who can afford it
These Statistics Should Keep Microsoft Shareholders Awake at Night
Windows is, in general (all versions collectively), declining over time
Economic Failure and Other Harsh Realities Have Nothing to Do With Slop 'Innovation'
Advanced propaganda, not advanced 'AI' [...] They attack workers while insulting their intelligence
Spaniards Shutting Down MElon's Digital Weapon of "Smart Mobs"
Are the Spanish people already acting based on gut feeling and shunning/shutting out the provocation vector?
Bitcoin: government engagement contradictions
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Richard Stallman in the United States - Part II - "Haters Gonna Hate"
we shall carry on with this series at the right pace
Typical! Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Tells Victims of Fraud to Wait 10 Weeks
justice delayed is justice denied
EPO Union Leaders in Rijswijk Explain Where EPO Strikes Stand and How to Prepare for Next Week's
We have some revelations to share in a few days
statCounter: Only One in 350 Iranians Would Use Microsoft for Web Search
Microsoft is trying to fake "demand"
Slides Shown a Week Ago by the EPO's Staff Committee Ahead of the Second Very Large Strike
This coming weekend we'll drop a 'bombshell' of sorts
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part II - Illegal Drug Addicts Mobbing the Wrong People, This Will Definitely Backfire
This year may well be the last year of Team Campinos. Nobody will hire them after that.
Mass Layoffs (But Silent Layoffs) Still Happening in IBM, You Need Only Look Closely (There Are NDAs, PIPs, 'Early Retirement' Sweeteners and IBM - Like Microsoft - Skirts the WARN Act)
the layoffs are definitely happening
Microsoft's "AI CEO" (Slop Propagandist) is Projecting, Many Microsoft "Jobs to be Replaced With All-Indian Low-Paid Staff in 12 Months"
Windows is perishing
Very Little Slop
We are not finding much slop anymore
Links 19/02/2026: Illegal Kangaroo Court for Patents Attracts Aggressive Firms, Public Domain Review Grows
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/02/2026: Taxing the Rich, Raspberry Pi 4 Tinkering
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Links 18/02/2026: DMCA Weakened, Anna’s Archive Still Thriving
Links for the day
Links 18/02/2026: Gig 'Economy' Condemned, Microsoft Insulting/Stressing People With False Slop Predictions
Links for the day
Twitter Falling to 1% in Africa's Largest Nation (Algeria)
About 15 years ago the regime in Egypt got toppled (and others had been too) partly because of social control media such as Twitter
"How Many Friends Do You Have?"
"Do bots count?" "Friends in Facebook?" "Does a girlfriend chatbot count as a friend?"
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Responds to Crises Only After It's Way Too Late
The SRA does not do its job. The new chief's job is face-saving PR in the media.
The Techrights Team Makes the Platform Faster
The infrastructure is already fast
Mozilla Firefox Died in Afghanistan
Mozilla has been a complete disaster
Gemini Links 18/02/2026: Astronomy and Texinfo
Links for the day
Are IBM CEO and IBM CFO Ready for Financial Audit That Topples the Shares by 50% in One Day?
The same "chefs" that cooked up Kyndryl Holdings Inc are still in charge of the IBM kitchen
France Does Not Need Digital Weapons Disguised as Social and as Media
French people lost interest in Social Control 'Media' (or Networks)
"Senior AI Reporter" at Slop Technica/Ars Sloppica Has Written Nothing in Nearly a Week, Did Conde Nast Suspend Him for Fake Articles With Fake Quotes?
Slop Technica/Ars Sloppica is having a serious credibility issue right now
Linux Foundation Puts Slop Images, Not Just Slop Text, in Linux.com
More of the same then
The Register MS Paid-for 'Articles' (Ads) Seem to be LLM Slop Again
If it's true that The Register MS is resorting to these marketing tactics, will they later delete the evidence (as they did months ago)?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, February 17, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, February 17, 2026