07.21.22
Posted in Dell, GNU/Linux, Marketing at 5:56 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Video download link | md5sum bc5ae999453cb215363b57ef1d7fa6b6
Dell Wants Free Marketing
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0
Summary: It’s fine that Dell offers people hardware without Windows; but it would be nicer if Dell also actively marketed GNU/Linux as a Windows substitute
THE OEM known as Dell is typically a Windows shop (there are some Chromebooks, too). It wants us to think that Dell PCs with GNU/Linux are just some niche products for “developers”. Based on leaks we’ve published here before, Microsoft controls Dell in all sorts of ways (it’s an open secret) and when Dell offers something without Windows it is pursuing free marketing, outsourcing all the effort to grassroots sites.
“People can now easily use BSDs and GNU/Linux distros on more hardware, ‘secure’ boot as a growing barrier notwithstanding.”But don’t get me wrong; it’s good that Dell has moved on (and beyond) that horrible patent deal (Novell/Microsoft patent collusion). People can now easily use BSDs and GNU/Linux distros on more hardware, ‘secure’ boot as a growing barrier notwithstanding.
Several hours ago an embargo was lifted, resulting in at least 14 semi-prepared puff pieces in just a few hours. Those bear headlines such as “Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition Now Available with Ubuntu 22.04,” so it’s basically just about a distro upgrade and little more than this.
As I explain in the video above, those of us who wish to support ‘true’ GNU/Linux companies, not Windows-centric OEMs, should look into those who offer no Windows options at all. That’s the better way to drive positive change/progress.
Dell isn’t the worst OEM out there; it was one of the first large OEMs (if not the very first one, depending on scale criteria) to offer GNU/Linux out of the box. However, some context and history may be needed. The above video provides some. █
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05.17.20
Posted in Dell, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Windows at 8:41 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Weeks after Lenovo announced Fedora on laptops (formerly IBM-branded)
YouTube link
Summary: Market surveys have indicated that it’s not a Windows world anymore and for technical reasons (and purposes) GNU/Linux will be gaining a lot this week, not just this year
THIS COMING Tuesday Dell will spread the word about its embargoed announcement, which it hopes will help sales of GNU/Linux machines (with GNU/Linux preinstalled).
There won’t be TV advertising about it (IBM did in fact put “Linux” on TV almost two decades ago) and there’s no press coverage when Microsoft loses its grip on the desktop (Windows market share has long been lower than that of Android).
“…Dell will need to adapt accordingly.”“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is how Gil Scott-Heron put it. Free software, even if it is besieged by the “Open Source” fakes and by monopolies, is spreading to more machines out there. Whether freedom comes about as a result is another question. We need to work towards that objective because the likes of Dell don’t care about freedom; they only care about sales. If more buyers care about freedom, Dell will need to adapt accordingly. █
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05.09.20
Posted in Dell, GNU/Linux, Hardware at 10:39 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
A lot of people do not want Windows
Summary: Dell’s overpriced computers will have more of GNU/Linux on them (announcement in 10 days); at the moment they’re working behind the scenes to get sites to produce a bunch of promotional puff pieces for them
SOME CULTURAL references aside (e.g. [1, 2, 3]), Free software has historically been aligned with the antiwar movement, green movement and so on. This is well documented and we mentioned it before. Microsoft is the antithesis of it, as we noted earlier today as well as last year. There’s ample evidence of this. So more people are attracted to GNU/Linux for ethical/moral reasons, not just technical or purely pragmatic reasons.
“Dell doesn’t care about Software Freedom, but Dell understands that Software Freedom-oriented folks are worth money to Dell.”After discussing the matter with a few people, and considering the fact I never at all agreed to any embargo, I’ve decided to publish what Dell is going to announce some time soon, based on an E-mail sent to me out of the blue a few days ago.
The message below shows that Dell is moving further away from Windows, which is a positive sign for sure.
Hi Roy – As a special offer to TechRights, I can give a sneak preview of Dell’s new lineup of Linux-based Precision workstations for developers. Dell Technologies already ships 150+ different Ubuntu-based PC models to over 100+ countries. Linux models will be available on Precision 5550/5750/7550/7750 being announced at this launch.
If you agree to an embargo of May 19 @ 9 a.m. CT, I can send you a virtual press kit outlining all the products that will be released. Admittingly, it will be light on the Linux news so if you want to focus just on that I recommend a 1:1 interview with Chris Ramirez, Strategic Alliances Manager and Engineering Industry Strategist at Dell who can elaborate on the developer features.
