02.26.08
Microsoft is Seeding Out-of-control Lobbyists for Geneva BRM
Microsoft takes over the city
This is not an isolated incident and we spotted some warnings in advance. Despite the fact that the meeting in Geneva is supposed to be secretive and isolated from the outside world [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], Microsoft cannot just let anything develop naturally. Intervention is already being reported.
I had some time to burn, so I checked out the location of the hotel of the other Malaysian delegates, and was surprised to find that not only were they there waiting in the lobby, but I found the Microsoft Malaysia lackey in the same hotel sitting in the same lobby schmoozing the delegates. How come I didnt get the memo?
Anyway, his trip was wasted because this constant pressure by Microsoft on the Malaysian delegates are starting to take its toll. I mean how creepy is it to find this guy who has traveled the width and breadth of the Malaysian Peninsular with the intention of ‘updating each other’ and now to find him halfway across the world in your hotel lobby?
Gah, stalker.
We are prepared to find more reports like this. Lobbying is one of the most harmful of things and even the legality of the practice is frequently put to question. What would Microsoft say? Is this within the rules? Would it pretend that it has no control over its employees? It seems like the latter, based of what we heard from Microsoft bloggers. Meanwhile, Microsoft also labels people like Vint Cerf ones to be ignored. What’s the worth of a good smear campaign when there’s so much money at stake? █
“Analysts: Analysts sell out - that’s their business model But they are very concerned that they never look like they are selling out, so that makes them very prickly to work with.”
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.