Topics We Lacked Time to Cover
THERE'S THIS new wave of Linux FUD in Microsoft-friendly media, probably strategically timed to distract from some of the latest security blunders in Windows (the latest Windows TCO batches are vast [1, 2]). One example is this 5-item set of FUD ("Media Unable to Tell the Difference Between Proprietary VMware and "Linux"").
Due to a Microsoft event (an annual malware fest for lobbying and marketing purposes) there was also a lot of Microsoft propaganda, even from "partners" like Red Hat and Canonical. One noteworthy thing is, they're promoting Microsoft's proprietary spyware under false pretences.
Since Monday I've been busy with family and last night it ended with a night at the pub. We came back in the snow and I've been catching up overnight - a catchup expected to continue over the weekend. We'll try to go back in time, gradually, and hopefully cover most stories that we should have (but could not, due to time limitations) covered this week.
In the case of Red Hat, there's a lot to be said about their atrocious marketing and the buzzwords. They even help sell Windows. Regarding Canonical, an associate said that the proper and detailed rebuttal "can be next week," or perhaps this coming weekend "as Canonical has been doing that for a while not sure where to file stories about Microsoft 'cloud-based' computer, it could go under DRM just as well as it can go under surveillance, since both factors are major."
Under the banner of more brands and buzzwords Microsoft is taking control away from users to the point where they merely rent the hardware they purchased and had actually paid for.
"It is the latest step in Microsoft's ongoing fight against open standards, open file formats, and interoperability by getting rid of access to the files completely," the associate argued.
We have some important stories in the pipeline, including important new material from the EPO, which we shall get around to shortly - for it has long been a subject/matter of priority to us.
This past week was probably the biggest break I took from the usual routines since the start of this year. Now back on the saddle, productivity can surge again. Family is very important (RMS said he had missed a chance with his mother), but my life's goal is justice and software freedom.
The Microsofters (yes, money from Microsoft!) try very hard to silence us this week, but I'm always told it's just a sign of how much we scare Microsoft and how valuable our work is. The Microsofters will pay for it dearly. █