03.18.10
Posted in Antitrust, GNU/Linux, IBM, Microsoft, SCO, Servers at 11:17 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Microsoft is SCOing IBM again
Summary: War is peace and Microsoft is the new “open”; Details on the latest attack of Microsoft against GNU/Linux, using proxies
A FEW days ago we wrote about Microsoft ‘pulling a SCO’ in India. IBM is not dumb enough to keep quiet and it currently blasts Microsoft for its ‘proxy attack’ (Microsoft does the same thing against Google in Europe, by its own admission).
“IBM Says Rivals Behind Anti-IBM Report in India,” summarises IDG:
IBM has slammed a report critical of the adoption of its mainframes in India, saying the report was driven by IBM competitors and has no credibility.
The report was sponsored by OpenMainframe.org, an online forum for news and information related to creating an open market for IBM-compatible mainframe technologies.
OpenMainframe.org is “bought and paid for” by Microsoft and other IBM competitors, so it’s hardly surprising that it would make an anti-IBM argument, IBM said in a statement over the weekend.
It was only yesterday that we wrote about Microsoft funding 'studies' to serve its own purposes, which include lobbying. For those who do not know, Microsoft has funded other such research in previous attacks like T3’s (it even paid professors to serve as “pawns in the battle,” to use Microsoft’s expression). We gave links covering this in:
InformationWeek writes::
IBM has lashed out at Microsoft and other competitors for funding a research study whose findings strongly advocate that IBM not be allowed in India to bundle its own operating systems and other software with the high-end servers IBM sells in that rapidly growing market.
The flare-up is important because the call for unbundling could open the door for various companies to rush into the mainframe and high-end server businesses and be granted mandatory and wide-open access to new technologies that IBM alone has conceived, funded, developed, and deployed.
We decided to look more closely at the imaginary entity that Microsoft is using against IBM. One should mind this because Microsoft is attacking GNU/Linux through IBM in this case.
We just found it so repellent to think that Microsoft uses “Open” and .org versus Free software. Only when Microsoft pays the bills can that type posturing endure, coming from the company that threatened to "whack" Dell for 'daring' to offer GNU/Linux as a choice. How dare Microsoft complain about monopoly? It dares not. That’s why it uses small companies as proxies.
Microsoft now owns part of T3 and they also use Neon, whose case we covered in [1, 2].
So anyway, who is behind OpenMainframe.org? It’s hard to find out. Even BETTER-WHOIS returns the same results:
Domain ID:D148879742-LROR
Domain Name:OPENMAINFRAME.ORG
Created On:15-Aug-2007 18:50:15 UTC
Last Updated On:09-Dec-2009 04:29:00 UTC
Expiration Date:15-Aug-2011 18:50:15 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:CR33732899
Registrant Name:Registration Private
Registrant Organization:Domains by Proxy, Inc.
Registrant Street1:DomainsByProxy.com
Registrant Street2:15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Scottsdale
Registrant State/Province:Arizona
Registrant Postal Code:85260
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.4806242599
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:+1.4806242598
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:OPENMAINFRAME.ORG@domainsbyproxy.com
Admin ID:CR33732901
Admin Name:Registration Private
Admin Organization:Domains by Proxy, Inc.
Admin Street1:DomainsByProxy.com
Admin Street2:15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Scottsdale
Admin State/Province:Arizona
Admin Postal Code:85260
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.4806242599
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:+1.4806242598
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:OPENMAINFRAME.ORG@domainsbyproxy.com
Tech ID:CR33732900
Tech Name:Registration Private
Tech Organization:Domains by Proxy, Inc.
Tech Street1:DomainsByProxy.com
Tech Street2:15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Tech Street3:
Tech City:Scottsdale
Tech State/Province:Arizona
Tech Postal Code:85260
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.4806242599
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:+1.4806242598
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:OPENMAINFRAME.ORG@domainsbyproxy.com
Name Server:NS05.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server:NS06.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Microsoft front groups like ACT also use DomainsByProxy to disguise their sources.