I never agreed to an embargo (I never would); maybe they don’t know how embargoes work. You give away the secrets before consent? Anyway, as one can see (it’s explicit), they’re manipulating and playing with the media — justifying our longstanding cynicism about how the media works. It’s like coverage for sale, not journalism. PR agencies ‘liaising’ with so-called ‘journalists’ and bloggers to manufacture a bunch of puff pieces using a “virtual press kit”.
Of course we never participate in these PR stunts. We suppose they send this to a lot of publishers right now. Will that be a surprise? Probably not. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is good news. Dell studies the market (it throws major resources at it) and it clearly finds out growing demand for GNU/Linux. It’s all about money; Dell doesn’t care about Software Freedom, but Dell understands that Software Freedom-oriented folks are worth money to Dell. █
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01.06.20
Posted in Dell, GNU/Linux at 3:38 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Something positive for a change
Summary: Dell is one example among several (quite a few in China) where GNU/Linux becomes a first-class option alongside/without Windows (even if the range of models on which it’s offered is severely limited, at least for now)
ON the first day of the year Dell announced “2020 XPS 13 Developer Edition” [1], whereupon media wrote a lot about it [2-17] — as recently as today (nearly one week later). All the links below are already scattered in different installments of Daily Links and in the past we covered issues associated with Dell.
“So let’s hope more OEMs do the same in 2020 onwards.”Dell’s latest offering is generally good for GNU/Linux. It doesn’t mean that it’s the best or most ethical option, but if all large OEMs did what Dell does here, we’d be better off — not just in the choice sense but also the freedom sense. So let’s hope more OEMs do the same in 2020 onwards. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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We are proud to announce the latest and greatest Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition. The system, which is based on 10th Gen Intel® Core™ 10nm mobile processors represents the 10th generation of the XPS 13 Developer Edition (see a list of the previous nine generations below).
This 10th generation system features an updated design and comes with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS preloaded. Two areas of note are that the new XPS 13 will be available with up to 32GB of RAM as well fingerprint-reader support.
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Up to now the most recent Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition laptop with Ubuntu Linux has been using Comet Lake processors while now the 10th Generation XPS 13 Developer Edition has been announced with Ice Lake processors.
The new Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition will begin shipping in February with the latest Ubuntu 18.04 LTS HWE support. Beyond being exciting for having Ice Lake processors with Gen11 graphics, the developer edition finally goes up to 32GB of RAM (rather than 16GB) and fingerprint reader support is also finally going to be available.
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Dell has unveiled a redesigned Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition ahead of the Project Sputnik’s tenth anniversary.
Having sported the same overall look for the past few years Dell is using this opportunity to make a redesign. The new Dell XPS 13 is thinner and lighter than the models it replaces, yet remains built by the same core materials: aluminium, carbon and glass fibre.
Famed for its stunning displays, the latest entrant in the XPS 13 line boasts a 13.4-inch “InfinityEdge” screen with thinner bottom bezel. This latter reduction means this device, as noted by Neowin, boasts a fantastic 91.5% screen-to-body ratio.
Smaller bezels have allowed Dell to use a 16:10 aspect ratio screen in both FHD and UHD+ and touch and non-touch variants. This slightly roomier screen size provides more vertical height, which should be useful when working on documents or surfing the web.
The XPS 13’s keyboard is wider with larger key caps, and the touchpad has been increased by 17% — good news for those with big hands, I guess!
Specifications are also marginally improved here too. The new Dell XPS 13 swaps Intel’s Comet Lake processors for Intel Ice Lake ones across i3, i5 and i7 SKUs — with the latter integrated Iris Plus graphics, too.
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Look like Dell listing to customer feedback. Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition is the ultimate Linux laptop for developers and Linux enthusiasts/power users. The Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition 2020 now supports 10th Gen Intel CPU and 32GB ram. This system comes pre-installed with Ubuntu Linux 18.04, but you can install any other distro.
One of the most requested features for Dell XPS 13 developer edition was an option for 16GB or more RAM to run VMs or Linux containers workload. Dell listened to our demands, and you can grab device up to 32GB RAM.
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If you’ve been following the steady march of progress from Dell’s Linux-first Project Sputnik team, you’re no doubt aware that the “Developer Edition” variant of the XPS 13 is one of the finest Linux-ready ultrabooks you can buy. Just ahead of CES 2020, Dell is pushing out a few more improvements including a feature that’s been hotly requested: fingerprint-reader support.
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Ahead of CES 2020 next week, Dell has released new details on its updated Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition which will ship with Ubuntu 18.04.
