Bonum Certa Men Certa

ZDNet Spins the Spreading of Free Software as a Loss to Free Software

Spin award goes to ZDNet and OpenLogic (headed by Steven L. Grandchamp from Microsoft)

Champ



Summary: Many mobile applications embody Free software and foes of the GPL use that to say that it's a bad thing

Backed by proprietary data from OpenLogic (whose claims cannot be verified or reproduced), we recently saw yet more GPL bashing articles. While it is true that companies like Apple mistreat Free software projects, to say that "App store licensing hinders OSS growth" is quite a stretch, but hey, it's based on the data from a company run by a Microsoft veteran (and also partly funded by Microsoft). Kim Weins, senior vice president of products and marketing at OpenLogic (she keeps sending me mail each time I criticise her company), is once again quoted in an article predicting problems with GPL-licensed software. All that OpenLogic ever does is help generate negative press for the GPL. The last time, earlier this month, they led to articles saying that the GPL was "viral" and that it was bad (see discussion in IRC after the Apache push). To be cautious and not accuse of malice, we'll choose to assume that maybe it is not their intention, but this is definitely their effect.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Richard Stallman Lecture in GDC Auditorium in Austin, Texas
corporate power could not 'cancel' the man
It's Not About the Head, It's About the Masters (and Funding)
Regardless of who the OSI claims to be its leader, its masters are Microsoft, just follow the money
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Links 15/04/2026: Geelong Corio Refinery Fire, Journalist Sentenced for "Insulting the President"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/04/2026: Organiding .bashrc with Imports, Oddμ as SSG
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 14, 2026
The Deleted Article About Mass Layoffs at IBM (April 2026)
Resurrected
Lots of Positive News Lately, Microsoft GitHub in Trouble
it's not too crazy to speculate about GitHub being the next Skype (or CodePlex)
The Register MS Has "Webinars" (Marketing); They're Promoting Ponzi Schemes or Slop But Disguised as "Intelligence"
These "webinars" are just spam displayed to people as if it contains real information
It Was Always About Freedom and Sovereignty (or Self-Determination)
About 24 hours from now Richard Stallman (RMS) will be giving a talk in Texas
Mass Layoffs at IBM Again, Just in Time for the Fake "Results" Next Week
Slopfarm will issue some chaff to give an illusion of journalism
Windows (Microsoft) in Botswana Falls to Another New Low
Botswana is a fairly large country
SLAPP Censorship - Part 47 Out of 200: British Courts Are Not Censorship Offices for Americans Funded by Affluent Third Parties
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) was scrutinised by our government
More Than 6 Months After a Very Close Friend of António Campinos and EPO Official Caught With Cocaine Campinos is Cracking Down on - or Stealing From - EPO Staff
Now they go after the "Education and Childcare Allowance"
Links 14/04/2026: Data Breaches and LLM Slop in Courts
Links for the day
Gemini Links 14/04/2026: Mastodon in the Terminal and a Voxel Engine
Links for the day
Links 14/04/2026: Against US Monopolies in UK, Legal Action Against Twitter
Links for the day
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Under Scrutiny Today in the British Government's Meeting, Grilled for Its Failure to Regulate Rogue Law Firms
Things are not improving
The Series About SLAPPs Funded by Third Parties: All Parts Thus Far
index for today
SLAPP Censorship - Part 46 Out of 200: Alex Graveley's Attorney Rick Cofer Did Not Deny That Graveley Had Strangled Women; He Did, However, Pay Local Officials
some background about SLAPPs that began in 2021 very shortly after I wrote about corruption at Microsoft GitHub
The EPO's Attitude Towards Women and Media Silence on EPO Unrest
There's media blackout about very critical matters
Gemini Links 14/04/2026: Greed Versus Stability; Board and Card Games
Links for the day
Links 14/04/2026: Cheeto Loses Defamation Lawsuit Against the Media, "France Takes Its 129 Tonnes of Gold Uut of New York"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, April 13, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, April 13, 2026