Bonum Certa Men Certa

IDG is Again Advertising and Whitewashing Microsoft in Articles About 'Open Source'

IDG on open source



Summary: Microsoft agenda is served through systematic deception and talking points which are injected by Microsoft employees (poached from an open source background)

IS IT PROVOCATION or is it simply PR? After the Microsoft "loves open source" nonsense [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Jon Brodkin from IDG (Network World) strikes again. He linked to the "loves open source" nonsense in the articles too, probably for some provocation or needless mind control. They do that a lot in Network World, embedding incorrect statements in articles that can only be corrected in rational readers' comments. For the uninitiated, the Fox News/News Corp. of technology seems to be IDG (paid by Microsoft through IDC) because it controls a lot of publications that cover technology. It has a lot of influence to sell and it sure sells influence by taking steps such as creating a "Microsoft Subnet" and stuffing it -- along with other so-called 'subnets' -- with Microsoft sympathisers. One of them writes about Windows Live Mesh and points out that GNU/Linux is excluded. "On March 31," she writes, "Microsoft will stop supporting the beta version of Live Mesh. Users of the file synching service must manually upgrade to the full production Windows Live Mesh service or lose the data stored in their folders. This cloud service synchs files between multiple Windows machines and Macs, but because it doesn't support Linux, other services like Dropbox still have an edge."



"Microsoft employee defends Microsoft? No way!"Yes, Microsoft sure loves open source, eh? It does not support a single open source platform, even on the Web which is supposed to foster open standards (Microsoft is also banning Free software in its phones). Anyway, in IDG's Microsoft section/s there is new poison and it comes in pairs. The Microsoft PR campaign now involves its employee, Gianugo Rabellino, who Brodkin says "takes on the hardest job at Microsoft" (we have heard the same thing about Hilf and Ramji). "A few months ago," says Brodkin ,"Gianugo Rabellino traded his Linux and Mac PCs for a Windows 7 laptop, left the open source company he founded and moved to Redmond for a new job with Microsoft. His goal: improve Microsoft's credibility within open source circles."

Bollocks.

His goal was to become rich. He only accepted this job because Microsoft is poaching (or at least trying) open source luminaries like Simon Phipps. His departure from "Linux and Mac PCs for a Windows 7 laptop" was just part of the deal. He sold out. There are mostly reasonable comments in the article and more in LWN (even a reference to Techrights). The whole thing is a whitewash and Dr. Glyn Moody responded to it with: "so, about those software patents MS claims OSS infringes..."

By the same author there is a second piece which got little attention. It's still from the same source, which is a full-time Microsoft employee. To quote: '"Rabellino says his main focus right now "is to enable PHP to shine on our platforms," including Windows Azure."'

Microsoft employee defends Microsoft? No way!

Satipera writes: 'Rabellino "This company (Microsoft) has changed" What nonsense. If MS could kill #FLOSS today it would.'

Of course it would, but it is trying to invade it to cause harm, just like in Nokia. More remarks about these whitewash pieces from Jon Brodkin can be found in Tuesday's IRC logs (specifically here onwards) and some of yesterday's. To quote bits and pieces from yesterday morning (including the complete quote from Groklaw), "page two is all Microsoft talking points, ass covering and propaganda." Pamela Jones wrote: "Of course, Microsoft wants developers to write for Windows instead of for Linux. But why in the world would a community person want to help them do it? Other than money. Because the end result will not be FOSS, with the F as in freedom." We're adding logs below (mostly quoting one longtime reader).