The latest edition of Dell’s popular laptop for developers includes the company’s first-ever four sided InfinityEdge display which will feature a 16:10 aspect ratio as opposed to the 16:9 display found on the previous generation. The new Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition can even be outfitted with a 4K 3840 X 2400 touchscreen panel with HDR 400.
One new addition that will likely be welcomed by developers is the inclusion of fingerprint-reader support that will make it easier for secure authentication. However, this feature won’t be available at launch but will be rolled out shortly after via an OTA update.
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The latest XPS 13 Developer Edition will be released at the beginning of February and the device will have a starting price tag of $1,119 for the Core i5 model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
However, if you’d prefer to pick up the latest model of the regular Dell XPS 13, it will be available in January starting at $999. The reason the Developer Edition is priced a bit higher is because Dell offers better baseline specs for its developer-focused systems than it does for its consumer-focused machines.
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It is coming with 4K Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) display and also, XPS 13 DE, for the first time, sports a 4-sided InfinityEdge display. Additionally, the new display features a 16:10 aspect ratio, up from 16:9 seen in the previous generation model.
Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition will be powered by 10th Gen Intel Core 10nm mobile processors, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS OS, and supports up to 3x faster wireless with Killer AX1650 built on Intel WiFi 6 Chipset.
As far as the storage and RAM is concerned, consumers can beef up the configuration up to 2TB PCIe SSD and for the very first time, Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition series will support up to 32GB and also boast fingerprint reader support (driver initially available via OTA update).
Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition will be available in February (initial Windows configs will be available on January 7). It will be released initially in the US, Canada and Europe and start at US $1,199.99 (this represents an i5-based Developer Edition with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, an FHD display and with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS preloaded).
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The newly overhauled Dell XPS 13 uses the same core materials, carbon fiber, CNC-machined aluminum, and woven glass fiber, as does its predecessors, however, it is lighter and thinner now. Unlike current-generation XPS 13s that use Intel’s 10th-generation ‘Comet Lake’ CPUs, Dell’s latest offering uses the “Ice Lake” CPU, a 10nm chip that includes Iris Plus Graphics.
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Along with the updated “Ice Lake” CPU, the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition comes with Ubuntu 18.04 preloaded and is available with up to 32GB of RAM and fingerprint-reader support. However, the fingerprint-reader support will post-launch via an update.
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Dell’s lead on Project Sputnik developer systems, Barton George, also blogged about Dell’s new 86-inch 4K interactive touch monitor, as well as their upcoming Latitude 9510 notebook and 2-in-1 laptops, promising “a new ultra-premium class of products” offering 5G mobile broadband capabilities, AI-based productivity capabilities, and 30-plus hours of battery life.
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If we leave aside the niche hardware manufacturers like System76 and Purism, Dell is one of the few mainstream PC manufacturers that have shown some real commitment to the Linux-using crowd. With its dedicated lineup of laptops that run Ubuntu Linux out-of-the-box, it has provided a convenience of support that no other vendor has been able to offer.
For a long time, Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition with Ubuntu has been the favorite of the open-source professionals. Its Windows counterpart, the regular XPS 13, has also been regarded as one of the best Windows laptops your money can buy. At CES 2020, the company is updating this machine with tempting upgrades that are worth checking out.
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Dell is kicking off 2020 with a significant refresh of its XPS 13 laptops, including the Ubuntu-powered XPS 13 Developer Edition.
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The updated version of Dell’s popular XPS 13 laptop has been launched just ahead of CES 2013. Dell XPS 13 happens to be one of the company’s most popular laptops of all time. The updated version of Dell XPS 13 bears the model number 9300 and features a bigger display with a 16:10 aspect ratio this time around. Now, it flaunts even slimmer bezels than its predecessor, among other things. We take a look at what the refreshed Dell XPS 13 line-up is all about.
In terms of the design, the XPS 13 still retains some of the key elements. For example, the design and build are made up of metal and glass. However, the trackpad and of course, keyboard have become slightly bigger. Powering the Dell XPS 13 is Intel’s 10th generation processor under the hood. It’s the same CPU that also powers Samsung’s Galaxy Book Flex Alpha 2-in-1 convertible PC, which will be available to purchase in the first half of 2020. In addition to the XPS 13, Dell also launched the XPS 13 Developer Edition, which runs the latest build of Ubuntu.
