09.01.08
Latest Microsoft Procurement Scandals: Hungary, Quebec, UAE
Hungary
he Microsoft scandal in Hungary was last mentioned a few months ago. It’s part of a series of unacceptable events where the Hungarian people lose the most. Then came a formal complaint. McCreevy was soon assigned this job which came from Hungary, but that is a very bad appointment because McCreevy is a slave of the monopolists and maximalists. He won’t care about fair competition simply because he never does [1, 2].
“One must be left wondering what role Steve Ballmer and Charlie McCreevy played in this.”Now comes this article, which is written in Hungarian. Steve Ballmer is mentioned in it too, though not because of the egg-tossing incident.
Reader MinceR has provided us with a quick translation of the opening paragraph: “The court of Budapest decided it was legal to use the name of Microsoft in the public procurement procedure in which they wanted to buy software for 25 million HUF even though a few days earlier the Economic Competition Office decided it was a violation of neutrality of competition though this is apparently only a first instance decision.”
One must be left wondering what role Steve Ballmer and Charlie McCreevy played in this. It typically boils down to politics [1, 2].
Quebec
We also mentioned the Quebec lawsuit the other day. The latest articles about it include:
- Open source group sues Quebec, Microsoft for no-bid software contracting
- Open Source group sues Quebec government for choosing Microsoft
Who said nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft?
UAE
There’s still regression in the sense that those infamous memoranda of understanding [1, 2] are occasionally signed. The latest victim appears to be Ajman University, which seems to favour procurement based on handshakes and secret contracts, as opposed to proper judgment.
UAE. Furthering its commitment to transform the UAE into a knowledge based society, Microsoft Gulf today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST).
This is not procurement. This is sleaze, based on investigations into similar MoUs. █
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.
GoRien said,
September 1, 2008 at 6:36 pm
…public procurement procedure in which they wanted to buy software for 25 million HUF…
The business is not about 25 million HUF. It is about 25 billion HUF.