Video download link | md5sum 7fb515e7322d72b20a16ed1370af628f Not the Open Source Way Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0



Summary: The most disturbing aspect of what IBM does to the community (users of CentOS, volunteers in Fedora, readers of OpenSource.com etc.) is the lack of media coverage; IBM has captured a number of 'news' sites that mindlessly promote IBM (barely disclosing the sponsorship) and almost nobody questions IBM's motives

THIS year we did not write much about IBM, but over a week ago we noticed that last month's layoffs had an effect on OpenSource.com (Open Source Way) and other sites of Red Hat.

Knowing that the media barely covers or doesn't cover IBM layoffs (the layoffs are not reported until/unless they are very, very considerable), we decided to write about it and today we publish a video. That's not unlike Microsoft by the way. Microsoft must have fired 20,000-30,000 people this year alone (4.5 months) if one counts temps and contractors. Microsoft is collapsing but it is rigging/cheating the market, bribing the media, defrauding shareholders, and worse. Where's the media?

"Microsoft is collapsing but it is rigging/cheating the market, bribing the media, defrauding shareholders, and worse. Where's the media?"Generally speaking, the only community IBM understands is the "shareholders community".

Earlier today we wrote about Ben Cotton and his important role in Fedora, not just his past role in OpenSource.com. Why did IBM let him go? Why is OpenSource.com, among other sites, inactive? By now, we think, dozens of blogs or news site should have written something about this. The same is true for Linux.com, which back in 2019 became inactive. Where was the media back then? That just comes to show what sort of "media" is left... a lot of defectors (journalists-turned-marketers). SJVN too has become a stenographer of the Linux Foundation because that's where the money is.

"The video above speaks about the track record of IBM before ranting about the lack of media scrutiny."So we've ended up with 'news' sites that fail to investigate/report Microsoft layoffs, fail to condemn massive bank bailouts, and while Microsoft keeps attacking Linux nobody says a thing, except lies ("Microsoft loves Linux"). 20+ years ago when SCO filed the infamous lawsuit there was still media online. The same was true when Iraq was invaded. When important news goes under the radar society is worse off. When it comes to the EPO, we've become almost a sole voice. Why don't news sites explain what's going on there? A decade ago they used to actually cover scandals, but they suddenly stopped mentioning the EPO except when EPO management paid them to produce/reprint some piece.

When sites like OpenSource.com and Linux.com just die so quietly (no pushback) one has to wonder to what degree corporations' sheer power squashed the press and the Web. The video above speaks about the track record of IBM before ranting about the lack of media scrutiny. ⬆