Notice how new this Web site is. It just came into existence to serve as an anti-IBM front. Here is a screenshot from the site as it appears at the moment:
Who is Microsoft fooling here? It’s just another SCO. █
“…Microsoft wished to promote SCO and its pending lawsuit against IBM and the Linux operating system. But Microsoft did not want to be seen as attacking IBM or Linux.”
–Larry Goldfarb, Baystar, key investor in SCO approached by Microsoft
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03.16.10
Posted in America, Antitrust, Courtroom, Europe at 7:25 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Quebec’s government is up to no good again (bidless procurement suspected); the time is right to challenge BECTA legally, just like in Quebec
LAST WEEK we showed that Canada is quietly embracing GNU/Linux. Canada’s National Bureau of Economic Research says that patents harm the poor, so there would be nothing destructive about Free software when it comes to economics.
Citizens of Quebec have already sued their government for allegedly illegal deals with Microsoft [1, 2]. Going further back, Groklaw translated an article from French (it’s Quebec after all), saying that “the general translation is that you can find at the link the documents regarding a lawsuit a company called Savoir-Faire Linux, Inc. has filed in the Superior Court of Quebec against the government’s pension plan for choosing Microsoft software without putting the job out publicly for bid. It seems the law in Quebec is very strict that the government is supposed to publish an invitation to tender for any acquisition of more than $25,000, and this job was a good deal more than that.
“I gather Savoir-Faire Linux’s position is that only open standards, formats and protocols are suitable to match the demands of a public market policy upholding four fundamental principles: act in an transparent way, favor strong competition, favor local economic development, get the best overall cost.”
“…Savoir-Faire Linux, Inc. has filed in the Superior Court of Quebec against the government’s pension plan for choosing Microsoft software without putting the job out publicly for bid.”
–Pamela Jones, GroklawThe headline said: “Savoir-Fair Linux, Inc. sues Quebec government agency over Microsoft”
At the bottom we are appending some more valuable references about the situation in Quebec. It may matter not just because Microsoft is sued in Canada (class-action lawsuit) but also because Glyn Moody reveals more grounds for Canadian antitrust in Quebec:
Does Quebec Hate Free Software?
[...]
What’s particularly disturbing here is that it looks like the regional government doesn’t want anyone to question why it is going with proprietary software, and not giving free software a fair chance – that’s doubly wrong. (Via @akaSassinak.)
Does the regional government want to be sued again? This has already boiled over in Italy and it should also happen in the UK, where BECTA serves Microsoft almost exclusively. The Open Learning Centre has this new post on the subject:
Does Microsoft think “Rip-Off Britain” is an instruction?
In the current economic climate what do you think is the best way to keep existing customers happy and encourage them to spend more with you?
Introduce some special offers perhaps? Add extra value to your products and services? Be even more nice than you are normally?
[...]
Just think about that for a moment. That’s 100,000,000 individual downloads of a free product, the alternative legacy application from Microsoft will soon cost you £430. Oh yes, and those 100,000,000 downloads happened in a year and 16 days…
Brits should learn from Quebec and consider a lawsuit. It’s long overdue and the evidence available for presentation is overwhelming. The British Standards Institute (BSI) too was sued two years ago after it had engaged in what seemed like corruption with Microsoft [1, 2]. █
_____
[1] The Long Road To Free Software in Quebec
The report was overwhelming: “ We have no control over our own information systems! And yet that is the one and only area in which we can achieve the necessary gains in productivity.” That day, I came to understand the many needs that are fulfilled by free software and how it is of crucial importance to our country’s economy.
[2] A Free Software Week quandary
Events this week, mostly at the Université du Québec à Montréal, will promote the benefits of free software and introduce beginners to the open vs. proprietary politics that divide the tech-savvy community.
