12.18.07
Entering Paranoid Mode in the Face is Paranoia-imposing FUD
Thinking ahead is a reasonable thing to do when as watch Microsoft hijacking ISO, invading the OSI, planning to buy free open source companies, subverting the goals of Linux companies, and scheming to reinvent the Web (the proprietary way). All these things, among a few others, are interconnected and they represent a broader strategy. A new article from Seeking Alpha serves as a timely reminder.
Intel’s Andy Grove had a popular saying: Only the Paranoid Survive. It was the name of his book. Another big thinker, Clay Christensen, penned a popular management book called The Innovator’s Dilemma. Keep those two titles in mind as you read the following.
As we probably stressed quite recently, Red Hat is being hammered by analysts at the moment, yet it’s not too clear who is funding these analysts. Var Guy responds to one them.
The VAR Guy opened today’s edition of Barron’s and shook his head in disagreement. The financial paper says Red Hat’s revenue will erode amid fierce competition from Oracle and the new Microsoft-Novell partnership.
Barron’s, by the way, is a bit of ‘Microsoft mouthpiece’, among others which we wrote about last week. As proof of this consider these recent examples:
1. Barron’s Battle Goes Another Round
The contretemps between The Business Press Maven and Barron’s turned a bit ugly in recent days, even degenerating into a Barron’s reporter putting a hex on Alex Rodriguez as I headed toward what I hoped to be his 500th home run. The hex, I’m sorry to report, worked.
2. Stop the Barron’s Microsoft Series”
That particular story about how Microsoft was still a growth stock was dated July 26, 2004. Between then and now, it bears mentioning, Microsoft’s stock price has been stuck in the mud, barely budging in a market that has flown to the heavens.
But a horrid call, even made twice, is forgivable. What got me was that somewhere else in my steel trap of a mind was the memory of yet a third big bullish profile in Barron’s by Savitz about how Microsoft was, uh — hey, you’re really catching on here — still a growth stock! That was titled “Pointing Up,” from a bit over a year ago, April 3, 2006.
The Business Press Maven has a couple of concerns here. These articles appear written from the same template, without enough new information to merit such repetition, especially this latest one.
Stop the presses! A company stated publicly that it was still relevant! It is overkill, boosterism. Microsoft has a public relations department that takes care of that; it does not need outside help.
A leaked set of documents from Microsoft [PDF] tells a lot about Microsoft’s deliberate and deceitful use of bought analysts to praise the company and attack its opposition. “Be afraid,” as they say. “Be very afraid”. That’s their strategy which revolves around FUD and intimidation. █
Image from Wikimedia
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.