08.01.08
Possible New Dumping Tactics, Pulling a Netscape
“I feel we are much too smug in dealing with Novell. Perhaps they didn’t hurt us in DOS yet — but it’s not because of product or their trying. It’s because we already had the OEMs wrapped up.”
–Jim Allchin, Microsoft
“I don’t understand how IE is going to win. The current path is simply to copy everything that Netscape does packaging and product wise.”
–Jim Allchin, Microsoft
Watch the following new article. Consider its meaning and implications in the context of what’s quoted above.
Microsoft strikes deals to preinstall OneCare
[…]
The deal covers 12 countries and includes hardware providers MDG Computers Canada, LEO Gesellschaft fur Computer & Kommunikation, Wortmann, Olidata, Hyrican Informationsysteme, Sotec Company, TICNova Quality Team, Sony Corporation of America and Toshiba Asia Pacific.
This may be scandalous not only because they try to shelve their competitors, which for many years defended the Windows platform (or at least tried to). Microsoft already uses this strategy along with H-P. But there is deeper issue here. They sell an operating system which lacks something called security. People need to purchase it separately (trial versions leading to subscription fees) or become one of about 320,000,000 zombie PCs.
Similar tricks are already used with Microsoft Office, bar the security issue. And speaking of which, watch this from the news:
The software giant will be selling it for just RM99 at the Kuala Lumpur PC Fair, which starts on Friday. Normally, the product would set you back RM499.
As a gentle reminder, this comes from Malaysia, which is moving to OpenOffice.org and ODF. There might be obvious motives here and the same type of thing was seen in a neighbouring country just a few days ago. A few weeks go this was done in South Africa, too.
For those who recall the Wipro-Microsoft dance/tango with OOXML [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], watch this new collaboration. They are rubbing each others’ back and some would say they are inseparable. █
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.