But the hostility between the two camps is nothing like it was in the past, said Michael Gould, an analyst with Forrester Research. And on the one hand, this is good news for open sourcers.
“A lot of significantly sized companies have been using more open source software,” Gould said. “A lot of the concerns they had, like quality, security and support, have been mostly addressed.”
[3] Oracle shop ditches Unix for Linux on the mainframe
The IT department for the Canadian province of Quebec is consolidating hundreds of Oracle databases — spread across hundreds of midrange servers — onto a new mainframe running Linux on top of z/VM.
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Posted in Antitrust, Asia, GNU/Linux, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Servers, Virtualisation, Windows at 6:07 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
“[Microsoft's] Mr. Emerson and I discussed a variety of investment structures wherein Microsoft would ‘backstop,’ or guarantee in some way, BayStar’s investment…. Microsoft assured me that it would in some way guarantee BayStar’s investment in SCO.”
–Larry Goldfarb, Baystar, key investor in SCO
Summary: Poor Microsoft complains about a “mainframe monopoly” which does not run Microsoft Windows and the same strategies it used in Europe are being extended to India
THIS morning we wrote about the suggestion (not ours) that Microsoft had something to do with Apple’s patent lawsuit against GNU/Linux [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Evidence for this is lacking, whereas the following case is clearer because Microsoft owns part of the firm that is issuing the legal challenge against IBM. For background about Microsoft’s ’second SCO’, those who have not read the following posts ought to consider reading them first. It’s rather clear that Microsoft uses at least one firm, T3, to attack GNU/Linux on the mainframe (the other potential one is Neon [1, 2]).
Based on the following two articles from the Economic Times (India), Microsoft seems to be doing in India what it has already done in Europe:
1. IBM accused of mainframe monopoly
Rarely do you see IBM under attack in India. But it is now. And IBM believes that it’s actually Microsoft that is behind the attack, under the facade of a forum called Open-Mainframe.
The issue first arose late last week when two Indian research bodies, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and Indicus Analytics, released a report suggesting that IBM had misused its dominance of the Indian market for mainframes (high end computers used when the scale of operation is massive), and that if this misuse continued, it could adversely impact India’s efforts towards inclusive growth.
2. IBM, Microsoft point fingers at each other
IBM, the world’s largest IT services company, has accused Microsoft, the world’s largest operating system manufacturer, of sponsoring an India report released last week that criticises IBM India’s trade practices in the $500-million local server market, terming them as restrictive. The report calls for unbundling of hardware and software by IBM.
Microsoft accuses others of “monopoly”. Does that sound familiar? Microsoft also used firms in Europe against Google just a few weeks ago, by its very own admission. The company is almost gloating about it. From the past week’s news:
1. EC antitrust probe is latest clash in Google-Microsoft war
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last week acknowledged his company’s role in pushing government regulators to pursue such investigations.
2. Ten Years After, Microsoft Reverses Its Role With Google
Hang on: Microsoft complaining that Google is being unfair? Yes, you heard that right.
Microsoft is being a huge hypocrite. Just because it faces strong competition from Google (and Microsoft is not used to competition), it tries to evoke laws that are typically used when one breaks the law and abuses rivals (like Microsoft did so many times).
A few days ago we wrote about Microsoft's sheer hypocrisy at SXSW, courtesy of Danah Boyd. This is now covered in the following posts:
Microsoft is a nightmare when it comes to privacy [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], so how dare it pull this card? This is the behaviour of a company that sees itself as above the law, such that ends justify the means.
Going back to the IBM case, Microsoft would love to abolish GNU/Linux through hypervisors (its partners at Citrix already help in that regard). Other allies in India, companies such as Wipro [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], are signing new deals with Microsoft in order to keep Free software out of the country (Wipro has a history of going against standards too).
Bangalore, India-based IT services firm Wipro Technologies has embraced the cloud computing model and announced its plans to offer Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).
