Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft is Stealing... Open Source

Merry men escape interiors of giant wooden horse

The title isn't intended to cause great alarm, but it's an ongoing process that we track of. Earlier on we wrote about a dungeon called "Fort 25", where GNU/Linux-only programs get tortured or tamed (ported to Windows).



Here are some of the latest findings which cover Microsoft's erotic escapades inside its number-one rival's territories. Remember Bill Gates' motto? Keep your enemies closer. In this scenario, it seems more like a case of "keep your enemies assimilated." (to Microsoft of course).

Watch and learn.

Microsoft’s deceptive advertising, again.



Does Microsoft think we the Linux and Open Source user base are just a bunch of morons? In the latest advertising campaign of the closed sourced software giant that’s exactly what they are hoping for. Go ahead and check out for yourself. At http://www.microsoft.com/opensource they try to make it look like they are all for Open source software. They even have what they call the Hero Pack, fill out a form and they will send you a pack of “open source” tools that will help you become an “Open Source Hero”. What a giant load of crap how does “evaluation copies” of server 2008 and Visual Studio rank as open source software. They are so cheap it’s not even full versions (like I’d use it if it was).


You must also remember: "Open Source Heroes Are Silverlight"

“Microsoft gains influence deep inside its rivals' turf, even in the OSI.”Let's backtrack a little. Speaking of Microsoft sponsoring SourceForge awards and boasting its wares (Visual Studio) in the process, watch which application has just been elected project of the month at SourceForge? That's right, it's an establishment managed by former Microsoft employees. This little nugget of information made the project a tad notorious in some circles. Remember Black Duck, which is also headed by a former Microsoft employee?

Are all of these observations merely coincidences? Probably. But let this teach you how Microsoft 'extends' into SourceForge et al, using sponsorship that later have fear-inspiring awards up for grabs. We covered these issues before. Microsoft gains influence deep inside its rivals' turf, even in the OSI.

There are some other examples. Asay and Rosenberg, for instance, left InfoWorld and put it in the hands of Microsoft's Open Source 'Heroes' and some bloggers. Have they sort of conquered InfoWorld's only open source blog ("Open Sources")? Not quite, but it doesn't look all that encouraging, either.

"The Free Software movement is dead. Linux doesn't exist in 2007."

--Bill Hilf (Microsoft's 'Linux Guy'), May 2007

Recent Techrights' Posts

Saudi Arabia and Its Footprint in X/Twitter
a massive proportion of pro-ISIS accounts in Twitter were operated from Saudi Arabia or by Saudi Arabians
 
Links 13/09/2024: Disinformation in Focus, End of Presidential Debates (Trump Accepts It Hurts Him)
Links for the day
Mono as a Double-Purpose Trojan Horse Inside Wine
And now they can oust founders and top contributor with a CoC
This is How Bad Things Have Become at Microsoft
We're seeing nearly 80 reports in English about those layoffs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 12, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, September 12, 2024
Links 13/09/2024: Recorded Future Bought by MasterCard, Bits of Freedom Turns 25
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/09/2024: Towards Aristocratic Personal Computing, Technology and Privac
Links for the day
Once Again, Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (Just Like Every Month This Year)
Reporting and articles trickling in (in recent hours)
Rumour: Layoffs in IBM Consulting Today
IBM has had many layoffs lately
Microsoft Has Infiltrated the OSI and Its Moles (Whom It Pays to Speak 'for' OSI) Control the Narrative
This is utterly grotesque
Links 12/09/2024: Apple Owes a Lot of Money, Repressions and Censorship of Activists Noted
Links for the day
Anniversaries Coming Up
Probably the funnest year of our lives, and definitely the most productive
In Europe, Vista 11 Grew Only 3% (Relative to Other Windows Versions) This Year
That's a huge problem for Microsoft
Google's YouTube Censorship Has Gotten a Lot Worse and Anti-scientific (for Commercial Reasons)
By today's standards, YouTube is not something RMS can (or would) use
Google Appears to Have Broken Every Single Instance of Invidious. It's a Wake-up Call, Please Stop Uploading Videos to YouTube.
Including videos of Free software events
[Meme] Video Uploads Improved
The tools are all in our self-hosted Git repository and the licence is, as usual, AGPLv3
Apple Event as Fine Example of the "IT" Circus
It's not clear if the enemy of Free software is a company like Apple is simply public ignorance that Apple keeps fostering
Imposters Inheriting Institutions
Dealing with the "imposter syndrome"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Gemini Links 12/09/2024: Clean Island and VCFMW19
Links for the day
Links 11/09/2024: EPO Patents Tossed Out by Courts, Software Patent Reveals Ford "Tech That Listens to Driver Conversations to Serve Ads"
Links for the day
More "Linux" SEO SPAM, Wrapped Up as Clown Computing, Composed by a "Bullshit Generator" (LLM)
linuxsecurity.com at it again this week
"Linux" and Linux.com Diploma Mill
The front page of Linux.com right now is the usual nonsense
[Meme] The Ponzi Scheme That Eats Rivals (by Paying Them to Stop Competing)
Why compete when you can bribe and defang antitrust authorities?
In 2006 We Had a Novell Problem and Now We Have Several Novells
Microsoft thorns inside the community
Richard M. Stallman (RMS) Debunks Misconceptions About What Free Software Means and Explains How It Works
Free software means people (including users and developers) exercise control over the program, not the programmers
Links 11/09/2024: ROOPHLOCH Report, Small Web Experiences, and Cohost Effectively Dead
Links for the day
Links 11/09/2024: Russia Enters Latvia With Drone, Truth Social Stock Crashes
Links for the day
Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt Has Fallen From 12% in Geminispace to Just 1.2% in Two Years (Capsules Usually Self-Sign Their Certificates)
Don't ask the imposters about security
The "IT Industry" is Full of Imposters (It's a Growing Crisis)
They often manage the companies
Richard Stallman Explains Stochastic Parrots (LLMs)
From his latest talk
The Toys of Today's Kids and Coordination Woes, Not to Mention a Lack of Social Skills
Too much time indoors, too much screen time
Dispelling the Notion That Microsoft is Political Left
Microsoft not only got bailed out (several times) by Donald Trump but also approached him to take over TikTok without paying for it
Linus Torvalds, the Son of a Politician, Tries to Stay Out of Politics (or Political Topics)
"I'm just a geek" has its limits in practice
Richard Stallman Still Deals With Politics
Stallman's gonna Stallman
GAFAM Not Invincible
The US has an election very soon and Microsoft is already bribing candidates for deregulation and favours, based on press reports
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, September 10, 2024
The Greatest Show on Earth (Buzzwords Circus)
What next? Being denied medical service because you don't have a Facebook account?
Gemini Links 11/09/2024: Happiness, Improvised Nebuliser, and olden Age of Palm OS
Links for the day