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Dell mentions that the new XPS 13 Developer Edition will be first made available in the US, Canada and Europe at a starting price of US $1,199.99 (Rs. 86,000 approx). The particular variant will offer i5-based processor with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, an FHD display and with Ubuntu 18.04 LTS preloaded.
Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (2020) Features
Dell has designed a new display for the latest XPS 13. The ultra sleek notebook boasts the first-ever 4-sided InfinityEdge display, which is touted to be virtually borderless. The new screen features a 16:10 aspect ratio (up from 16:9 on the prior gen) for a better real-estate for multimedia streaming and productivity tasks. The new XPS 13 also offers larger keycaps, and trackpad within a form factor which is claimed to be smaller and thinner than the previous generation XPS 13 models.
Dell also mentioned that the much-awaited fingerprint-reader support will not be available at launch. The security feature will first offered as an OTA (over-the-air) update and then as part of the preloaded image.
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Dell ahead of next week’s annual CES has announced a new version of its popular XPS 13 2-in-1 sporting a larger display, faster internals and a thinner profile to boot. Look for them to go on sale starting January 7, 2020.
The new XPS 13 is constructed of machined aluminum, carbon fiber, woven glass fiber and Corning Gorilla Glass and packs a 13.4-inch, 16:10 display in an 11-inch form factor that Dell said should still fit neatly on an airplane tray table. The XPS InfinityEdge display is also 25 percent brighter than before, we’re told.
Under the proverbial hood, you’ll find 10th Gen Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processor options as well as an array of memory and storage configurations. You also have options when it comes to the display: there’s the standard FHD+ (1,920 x 1,200), an FHD+ variant with a touchscreen and a UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400) model with touchscreen.
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World, please meet the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition laptop, which continues Dell’s Project Sputnik and its Linux portfolio by offering customers the latest and greatest XPS 13 laptop powered by 10th Gen Intel Core 10nm mobile processors and up to 32GB of RAM.
The 2020 Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition laptop also comes with an updated design and fingerprint-reader support, giving users the option to unlock their computers with a fingerprint. However, Dell said that fingerprint-reader support will be available after the initial launch as an update.
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Linux users are in for a treat when Dell releases the next iteration of the Ubuntu-powered XPS Developer Edition laptop.
To anyone who has spent any time researching companies that offer hardware with Linux pre-installed, chances are you know about the Dell XPS Developer edition. This began as project Sputnik in 2011, when Dell’s Barton George realized that no major OEM was building a fully-supported Linux laptop that included drivers and provided a great out of the box experience.
Fast forward nine years later, and the project is still going strong. In fact, the Dell XPS Developer Edition has been declared a best in show Linux laptop by numerous reviewers and outlets. Dell knows this and understands the audience for which this hardware is targeted. Dell also listens to the communities they serve.
Case in point, the Linux community.
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11.27.15
Posted in Dell, Microsoft, Vista 10, Windows at 6:18 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
“What we’re really after is simply that people acquire a legal license for Windows for each computer they own before they move on to Linux or Sun Solaris or BSD or OS/2 or whatever.”
–Bill Gates
Summary: A conceited corporation, Microsoft, shows not only that it exploits its botnet to forcibly download massive binaries without consent but also that it vainly overrides people’s privacy settings to spy on these people, sometimes with help from malicious hardware vendors such as Dell or Lenovo
THE topic we have neglected as of late is Vista 10, which is still doing pretty poorly in the market. Its whole purpose seem to be data collection and Microsoft will not tolerate barriers to: 1) adoption of Vista 10 and 2) data collection from each Vista 10 user.
Microsoft is aggressively trying to impose downloads of Vista 10, even without consent from users. One ought to wonder, when will there be class action lawsuits? Microsoft pretended this was done in error, but later it became clear that this was not an accident. Microsoft is really desperate to make everyone adopt this malicious spyware, which acts as a keylogger with a lot of other nasty features.
According to reports from earlier this week, Microsoft’s special ally Dell helps snooping on users in more than one way. Not many reports mention this, but it’s a problem that affects Windows only [1], just like in the case of Lenovo, which took all the blame for Microsoft's bad behaviour.
According to reports from the British media, Microsoft is now overriding users’ preferences not only when it comes to downloading Vista 10. It not only ignores privacy settings, either. Microsoft is now using Windows updates to actually alter privacy settings [2], showing once again that anything privacy-related is a farce under Windows [3]. Remember that Microsoft works closely with the NSA.
One article rightly recalled Microsoft’s hypocritical AstroTurfing against Google and wrote: “Microsoft spent millions portraying Google as a greedy and amoral data marauder. Redmond doesn’t need to read your email, it told everyone. The Scroogled campaign positioned Microsoft itself as the ethical alternative; the occupier of the moral high ground.”