Under a “Dedicated Advisor” agreement with Microsoft, Wipro Technologies will be able to assist its global enterprise customers in migrating to BPOS via a palette of professional services including assessments, migration and solution implementation accelerators, according to the company.
Microsoft’s scandals in India [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] are a broad subject that we won’t be repeating today. But in summary, Microsoft is now abusing the Indian system in order to declare mainframes running GNU/Linux “illegal” (monopoly abuse). █
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Posted in America, Antitrust, Bill Gates, Microsoft, Office Suites, Windows at 4:33 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Microsoft expands its indoctrination programme in California with endorsement from Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Elevate America” is a harmful programmes whose effects we have explained in [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. It’s similar to EDGI, but it happens in the West. State by state, Microsoft goes finding gullible politicians who can help turn citizens into volunteers who help Microsoft, a convicted monopoly abuser that states are suing at the same time.
The latest victim that Microsoft has found is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who agreed to let Microsoft indoctrinate individuals with support from the state.
Microsoft is giving California 166,500 vouchers for certification exams and e-learning classes as part of its Elevate America initiative.
As we learn from EDGI (i.e. Microsoft’s own words), it’s about getting people addicted to and dependent on Microsoft. According to an article from 2007, Microsoft already owes California hundreds of millions of dollars that it hasn’t paid (probably still to be ignored and not reclaimed). The news sites, unsurprisingly, are repeating the PR nonsense rather than expose what Microsoft is really doing here. They are not interested in real investigation [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] maybe because they are lazy and maybe because they are fearful (Microsoft is a major advertiser of theirs). The funniest headline that we found is “Microsoft Helping California’s Unemployed”. It’s like calling a drug dealer “a helper” (to people who are depressed).
“They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.”
–Bill Gates
Microsoft uses the same tactics for sentimental merit with war veterans right about now. The monopolist is turning them into helpers of the Microsoft monopoly while pushing out PR nonsense about “donation” (where it actually refers to software [1, 2, 3, 4]).
This initiative builds on the company’s Elevate America program launched last year, designed for all Americans, to provide people with technology skills training, industry-recognized certifications and work force readiness tools to help them prepare for 21st century jobs.
Some sources claim $8 million in donation, but 75% of this money is fake. It’s just some price on licences to use binaries until they expire. They become dependent on Microsoft this way (higher exit barriers).
The Elevate America’s Veterans Initiative will spread the cash around to veterans service organizations, workforce agencies and community colleges. The Initiative also will provide training and help with job placement, child care and housing. The initiative is intended to support active duty service members who are transitioning out of the military as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves who are returning to their civilian jobs.
They neglect to talk about the proportions. It’s mostly just dumping of software, which creates a lock-in that in turn makes profit for Microsoft. Microsoft is not a charity, this is just a business decision. Assuming that knowing menus in Windows and Word is a “21st century” skill (as Microsoft puts it in the above), then this new class which makes people familiar with Microsoft tools is perhaps worth something. It’s worth a lot to Microsoft.
Saint Paul Central Library presents free computer classes on Microsoft Word, a word-processing software program that allows users to create documents and compose letters.
Since when does education mean “training”? And by the way, this is why Gates is giving money to libraries. The education system is one of the best mechanisms (state funded) for ensuring that people turn into Microsoft customers before they reach puberty. Why can’t people like Schwarzenegger see this? █
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03.14.10
Posted in Antitrust, Finance, GNU/Linux at 4:55 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Microsoft goes as far as paying companies just to avoid buying from the competition and choose Microsoft lock-in instead
Microsoft’s negative pricing is a subject we’ve covered a lot when exposing EDGI (HP still helps Microsoft in that regard). When the competition becomes too intense for the Microsoft monoculture to endure, then Microsoft starts dumping ‘free’ proprietary software or even bribes for people to accept it. When a company with a monopoly (especially an illegally-obtained monopoly) pays rather than charges customers to become trapped, then it becomes a violation of competition rules. In the case of GNU/Linux, EDGI E-mails reveal that the abusive company tracks what it calls “Linux infestations” and then escalates this to a department that secretly negotiates with the “dissenters” (those leaving Windows) to stop this. They use money games and they isolate decision makers from those whom they supposedly represent.
