Novell's VP and Microsoft MVP Miguel de Icaza joined Microsoft's CodePlex Foundation board last year. Microsoft used him as "proof" that the CodePlex Foundation was not just some shell constructed to promote Microsoft's agenda (Windows, .NET, etc.) even though that was precisely its purpose, as it turned out later. The CodePlex Foundation's board was announced prematurely probably to distract from the fact that Microsoft got caught selling anti-Linux patents to patent trolls [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. That was also the opinion of Groklaw, for example, because this distracting announcement came amid other major fiascos like Microsoft's distribution of anti-GNU/Linux pamphlets and training material to large chains of computer stores across the United States [1, 2].
“They change the API rules in exchange for benefits and/or paychecks.”Miguel de Icaza happily associates himself with a company that happily attacks the freedom of software while pretending to have embraced it, despite trying to change it from the inside (Windows, Mono, etc.). Together, they are demoting GNU/Linux and promoting Windows like Citrix still does with Xen. They change the API rules in exchange for benefits and/or paychecks. All along Microsoft is just buying its way and gently bribing a lot of people to get its way. There is some news from Microsoft about its so-called 'foundation' that it funds [1, 2, 3, 4] and in the press release we find:
Departing from the interim CodePlex Board are Miguel de Icaza, Vice President, Novell