08.13.08
Eye on Microsoft: Today’s Injuries and Slog
OLPC
The Sunday Times led to this great analogy.
The article points that the stand taken by Intel and Microsoft is similar to the stand by large drug companies who, instead of working for the illnesses that plague the poor, (such as malaria) choose to focus on low-volume, high-margin drugs for cancer, heart ailments and diabetes.
This was covered a few days ago. Disgusting. No, no. Wait a second. It’s repulsive and it’s criminal. The world should learn from this.
Security
So much for ActiveX controls, a tool for ‘extending’ the Web to lock out rival. Microsoft seems to be giving up due to security issues, but it kills third-party software rather than its own. Very typical.
Microsoft kills more third-party ActiveX controls
Microsoft Corp. today issued “kill bit” updates for ActiveX controls from HP and a Washington state developer, the third time it’s disabled third-party add-ons in the last four months.
One security researcher linked the release to a new program Microsoft announced last week that’s designed to help other vendors find and fix bugs in their own software.
Woohoo! Kill switches. So, if you program for Microsoft, it can shoot you down any time, just like Apple with the iPhone. Here is another new flaw in Windows.
Microsoft Injuries
After much abuse, endless agitation and proxy fights, Yahoo! enumerates some damages caused by Microsoft.
Yahoo today updated the amount it has paid for advice in fighting off Microsoft. The new, higher total? $36 million.
In the earlier stages of this, Microsoft behaved no better than an organised mafia. Wearing suits doesn’t cushion the blow.
Microsoft/NBC Also Excluded Mac Users the from Olympic Games
If it’s any solace to GNU/Linux users, some Mac aficionados feel the same pain and they are angry.
Online Olympics offerings leave iPhones, some Macs out in the cold
Friday’s opening ceremonies not only marked the beginning of the Summer Olympics from Beijing, China—it also marked the start of NBC’s ambitious plans to offer streaming coverage of Olympic events to both computers and mobile devices.
When they say “computers” they actually mean “Windows”, as though the two words are synonymous.
More about this here.
As a result of this resentment and anger Microsoft is earning itself, it continues to be slammed in Apple/Mac Web sites. Watch how Microsoft and NBC (MSNBC) are used to discredit Windows Vista in Mac Daily News.
“This is how bad things have gotten for Microsoft Corp.: The software behemoth has a virtual monopoly in computer operating systems, and yet it still can’t get people to buy the latest version of its flagship product, Windows,” Allison Linn writes for MSNBC.
Microsoft: When Everything Fails, We Do “The Slog”
Watch Microsoft mocking its competitor because it’s unable to catch up. For those who don’t know what “The Slog” is, start here. █
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.