As one person put it in Twitter, “now that they’ve apparently “given away” Windows 10, the die is cast. Vast majority of people have no idea of privacy loss/laws” (it is only a ‘free’ ‘upgrade’, it is not “given away”).
The press will likely find yet more of Dell’s serious privacy violations [4], including this second one [5,6], but rarely will it bother to mention that only Windows is affected. This whole bunch of stories comes to show that Dell and Microsoft Windows are more like NSA incorporated. They are designed to erode privacy. Surveillance is a built-in goal. Just like in the case of Lenovo, however, Microsoft received none of the blame. Lenovo and Dell get all the negative publicity, but it is a Windows issue, not just a Lenovo or a Dell issue.
We wish to remind readers that now is a good time to leave Windows. The decks in the proprietary software world are stacked against privacy. They guard the watchers, not the users. Windows sometimes puts people in prison [1, 2]. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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News came out on Tuesday that since August Dell computers have been coming out-of-the-box with a root certificate preinstalled that is an “unintended security vulnerability.” The source of the quote, by the way, is Dell itself.
And you thought all you had to worry about was Superfish, the adware Lenovo installed on its computers that left users vulnerable to man-in the-middle attacks — even when running Linux. At least the latest dumb move by Dell seems to be Windows specific, meaning most readers of FOSS Force can breath easy and repeat the official Linux mantra rewritten from an old Dial soap campaign.
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According to Redmond on Tuesday, “when the November update was installed, a few settings preferences may have inadvertently not been retained for advertising ID, Background apps, SmartScreen Filter, and Sync with devices.”
Fair play to Microsoft for shedding light on the blunder. Basically, its operating system allowed apps to access people’s unique advertising ID numbers; the SmartScreen Filter that sends executables to Microsoft servers to analyze was enabled; software was allowed to run in the background; and settings and passwords would be backed up the cloud. If you previously disabled any of those, they would be reenabled by the MCT-derived upgrade over a previous Windows 10 install.
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Microsoft pulled a major update for Windows after it blew away the user’s privacy settings, allowing app developers and advertisers to glean the user’s identity.
But that’s only part of the story, which gets murkier by the day.
We already knew Windows 10 Threshold deleted third-party data monitoring tools and cleanup tools, including stalwarts like Spybot and CCleaner. It even disabled Cisco’s VPN software. Just a bug, said Microsoft.
Two bugs would be a puzzling coincidence – but something else makes it altogether more troubling.
This year Microsoft introduced background tracking services called DiagTrack, or the Diagnostics Tracking Service. It was added to Windows 8.1 installations as well as betas of Windows 10. It arrived without much fanfare in May 14, in the shape of a patch, KB3022345.
It was just one of several slurping enhancements added via the back door.
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Microsoft spent millions portraying Google as a greedy and amoral data marauder. Redmond doesn’t need to read your email, it told everyone. The Scroogled campaign positioned Microsoft itself as the ethical alternative; the occupier of the moral high ground.
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Dell customers have turned up a second root certificate installed on some Dell machines, which could make them easy prey for malicious attacks on public Wi-Fi networks.
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04.02.14
Posted in Dell, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Windows, Wine at 3:29 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Long-sighted FUD strategy
Summary: Commentary about Microsoft’s attempts to make GNU/Linux look like it’s its own property, thanks in part to broken patent law in the United States
YEARS AGO, shortly after Novell and Microsoft revealed that they had signed a patent deal that involved Wine, we hypothetised that Microsoft was perhaps trying to keep Wine under patent threats. Amusingly enough, “Chinese People Try To Patent Wine On ARM,” according to Phoronix. One must wonder how Microsoft feels about it.
For those who think that Microsoft has finished extorting companies, look no further than this Dell deal where “[t]he companies did not provide specific information on which products the agreement will apply to” (or how much — if anything at all — gets paid).
