Microsoft, Google, and Apple Break Competitors' Products for Competitive Reasons?
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2009-06-19 09:50:50 UTC
- Modified: 2009-06-19 09:50:50 UTC
Summary: Batch of new and related stories
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Microsoft kills Visual Studio's Oracle data connection
Coders have reacted with disappointment and frustration to Microsoft's decision to cease development of a connector to Oracle in its .NET Framework, a move that looks like another budget cut.
Microsoft has said it will no longer develop OracleClient, or System.Data.OracleClient, with the the up-coming .NET Framework 4.0. It will still be included with the framework but will be "marked as deprecated."
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Microsoft cries foul over Google Outlookware
If you install Google's new Redmond-battling Outlook plug-in, it automatically disables Microsoft's Windows desktop search service. And Microsoft is peeved.
[...]
"When a Google Apps user installs the sync plugin for Outlook, the plugin modifies a registry key which disables Windows Desktop Search from indexing and providing search functionality for all Outlook data, not just the Outlook data being synchronized from GMail. Because Outlook search relies upon the indexing performed by Windows Desktop Search, Outlook search functions are broken as a result," Microsoft's blog post reads.
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Apple Warns Palm Pre Users: We're Going To Break Your iTunes Syncing
Apple, however, has responded with a neat little message that never actually mentions Palm, even if it's entirely transparent who it's about, warning people that Apple can easily break syncing when it updates its software. Of course, Apple did it in a way that it can claim wasn't meant nefariously at all. All the company really meant was to make people understand that it has no control over how the Pre syncs with iTunes, and it's possible that an update could break that syncing. Sure. Right. Except most people assume this means Apple intends to break it.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- TV Programmes in Geminispace
- Sort of like teletext except more cross-platform
- Techrights' Assessment of Red Hat Layoffs in 2025 (Yes, They Happened!)
- In short, Red Hat layoffs did occur this year, but even when they did the media did not mention these (and those would count as "IBM" regardless)
- The GPU Bubble (GPUs Marketed by Useless Slop)
- "they're selling GPUs for the sake of selling GPUs"
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- They're being too polite (perhaps) to people whose agenda is detrimental not just to the EPO but also the EPC
- EPO General Consultative Committee (GCC) Agenda: Reduction of Staff's Salaries (Compared to Inflation)
- knocking salaries down some more
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- The "Nazi Bars"
- We don't condone or condemn the label "Nazi Bar"
- Apparent Red Hat Layoffs in "AI" (Supposedly a Strategic Area for IBM)
- What is going on there?
- Gemini Protocol as a Growing Source of Audience (Mostly Technical People)
- Clients for Gemini Protocol are available for almost every platform imaginable
- EPO Change May be Afoot, Keep Pushing and Hold Those Feet to the Fire
- Backlash is brewing and societal trends reinforce backlash right now
- Links 18/11/2025: CISA Advisories, Climate, "U.S. Layoffs Surge and Blaming AI is Part of the Smokescreen"
- Links for the day
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- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
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- IRC logs for Monday, November 17, 2025
- Right Under the Nose of Mainstream Media
- That the media fails to cover the matter mostly speaks volumes about the media
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- We'll soon be focusing on Spain
- Slopwatch: LLM Slopfarms Seem to be Slowing Down Somewhat
- LLM addiction is a very unhealthy addiction
- Thailand: Windows Down Sharply, Microsoft Loses Share to GNU/Linux
- the Thai economy is strategic and relatively important in the region
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- Remember that many shops no longer sell or stock XBox
- Links 17/11/2025: ‘Agentic OS’ Backlash and Facebook ('Meta') Loses Yann Le Cun
- Links for the day
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- Links for the day
- Coming Soon: EPO Trip in Spain
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- Links 17/11/2025: "You Don't Need Animations" and Blocking Copyright-Infringing Sites Inevitably Goes Wrong
- Links for the day
- The Register MS: Slop is "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out), FOMO is Funding Us
- even former management (Editor in Chief of The Register MS) admitted to me it was aware of this issue
- What's 4Chan and Why It's So Problematic
- Incels and losers converge around online echo chambers
- Difficult to Win Arguments When the Simple Facts Are Not on One's Side
- Starting arguments over things when you know the facts (unlike money!) aren't on your side is a dumb move that can only ever result in severe loss of credibility
- Python is Attempting an Outreach to African-Americans, Microsoft Lunduke Has a Problem With That
- Did he manage to brainwash himself into this ideology wherein bigotry is in fact tolerance, inclusion, equity?
