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Microsoft Does B.A.D. Things in Kerala

BAD: [B]ribing, [A]ddicting, [D]umping

"Coca-Cola was named back in 1885 for its two "medicinal" ingredients: extract of coca leaves and kola nuts. Just how much cocaine was originally in the Cocaine molecule formulation is hard to determine, but the drink undeniably contained some cocaine in its early days."

--Cocaine-Cola



Microsoft's recent actions in Korea were symbolic of its strategy against GNU/Linux and Free software. As we pointed out last year (backed by actual examples), Microsoft plays similar games in Kerala, whose migration to Free software it is actively trying to stifle. Microsoft also tries getting Keralan people 'addicted' to its proprietary software (particularly in education), just like Coca-Cola with added caffeine. Remember Mammootty? Microsoft even tried using celebrities, not only gifts. Now it summons a new strategy which was revealed to us earlier today.



Microsoft and/or its goons are diluting the value of the term "Linux Users Group" by creating a "Microsoft Users Group" in Kerala. Can one be a "Microsoft User" at all? Is there a product or software called "Microsoft"? This smells like brand-jacking, much like Office Open XML (not to be confused with OpenOffice.org) or "shared source".

Watch this Web site, which is self explanatory.

Microsoft & INETA (international .NET association) provide the technical materials (CDs, books, online resources etc) , infrastructure support and faculties for conducting a statewide seminar drive, which would educate and inform the public and the student community about the Microsoft Technologies.


Talk about user-generated Web sites (grassroots or pseudo-grassroots)...

We were hoping to find out if Microsoft was behind this site, just as it was behind “Voices for Innovation” (lobbying arm for software patents) and an anti-VMware Web site, which was assigned to some marketing firm hired by Microsoft.

This latest one seems innocent though (it's a Google mail address).




Domain ID:D153405496-LROR Domain Name:K-MUG.ORG Created On:21-Jul-2008 04:07:27 UTC Last Updated On:20-Sep-2008 03:52:20 UTC Expiration Date:21-Jul-2009 04:07:27 UTC Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR) Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED Registrant ID:GODA-050763413 Registrant Name:Sreejumon KP Registrant Street1:#322, 28th main, 8th cross Registrant Street2:HSR Layout 1st sector Registrant Street3: Registrant City:Bangalore Registrant State/Province:Kerala Registrant Postal Code:560031 Registrant Country:IN Registrant Phone:+91.9740063021 Registrant Phone Ext.: Registrant FAX: Registrant FAX Ext.: Registrant Email:sreejumon@gmail.com Admin ID:GODA-250763413 Admin Name:Sreejumon KP Admin Street1:#322, 28th main, 8th cross Admin Street2:HSR Layout 1st sector Admin Street3: Admin City:Bangalore Admin State/Province:Kerala Admin Postal Code:560031 Admin Country:IN Admin Phone:+91.9740063021 Admin Phone Ext.: Admin FAX: Admin FAX Ext.: Admin Email:sreejumon@gmail.com Tech ID:GODA-150763413 Tech Name:Sreejumon KP Tech Street1:#322, 28th main, 8th cross Tech Street2:HSR Layout 1st sector Tech Street3: Tech City:Bangalore Tech State/Province:Kerala Tech Postal Code:560031 Tech Country:IN Tech Phone:+91.9740063021 Tech Phone Ext.: Tech FAX: Tech FAX Ext.: Tech Email:sreejumon@gmail.com Name Server:NS3.ORCSWEB.COM Name Server:NS4.ORCSWEB.COM



One of our readers and informants from India says that Microsoft posted an invitation in a Linux Users Group. That happened recently. Was the invitation to this group perhaps? If so, what would that suggest? An inter-personal connection? Maybe it was a general sort of invitation like ones we hear that Microsoft sends many LUGs in order to deliver talks inside them, e.g. [1, 2]. They often get rejected.

The Web site above says there is meeting on November 15th, which incidentally [wink wink] coincides with a national conference on Free software. It takes place in the very same city on the 15th and 16th.

Microsoft has a known and well-documented habit of organising gigs right next to its competition (geographically speaking), VMware being just one recent example. Apple is another. Timing coincidence is another ugly strategy, Document Freedom Day being a good example, accompanied by search engine manipulation and entrapment.

In other news (not so new anymore) which comes from India, this one is worth bringing to light:

Why Wipro, Infosys and TCS are “The Axis of Evil” for Indian startup space



[...]

Yes you read it right I am calling this trio and their thousands of offshoots “The Axis of Evil” for Indian Software and Start-up space. While it is well known how these companies started the IT revolution in India with an interesting business model “Body Shopping” and post US clamping on H1 visas “Offshore Outsourcing”. The Indian software outsourcing story started off as a great business of labour arbitrage has today left most of its players scrambling for margins and why?


It's important never to forget what these 3 companies do for Microsoft. They are not “The Axis of Evil”; they are part of a much bigger evil, sometimes gently referred to as the "Microsoft ecosystem" or compared to “Scientology cult” by high officials. For more information see:



Let us keep who eye open and identify on who is who. Wipro, Infosys, and TCS are no friends of Freedom. One major publication referred to what they do as digital slavery, characterised by sweatshop-level working conditions. They mostly serve Microsoft's monoculture.

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