twitterI'm having a look this finally.  http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/030111-microsoft-rabellino.htmlMar 02 05:36
TechrightsBot-trTitle: Open source expert takes on the hardest job at Microsoft .::. Size~: 129.16 KBMar 02 05:36
twitterWhile this "Apache guy" and "Hard core Debian-ista" might not be able to talk for the free software world, we can be sure that he and Network World are talking for Microsoft and I like some of the things I'm reading.Mar 02 05:38
twitterFor instance, the company finally admits, "Developers nowadays are mostly to be found in the open source world. We need to go where they are,"Mar 02 05:39
twitterThis has been apparent for about ten years but Microsoft has steadfastly denied it, arguing that no one could possibly make a living off the hobby OS and slinging other insults that we all remember.Mar 02 05:40
twitterThe company is also keen to avoid "theoretical" discussions and talk about "specifics" like how to make Windows less dismal by wasting developer time porting free software there.  Mar 02 05:42
twitterIck, they brag about having an unnamed "insider" someone that, "has inside knowledge about how to connect with [free software] people even if their contact information is not publicly available. He knows all the backchannels."  I'm guessing this is more the result of Microsoft's careful monitoring and infiltration efforts than it is a real person but it's really creepy either way.Mar 02 05:45
twitterbarf, page two is all Microsoft talking points, ass covering and propaganda.  No one following free software can read this kind of drek without feeling ill.... why am I wasting my time on it?  To see what else slips out of the obviously prostrate company. Mar 02 05:48
[...]
twitterhe he, his friends were all polite about his move to Microsoft as we might expect from free software people but not Microsoft themselves or fauxpen source exploiters.Mar 02 05:52
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] 2011-03-01 French, English and US Special Forces Enter Libya to Reinforce Uprising #Libya #Feb17 http://ur1.ca/3dbzgMar 02 05:54
twitterLOL, "We're living in a mixed IT environment. If you want to develop something that has an impact, you cannot discount the community. Microsoft has a huge community of developers, and has always been about developers. Developers ... " He must have missed Steve Ballmer's "Advertisers, Advertisers, Advertisers" speech where Microsoft dismissed their own community.  Mar 02 05:54
schestowitzHi, twitterMar 02 05:54
twitterhiMar 02 05:54
schestowitzHold on, lemmie read..Mar 02 05:54
TechrightsBot-trTitle: 2011-03-01 French, English and US Special Forces Enter Libya to Reinforce Uprising #Libya #Feb17 | WL Central .::. Size~: 210.66 KBMar 02 05:54
twitterI'm getting tired of the article, it's mostly a puff piece. I went there because PJ laughed at it.Mar 02 05:55
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] The #Nouveau Driver Is Moving Along Slowly But Surely http://ur1.ca/3dbzx #linuxMar 02 05:55
TechrightsBot-trTitle: [Phoronix] The Nouveau Driver Is Moving Along Slowly But Surely .::. Size~: 17.58 KBMar 02 05:55
schestowitzIt's 2Mar 02 05:56
schestowitzJoeMar 02 05:56
schestowitzPosted two whitewash pieceMar 02 05:56
schestowitzPosted two whitewash piecesMar 02 05:56
schestowitzhttp://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/030111-microsoft-php-opensource.html?hpg1=bnMar 02 05:57
TechrightsBot-trTitle: PHP user group lauds Microsoft's open source contributions .::. Size~: 126.46 KBMar 02 05:57
schestowitzIt's the same "Microsoft subnet" fluffMar 02 05:57
twitterPJ nails it.  "Of course, Microsoft wants developers to write for Windows instead of for Linux. But why in the world would a community person want to help them do it? Other than money. Because the end result will not be FOSS, with the F as in freedom."Mar 02 05:57
twitterWhat I liked was the admission that the developers are all in the free software world now.Mar 02 05:58
twitterThat's really the reason Windows sucks so bad, Microsoft drove everyone off.Mar 02 05:58
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] ♺ @@johnsu01 The February issue of the Free Software Supporter is out, and should be landing in your mailbox shortly.Mar 02 05:59
twitterIt was always a bad deal but they decided to make it absolutely unbearable for Vista.  Mar 02 05:59
twitterNo developers, no work, game over.Mar 02 05:59
twitterI think nouveau is in squeeze.  Have not tried it yet but I have a desktop with nvidia and should give it a whirl.  The nv driver had always been "good enough" for my purposes.  Mar 02 06:00
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[carlopiana/@carlopiana] RT @giammi @carlopiana Also interesting - neither Salk nor Sabin patented their polio vaccines; they donated the rights as gifts to huma ...Mar 02 06:00
twitterIntel had me enjoying composite, but I turn it off for the extra speed boost. Mar 02 06:01
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] ♺ @themadhatter RT @rmcla_ca: VIDEO: "Protests and Civil Liberties" re: #G8 #G20 and Vancouver #Olympics [...] http://bit.ly/fJ0qnEMar 02 06:02
TechrightsBot-trTitle: Sheldon Chumir Foundation :: Protests and Civil Liberties: Experiences in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver .::. Size~: 18.79 KBMar 02 06:02
twittermore funnies -> ""When asked if Rabellino might urge Microsoft to build Windows computers that aren't plagued by constant updates and can start up and shut down as fast as a Linux machine, Rabellino says, "You know, it's something we should work on."Mar 02 06:02
twitterbeat badly in tech, abandoned by developers, who is Microsoft fooling?Mar 02 06:03
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[carlopiana/@carlopiana] â™» @gbraad prediction: "I think you wanna make a phone call. Can I help you?" - #Clippy on the new #NokMsft phone <LOLMar 02 06:04
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[schestowitz/@schestowitz] ♺ @themadhatter RT @oliviachow: My questions in Parl re Inquiry on #G20 and gov's response: http://bit.ly/g6O5RU #hw #fbMar 02 06:04
TechrightsBot-trTitle: Olivia Chow, MP – Olivia Chow in Question Period: Call a public inquiry now .::. Size~: 18.57 KBMar 02 06:04
twitterGross, he does the patent gangster thing.  "These licenses offer more patent protection than the more commonly used open source licenses, Rabellino indicates. ...  It's really about being pragmatic, it's not about what license to choose based on an idealistic approach. I see a lot of good stuff in Microsoft licenses when it comes to patent language. There is an advantage there. Why choose one license versus another? Do you want to protectMar 02 06:05
twitterI should probably stop readingMar 02 06:05


Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Doing My Share to Tackle Online Slop and SPAM
Trying my best to 'fix' the Web
Microsoft Windows Lost 400 Million Users in a Few Years, Why Does The Register Double Down on Windows With New US Editor?
days ago they hired a new US editor
Links 25/07/2025: NOAA Cuts Endanger Lives, "Europe's Self Inflicted Cloud Crisis"
Links for the day
YouTube is a Spamfarm, Slopfarm, and Clickfarm (a Lot of Numbers There Are Fake)
Those who don't fake look unpopular and unimportant
 
Many People Still Read Techrights Because It Says the Truth, Produces Evidence, and Does Not Self-Censor
Unlike so many other sites
The Register is Desperate for Money, According to The Register
I decided to check how they're doing as a business
Microsoft Finally Finds a Use Case for Slop?
Create low-quality chaff to shift the media's attention?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 25, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 25, 2025
For Libel Reform One Must First Bring (or Raise) Awareness to the Issues and Their Magnitude
I myself know, from personal experience
Links 26/07/2025: Rationed Meals in the US and TikTok Repels Investments (Too Toxic)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/07/2025: "Bloody Google" and New People in Geminispace
Links for the day
Response to Solderpunk (Father of Gemini Protocol) About the Gemini Community
Solderpunk responds to non-sequitur
HTML and the Web Used to be Something a Child Could Learn, "Modern" Web is a Puzzle of Frameworks, Bloat, and Worse
When the Web was more like Gemini Protocol
New US Editor in The Register is 84% Microsoft/Windows Booster
It'll be worrying if it carries on like this
Links 25/07/2025: Slop Blunders and China Has Code of Conduct for Lawmakers in HK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Some Books and Babies and Capital
Links for the day
They Try to Lecture Us on Ethics
They even removed "master" from Microsoft GitHub
The Future of the Web is One Rendering Engine or 'Flavours' of Chrome
The future of the Web does not look bright at all
Best Sites Are Not Optimised for Any Browser, They Work Equally Well With All of Them
Red Hat (IBM) is making rubbish sites
We Don't Do JavaScript and Pages Are Small
Thankfully Gemini Protocol has nothing like JavaScript
'Tech' is Not Technology
Some people use terms like 'Old Tech'
IBM's Debt Rose by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in the Past 6 Months Alone
The "hey hi" circus is coming to an end
Yes, Master
Gaslighting by actual racists
Microsoft Bribes and Buys Politicians to Tell Europe What to Do About Free Software (Which It's Attacking)
Microsoft: we speak for the thing that we are attacking! Follow the money...
Making Backups Quickly and Reliably
Backups are imperative, more so in an age of uncertainty, unpredictable weather, and worsening standards (quality of products going down while prices go up)
Techrights Investigation: Estimating the Point in Time LinuxIac Turned Into LLM Slop (Part of the Time)
Bobby Borisov got lazy
10th Month, Ten Weeks From Now, at Ten AM
In Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 24, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 24, 2025
A Nadella Memo Distracts From Microsoft's Cheapening Of the Workforce
Right now the "MSM" (mainstream media) is flooded/overwhelmed by garbage pieces that relay lies for Nadella
Vanishing Faces of GNU/Linux
Free software projects do not depend on any one person or company to still exist
