08.21.08
SpikeSource is Not Open Source
‘Certifying’ FOSS for Microsoft Windows is not open source
We wrote about SpikeSource in the past. We warned about its direction, which seems to be a worrisome trend. Suspicion and prejudiced prudence seem a little more justified now that SpikeSource, which is partly aligned with Intel and Microsoft (partners in collusions [1, 2, 3]), pitches ‘mixed source’.
That’s the way SpikeSource CEO Kim Polese (above, from Wikimedia) puts it. (She is fluent in both buzzword and English.)
What she’s talking about is an ongoing effort to wrap Intel’s brand around a “certification” program powered by SpikeSource.
[…]
“Open source is becoming software,” just as a decade ago ecommerce was becoming commerce, she explained. Everyone is mixed source.
Every company can focus on the value of collaboration. Pure open source players are becoming thin on the ground.
The word “Source” in the name of the company may be deceiving. Find out more about SpikeSource [1, 2] and its assistance to a convicted monopolist. █
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.