We long ago called for a boycott of Dell, immediately after Microsoft pretty much took this dying company under its wing. Appropriately enough, Muktware is now contradicting its own report (which we criticised) in the comments, insisting that maybe a few pennies are paid to Microsoft by Dell (or nothing at all) and that this is more of a publicity stunt, trying to make Chrome OS and Android seem expensive and dangerous. At the time we also wrote about Verizon joining OIN and other factions of the Linux world, demonstrating that unlike Dell, many companies are now taking a stand for GNU/Linux, not against it (as Dell did). █
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03.27.14
Posted in Dell, Microsoft, Patents at 11:12 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Campaign of intimidation against Linux fueled by Dell, too
Summary: The dying computer assembly company is joining a notorious attack on GNU/Linux as if it is trying to appease Microsoft rather than today’s generation, which increasingly embraces GNU- and Linux-based platforms
Last year we called for boycott of Dell and at the end of the year we gave more reasons for it. Dell had done a disservice to Free software for a number of years and in 2007 it joined the Microsoft/Novell deal, perhaps implying (but never explicitly saying so) that it will play a role in putting patent tax on GNU/Linux.
“Dell did not have to do this, but it chose to.”Now that Windows (Microsoft’s common carrier) is in real trouble because many users are exposed to crackers other than the NSA (to which Microsoft provides back doors) Microsoft is very much focused on trying to scare vendors (and people, who usually rely on these vendors) away from GNU/Linux.
Chrome OS is a GNU/Linux distribution, possible the most widely used of its kind, so Microsoft has been running attack ads (smear campaigns) against it. In addition, adding to reasons to boycott Dell (Microsoft took over at least part of Dell and it has been getting worse since), Dell is reportedly joining Microsoft’s extortion and intimidation campaign against Android and Chrome OS. Dell did not have to do this, but it chose to. “Without disclosing too many details,” writes Monika Bhati, “the companies said they have agreed to license each company’s applicable intellectual property related to three product lines: Android, Chrome OS and Xbox.”
Monika Bhati’s softball ‘article’ is just parroting claims from press releases without investigating any further or at the very least checking what’s true and what’s FUD. This article repeats the unsubstantiated claims that Microsoft makes billions of dollars this way, despite lack of any actual evidence (the real goal is to deter against GNU/Linux adoption). She is not alone in it and we need to stop this. This whole thing is typical cross-licensing, intended for the most to disguise the reality of finances, as in Novell’s case (I spent years of my life researching this, so I recognise these patterns).
One must wonder: where is OIN in all this? The OIN brags about adding Verizon to its ranks this week, but it does absolutely nothing to stop Microsoft’s racketeering campaign. The OIN’s CEO, whom I spoke to several times over the phone, is quote as saying: “We appreciate Verizon’s industry thought leadership in joining OIN and supporting patent non-aggression in Linux. We believe Verizon is a bellwether for other communications service providers from an open-source and intellectual-property perspective, and look forward to working with other carriers so they can similarly come to understand the benefits of participation in the OIN community and partake of this growing culture of patent non-aggression.”
Mr. Bergelt is quoted as saying that he is into “non-aggression in Linux,” so how come he does nothing at all to stop the racketeering against OIN members like Google? This is beyond useless and the OIN will never even lobby against software patents because its large members are in favour of them. Some of them are very much part of the problem.
People need to vote with their wallets. The Linux Foundation and OIN are not going to save or preserve freedom in GNU/Linux; they don’t prioritise this. One is a mutual pact not to sue and another is a branding operation (employing for the most part marketing and branding professionals). █
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11.26.13
Posted in Dell at 12:28 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Amazon and Dell abuse people who work for them, Nestle just kills them
IT HAS BEEN quite a while since we first called for a boycott of Amazon and the Microsoft-connected Dell. We explained the reasons and expanded the list. But [1] and [2] help show that even employees of those companies should boycott their employer, which sometimes may pretend to like GNU/Linux in pursuit of profit [3-8]. well, at least unlike Coca Cola and Nestle [9], Amazon and Dell don’t murder their employees… yet. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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A BBC investigation into a UK-based Amazon warehouse has found conditions that a stress expert said could cause “mental and physical illness”.
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Sadly, Sputnik 3 is just the codename of the device. If you go to buy the Linux machine from Dell, you’ll see that it’s more properly known as the XPS 13 Developer Edition. The machine comes in two configurations with the base model starting at $1,249. That hefty price gets you a dual-core Intel Core i5-4200U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and a 13.3-inch 1080p touchscreen LCD.
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Dell is taking another stab at making the Sputnik Ultrabook it converted from Windows to Ubuntu even cloudier for developers.
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Striking Nestle worker and trade union organiser, Oscar lopez, was shot four times by multiple gunmen in a local bar. ‘Sinaltrainal’, his trade union had been locked in a bitter dispute with Nestle over union recognition and report receiving several death threats via text message from a right-wing paramilitary group, ‘Urabenos’- the day before Lopez was murdered. The messages read, “We are going to chop you up” and “Death to all Communists”.
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