- Tribalism Injures Projects
- In Free software communities, there are many species and "breeds". Some developers are happy to work with everyone else based upon technical merit
- IBM is Googlebombing Its Way Out of Trouble and Criticism
- IBM is a dying giant
- No, There is Nothing Impressive About Slop Plagiarism-Enabled, Computer-Generated Images in Your Web Site...
- When people use slop they do not broadcast an embrace of innovation; they merely signal they're lazy, unethical, and unscrupulous
- After Denial (of the Issues) Comes Censorship
- Every critic of the status quo is "racist" and every criticism is "racism"
- Over at Tux Machines...
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- IRC Proceedings: Sunday, November 16, 2025
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- Intel, Facing Mass Layoffs (Including Many Key Engineers Who Work on Linux Kernel), is Pushing for Slop Inside Linux
- replacing proper, well-tested code (and documentation thereof) with slop
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- IRCNow Helped Techrights
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- How We Managed to Make IRC Inclusive and Free Speech-Tolerant Without Banning People
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- UEFI 'Restricted Boot' Will Usher in Rootkits Into Linux
- Those of us who understand and value what it means to truly own our devices should definitely be alarmed by these trends
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- How much longer can European politicians ignore all this corruption?
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- At the moment the brand "Open Source" is misused so heavily that we have considered adding a new category to our Daily Links, focusing a lot less on "Open" and more on software freedom as a concept
- Photos From Richard Stallman's Talk in Argentina Earlier Today (Remote Talk)
- Dr. Stallman's talk went ahead
- Slopwatch: Google News Full of Slop
- Google News has serious problems
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- Links for the day
- NHS Data Breach Caused by Proprietary Software, as Usual, The Register MS Blames "Hackers" and "Cybercriminal Gang"
- Nothing will get solved unless we have a rethink and media quits using the "hacker" narrative, which shifts blame from the holes to those who merely exploit them
- IBM is Vanishing (First Moving, Then Going Away Completely)
- Salary reduction is only the first step
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- Links for the day
- Links 16/11/2025: Censorship Battles and Margaret Sullivan Speaks
- Links for the day
- German Media and German Politicians: Working for the Public or Manipulating the Public?
- The "common person" does not have printing presses
- Informing the Public of Suppressed Facts
- We are all in this together
- Canadian Linus Meets Finnish-American Linus
- LTT does have a very large audience, which it can steer away from Microsoft and Windows
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- When it comes to IRC hosting, we never had any serious speech restrictions imposed upon us by the UK
- Over at Tux Machines...
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- IRC Proceedings: Saturday, November 15, 2025
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- Father of GNU Giving Keynote Talk Today, Father of Linux Collaborating With Linus Tech Tips (LTT)
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- Gemini Links 16/11/2025: Emacs Font Fun and UI x TUI x CLI
- Links for the day
Comments
Mike Nelson
2009-06-23 22:43:02
Thanks for posting the link to "Microsoft kills Visual Studio’s Oracle data connection." I work with DataDirect Technologies, and if you’re skeptical about Microsoft’s announcement you might consider Connect for ADO.NET from DataDirect Technologies. Connect for ADO.NET offers a client-less solution for .NET platforms –free from OracleClient or so called Instant Client. Go grab a copy of our install and check out what a true pedigree, 100% managed provider, can offer while supporting the latest .NET technologies such as the ADO.NET Entity Framework provider for Oracle –http://blogs.datadirect.com/category/net-connections
Thanks, Mike mnelson@crt-tanaka.com