Summary: Mono for breakfast? With a Microsoft most valuable professional in charge of Novell's GNU/Linux desktop, this could be inevitable

Joining the Microsoft CodePlex Foundation was a stepping stone in Miguel de Icaza's long road to Microsoft, where he was interviewed for a job just over a decade ago. In more recent months we saw him announcing the removal of GPL code from a project that is valuable to Microsoft, which funds many of the wages at Novell nowadays (Novell is not self sustaining and part of it increasingly seems like a takeover target for Microsoft).

In an open letter, we've asked Microsoft to just hire de Icaza and take him away from GNU/Linux, but instead they have just given him a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award. He is very valuable to them. He seems happy about it and the .NET crowd is happy about this too (watch Twitter responses).

Thanks to everyone that participated in the campaign to nominate me for a C# MVP award, when I got back to Boston I found on my piles of email that I am now part of the program.

Novell's de Icaza's close colleague, Nat Friedman, has decided to leave Novell. Friedman will not return to Microsoft but he will not be focused on Free software, either. It seems like a case of Fog Computing fever, just like with de Icaza's colleague at the CodePlex Foundation, Sam Ramji, who admitted that the Foundation was determined to promote Mono and Moonlight.

More information on the subject can be found in:

• Miguel de Icaza “is Basically a Traitor to the Free Software Community,” Says Richard Stallman
• Miguel de Icaza Compares Richard Stallman to George Bush
• Recent Attacks on GNU and Richard Stallman Based on Distortions, Lies
• Richard Stallman Defended in Argument with Novell VP
• Richard Stallman is Not the Bad Guy
• Lest CodePlex perplex - by Richard Stallman
• Groklaw Groks Mono, Miguel de Icaza, Microsoft, and More

On to something a little different, Jason from Mono-Nono got around to finding and writing about a subject that we tackled almost 2 days ago. It's about Planet GNOME promoting Microsoft software (yes, again, as de Icaza did this repeatedly too).

Silverlight Promotion on Planet GNOME

[...]

Note that you are directed to press the “Click to Install” button, which does not exist. Oh, Novell – truly it is all worth it for the wonders you have wrought. You are indeed bringing Linux users around the world the Real€© Microsoft€®Ã¢â€žÂ¢ Experience. I had nearly forgotten the endlessly retarded bullshit one had to deal with just by turning on the computer when running Microsoft Windows – and 800X that hassle when running Internet Explorer – but Novell is bringing it all to Linux! Huzzah!

And, so what if it causes a minor stir in the community – who cares what it took to get where we are today anyway? This is truly important stuff! Damn the principles, full speed ahead to Redmond!

There is also a little something about the recent DirectX/OpenGL debate, which makes a comparison and warns the SVG community (they are already concerned about Microsoft's presence). Jason writes:

What bizarro world indeed where people are going crazy over Microsoft’s latest whatever and actively denouncing competitors? (Some bizarro world-residing promoters of Banshee and Tomboy mayhaps?)

The thing I like the most about the article is not only does it lay out reasons for preferring an Open Standard, it lists and documents how Microsoft promotes DirectX (like all their products):

1. Network effects and vicious cycles 2. FUD about OpenGL and Vista 3. Misleading marketing campaigns

I note with some interest that Microsoft leaving the OpenGL Architecture Review Board is noted as a FUD tactic. This one of the flip sides of having Microsoft “get on board” with you – if they leave it sends a powerful negative message. Pay attention SVG Working Group.

The SVG Working Group should take a sobering look at how Microsoft corrupted ISO. Simon Phipps from Sun wrote: "While it's great to see Microsoft finally joining the SVG WG after all these years, let's not forget (as this article does) that they were involved at the beginning and it was their unforgivable NIH attitude in rejecting the decision of the WG not to use Microsoft's contribution that has kept vector graphics from being a web technology for a decade. Imagine what could have evolved by now had they not listened to their greed and control-lust and instead worked with everyone to perfect web vector graphics. Even still I can't help myself wondering if they have joined the WG to snuff it out by over-activity."

Likewise, there is danger when Microsoft proponents like Miguel de Icaza are allowed to have influence on GNU/Linux. Microsoft must be laughing over this while it's also working to get GNU/Linux sued [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. ⬆

“You got nothing to lose. You don't lose when you lose fake friends.”

--Joan Jett