05.10.09
GNU/Linux Bashers and Microsoft MVPs Masquerade as “Linux Users”
Summary: Not everyone who bashes GNU/Linux (or promotes Mono) is necessarily a peer
A lot of Mono and Moonlight coverage is still coming from the Microsoft-faithful crowd [1, 2, 3, 4] and “Ars [is] hyping moonlight again,” says a reader who shows us this thread. Novell’s PR department does this also, but a lot more amusing was this revelation about Microsoft most valued professionals who masquerade as lovers of GNU/Linux. Their advocacy often goes along the lines of, “don’t get me wrong, I love Linux and all, but <Linux bashing goes here>.” It’s a familiar strategy.
“Im a hardcore Linux user!” – “Oh hang on, Im an MVP!”
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Over on Microsoft Watch I’ve been having discussions about the MS faithful, here’s another example of a questionable poster that I found recently. I have many on my books, some of which I have amassed a considerable of information and supporting evidence on. This chap is one of the obvious ones, who hasn’t considered even the most basic rule, if you are going to link to your site make sure it doesn’t seem to conflict with what you post! Since he’s not really of interest, I thought I’d give you all a quick article on him.
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And after 5 seconds of scanning his site, we can leave this article here. The personal description of him says:
I’m Hemanth, from Kerala,India. I’m a software engineer by profession ( Advanced Windows Installer or MSI technologies) and a webmaster of a number of websites.
I’m a Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professional (MVP) awardee in 2007 & 2008, for my contributions in the computer end-user support forums and newsgroups.
Yes, he calls himself a “hardcore Linux user” in public while basically dismissing the platform and disclosing nothing about his affiliation with Microsoft. Goblin has just found another mysterious (and maybe mischievous) pro-Microsoft Twitter user who repeats the words of Microsoft employees. Could this be a Microsoft hire [1, 2]? █
“Mind Control: To control mental output you have to control mental input. Take control of the channels by which developers receive information, then they can only think about the things you tell them. Thus, you control mindshare!”
–Microsoft, internal document [PDF]
powered_by_tux said,
May 10, 2009 at 7:31 am
I always knew it!
There cannot be a single person out there that calls himself a Linux advocate and endorses the use of MS technologies at the same time without being somehow wired to the Windows world.
aeshna23 Reply:
May 10th, 2009 at 8:29 am
While Roy is not making the paranoid claim that powered_by_tux suggests, I can’t help but wonder about powered_by_tux “being somehow wired to the Windows world.” There’s just something about human nature that makes people enjoy attacking their own guilt–perhaps for many different reasons.
Roy Schestowitz Reply:
May 10th, 2009 at 11:49 am
There are many, but that is not the point of this post. You created a straw man argument by reversing mine.
I say something like: “X pretends to be Y”
You argue that I say: “all Y are X”
I never suggested such a thing.
Doug said,
May 10, 2009 at 11:02 am
The linked to article points to a site run by a MVP that also claims to be a Linux user and is most critical of gaming on Linux. So by what logic do you claim these observations are paranoid.
> There’s just something about human nature that makes people enjoy attacking their own guilt–perhaps for many different reasons, aeshna23
Do you mind decoding this bit for us ?