07.27.08
ASUS Express Gate: Could Microsoft Stand in the Way?
The following message was posted a few hours ago by an embedded Linux engineer.
Message-ID: <tq3jk.33761$E41.1551@text.news.virginmedia.com>
From: 7 <website_has_email@www.enemygadgets.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: Are Micoshaftees interfering with Express Gate sales?
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:48:57 GMT
User-Agent: KNode/0.7.2
Several web sites you can search for Asus Express Gate (Spashtop Instant ON Linux which takes only 5 seconds to boot built into the BIOS) motherboard and come up empty.
“…[W]ill this require another EU anti-trust investigation?”But these companies are selling Asus Express Gate featured motherboards with Express Gate feature written all over the web page.
Short of indexing program failing (which doubt because these sites are big and need keen search facilities) I can’t understand why so many sites (e.g. www.ebuyer.com ) don’t show results for Express Gate, but do stock say the Asus P5Q Pro motherboard (with Express Gate written all over its specifications).
Asus shipping 1 million Linux motherboards a month and I’m just wondering if some anti-trust way micoshaft is interfering with Asus sales by intercepting them at the seller end.
And will this require another EU anti-trust investigation?
Watch what was found a couple of days ago: Microsoft seems to have grabbed ASUS into a close relationship after some affairs with GNU/Linux, which bypasses Windows in this case (on over a million boards per month).
Prior to this, Microsoft tried to use its EULA, which many people must accept blindly, to fight Express Gate (essentially through restriction on hypervisors). Anti-trust issues that were raised and invoked by Phoenix forced Microsoft to retract such dirty tricks. Phoenix is taking a route similar to that of ASUS, but would Microsoft stand aside watching?
The mythical monopolist has lost $90 billion in value so far this year. Expect it to be aggressive. Drop us a tip if you spot something suspicious. █
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.