04.29.08
Microsoft and Its Media Partner Lock #1 Competitor Out of the Olympics
“[If I ask you who is Microsoft's biggest competitor now, who would it be?] Open…Linux. I don’t want to say open source. Linux, certainly have to go with that.”
–Steve Ballmer, February 28th, 2008
We saw this coming a long time ago, but now arrive the specifics. Microsoft’s former media partner, MS(NBC), which was criticised before due to biased reporting that favours the paymaster, turns out to be that who shall do the ‘dirty job’. It’s not alone by the way. The Microsoft-faithful Ina Friend from CNET has just come up with another very misleading headline, suggesting that “the Democrats vote for Microsoft,” referring simply to the use of Silverlight in some new Web site. The media will continue to betray and deceive, but let’s look at the technical problems at hand and not be distracted by dishonesty.
“XAML seems like another software patent trap which is most likely based on the RAND+OSP routine.”As we mentioned recently, it’s very important for Microsoft to disrupt — if not altogether eliminate — the open fabric of the Web in order to hurt many rivals, from software companies to Web technologies and search engines. It even makes some subtle lies to deceive about the nature and purpose of its technology. Novell helps Microsoft a lot in that respect.
Watch the comments in the new article at ZDNet, with the usual fallacy that “Silverlight is available for OS X & Linux” (it’s not!) and the boring Microsoft apologism that disguises this as “competition is good” (reminisce an insane case of OOXML versus ODF, pretending that competition between standards is the same as competing applications and vendors, with this most recent example coming from Microsoft Malaysia). Flash is not like Silverlight, for reasons that we mentioned before.
Who supports this charade inside the open source world? Probably the same guy (or group) who advocated OOXML and ActiveX. Be careful what you wish for, Novell. Oh wait! Novell has exclusive ‘protection’, unlike all those other ‘mischievous’ distros that don’t pay ‘Microsoft tax’.
XAML seems like another software patent trap which is most likely based on the RAND+OSP routine. Even Miguel de Icaza himself denounced this a couple of months ago.
Other comments in the new article include: “MS/NBC ties”; “Not a smart move by NBC” and some remarks from the usual Munchkin “No_Ax_to_Grind”. Novell should protest against XAML, not endorse it. It’s blindly in love with Microsoft and it harms many of those that surround the couple. █
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.
ZiggyFish said,
April 29, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Which website or part of Olympics website will be tainted? Because I’ve looked at the NBCOlympics.com and Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. And have found nothing except Flash videos.
blabla said,
April 30, 2008 at 12:13 am
And you are sorry for this!? Microsoft should do this for all sports events. More, it should demand payment from every person, like they plan for their hosted software.
Believe me no one, and I really mean no one, should feel sorry for not being able to see such a corrupt, degrading, farcical spectacle.
And I put here some suggestions for further lock in of sporting events:
Every major soccer competition.
Every track and field competition.
Every cycling competition.
Every swimming competition.
Hell, if they could stop every person in this world from seeing TV news I would nominate them for Nobel Peace Prize (unfortunately the Nobel Committee has no credibility what so ever).
Are you reading this Microsoft spies? Do this exclusivity agreement with every news website and sports website and guarantee you that I would do my best to nominate William Gates to the Nobel Peace Prize.
Hey Roy, if you think that the ISO, Microsoft and Novell are corrupted then you are not paying to the sports organizations. Corruption is their way of living: they breath, they drink and they eat corruption. Microsoft is doing us a favor. In fact, Microsoft does us a favor everytime they do something.
It means that we should stay away from everything they touch. They are the equivalent of the birds they take to the mines.
If Microsoft is present we all should stay away. Let them lock people out all they want.
Roy Schestowitz said,
April 30, 2008 at 12:18 am
I hardly think of sporting events as more corrupt than most things, but I do think that the authorities divert a lot of attention away from their own corruptions by ensuring that the ‘masses’ are glued to the television set watching sports and celebrities and talking about that too.
blabla said,
April 30, 2008 at 12:31 am
Then they’re doing a poor job. Nothing reminds me more of corruption and politicians than seeing sports events.
The only way for them to continue to be “entertainment” is to become even more corrupt. Sport without spectacle has no attraction, no idols, no celebrities.
And if that is their goal more reasons do we have to avoid them. Perhaps you don’t want to see…
Roy Schestowitz said,
April 30, 2008 at 12:37 am
You mean, like the recent propaganda around the torch, which was probably intended to daemonise the Chinese in the western world’s press? Now, that’s quite a *spectacle* as you call it. Drama is always a must. Make some if it does not exist is the motto of those who need to divert attention away from the *real* story (e.g. “interoperability” instead of patent covenant, “C# is great” instead of supporting the Microsoft Development Universe and APIs).
Google said,
April 30, 2008 at 4:36 am
Where ever there is money - corruption follows
Lets do our part - and stand for freedom.