06.28.07
Linspire Sells Us Linux FUD, Not GNU/Linux
It looks as though Linspire’s CEO has joined the ‘Microsoft voice’. He made some tactless statements which might lead to further alienation. Groklaw serves him with some words of caution and advice.
Mr. Carmony [of Linspire] asked a question, will Linux split in two factions? The answer is no. Some Linux distros will limp along a while and then die off, because they misunderstood what folks want when they choose GNU/Linux and FOSS. You can see that already. Red Hat, which refused to sign any such deal, is flourishing, for example. It’s not about code that “just works”. Apple offers that already. It’s the freedom. And we’ve proven willing to put up with some temporary frustration in order to get it. In time, FOSS will win, and all those proprietary codecs and everything else will be made available on pleasanter terms, because market share does that.
The real purpose of this Groklaw writeup, however, was to herald the arrival of GPLv3, which has already being praised by some big names.
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) today commended the Free Software Foundation and the Software Freedom Law Center for their significant work in introducing Version 3 of the General Public License (GPL).
This is a a excellent example which shows that GPLv3 is quietly welcomed. Microsoft and its allies (including Kevin Carmony) can carry on littering the Web with anti-GPLv3 messages, but all this disinformation must be ignored.
The wording which Mr. Carmony used to spread smear some filth (implying that those who do not sign deals with Microsoft are pirates) will further lead to the suspicion that Carmoney’s (sic) monetary rewards from the Microsoft deal were substantial.
There is further commentary on this matter in eWeek, in case you wish to know more.
So, here we are: Microsoft is making Linux partners. Microsoft is making patent claims. Microsoft is trying to stir up controversy. But, as my grandpa might have put it, “Microsoft is still bringing cards to a horseshoes tournament.” No matter how Microsoft tries to stack this deck, Microsoft is not going to win.
Finally, here’s just a quick word to Kevin: repackaging and selling packages that were coded (for free) by Debian developers is easy. Just don’t call them “pirates”. It won’t make you popular.
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.