Microsoft Says It Lost 400 Million Windows Users, Now It's Waiting for GNU/Linux to Stop Booting on 'Old' PCs
When it comes to Windows, Microsoft is fully aware of the issue and statements it made earlier this summer suggest it lost 400 million Windows users
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, LinuxIac, and More
Also: The Register's Microsoft agenda (new editor)
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Gemtext Aware Titan Editor and Gemini Protocol Comeback
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Convicted Felon Quits UNESCO, "Vibe Coding Goes Wrong", and Signalgate Gets Worse
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/07/2025: Forgejo Woes and Smolnet Directory Week
Links for the day
Misinformation is Not Intelligence
It's low-grade plagiarism and it fails to show any signs of intelligence
Links 24/07/2025: Storage Tapes Still Kicking, Windows TCO 'on Steroids' (Microsoft-Induced Catastrophes)
Links for the day
Bobby Borisov (LinuxIac) Has Apparently Begun Experimenting With LLM Slop, So We Cannot Trust LinuxIac Anymore
So did LinuxIac become a slopfarm? Maybe not yet, but it's getting there
Informa TechTarget's ITProToday is Becoming a Slopfarm Generated by Microsoft Chatbots
Busted.
'Tech' Gimmicks Are for Advertising, Not for Usability
In the case of Microsoft, they latched onto slop
BetaNews Sacked Brian Fagioli and Deleted His Comments, But He Still Tries to Use the "BetaNews" Brand for Self-Affirmation
Fagioli takes the work of other people
[Meme] Hard to Be a Better Person?
Sooner or later they'll realise that for each pound I spend they need to spend about 1,000 times more
The LLM Con Artists Are Highly Destructive
Who will ever be held accountable for this scam?
Too Bribed by Microsoft to Move to Free Software?
Microsoft lies and Microsoft bribery (in politics)
New US Editor for The Register is a Microsoft Booster
"Avram Piltch has served as US editor for The Register since July 2025."
Microsoft Hiring European Politicians is Another Form of Bribery; There Should be a European Investigation
When Microsoft bribed people in Europe for OOXML (there's no denying this!) a European government delegate said that Microsoft operated like a cult
Reda Demanded That FSF Removes Its Founder, Now Reda Works Directly for Microsoft
A sellout and a traitor, first working for GAFAM, now Microsoft
PCLinuxOS is Raising Money to Support Development After Fire Incident at the Host
PCLinuxOS has not had announcements lately
Speed of the Site Should be Better Now
The "bot attacks" impact the speed of the sister site too
Getting More From AnalogNowhere
Recently we used many images from AnalogNowhere
Microsoft, Microsofters and 'Secure' Boot Shills Already Storming the LWN Report About Expiring Certificate, Shooting the Messenger
LWN has clearly stuck a nerve
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Disable "Secure" Boot Today (the Only Better Time to Do So Was Yesterday)
Don't trust anything Red Hat tells you about security
Links 23/07/2025: Windows Killed Company After 150+ Years, US Government Mimics Russia's Attacks on the Media
Links for the day
Freedom Generally Wins at the End, History Shows (But It's Constantly Attacked, Too)
At the moment people realise "Linux" (e.g. Android) isn't enough to guarantee any freedoms
Over 3 Months Later Brett Wilson LLP Still Unable to Recruit a Media Lawyer?
"Immediate start", but not found... still unfilled