According to the following news report, Microsoft is paying businesses to dump NetSuite just as it’s paying/compensating nations to dump GNU/Linux. Microsoft tried this with Munich, using extremely considerable discounts. Microsoft reportedly pays Verizon half a billion dollars not to let customers use Google [1, 2], so it’s a general strategy everywhere.
Here is another report that gives away some numbers:
US-based companies could be paid up to $850 for every NetSuite user that makes a switcheroo to either Microsoft Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV or Dynamics SL, said Redmond.
In order to compete, NetSuite needs to bribe as much as Microsoft, but can it afford to do this? To Microsoft, it’s about driving competition out of the market, then allowing price hikes that Canadians sue over at this moment. Robert X. Cringely wrote that Microsoft “have the deepest of pockets, unlimited ambition, and they are willing to lose money for years and years just to make sure that you don’t make any money, either. And they are mean, REALLY mean.”
When the world’s industry needs to fight a bribe using another bribe, where does it leave Free software or startups? Also in the news today we found: “Nvidia denies bribing developers”
GRAPHICS CHIP DESIGNER Nvidia has denied accusations that it has been paying game developers for implementing GPU-accelerated processing of physics effects using its PhysX code.
The accusations were made by Nvidia’s rival graphics vendor ATI, but it seems they are based on the fact that the Green Goblin has been helping out games developers.
A bribe is a bribe and a spade is a spade. It’s time for this type of practices to be regulated in the sense that there should be heavy fines. █
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Posted in America, Antitrust, Bill Gates, Courtroom, Microsoft at 4:27 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Canadians demand compensation after Microsoft illegally removed competition, but those Canadians may not know just how deep Bill Gates is inside their government
WE have not forgotten Microsoft’s dirty tricks in Canada (e.g. for OOXML) and exploitation of a Canadian company that ended up ruining OOXML.
Bloomberg and AP finally report on a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft Canada and the Canadian press covers it too:
1. “Microsoft to appeal B.C. court ruling on class action lawsuit
Microsoft Corp. plans to appeal a British Columbia court decision that certified a class-action lawsuit alleging the computer giant illegally got rid of its competition, then raised its prices.
In a ruling released this week, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Elliott Myers certified the action on behalf of “all persons in British Columbia who, on or after Jan. 1, 1994, indirectly acquired a licence for Microsoft operating systems and/or Microsoft applications software for their own use.”
That covers pretty well everyone who bought a personal computer, or Microsoft Word or Exel, in the province since 1994, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, J.J. Camp, of Camp Fiorante Matthews, said in an interview. That includes governments as well as banks and other organizations that would have bought thousands of computers, he said. “It’s a very substantial number.”
2. Class-action suit targets Microsoft software
A British Columbia judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft that could affect hundreds of thousands of people who have bought personal computers containing Microsoft software over the past 16 years.
The representative plaintiffs — a small Richmond, B.C., computer-consultant company named Pro-Sys Consultants Ltd., and a Vancouver engineer named Neil Godfrey — allege that the software giant engaged in predatory, “anti-competitive” activity in virtually wiping out the competition.
And finally:
3. Judge certifies class-action lawsuit against Microsoft Canada
VANCOUVER, B.C. – A British Columbia judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft that alleges the software giant engaged in anti-competitive behaviour that enabled it to charge higher prices for its products.
Justice E.M. Meyers concluded in a ruling released Monday that Vancouver-based Pro-Sys Consultants, which is leading the plaintiffs in the case, has met requirements for certification for the lawsuit to proceed as a class action.
The legal action against Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was launched in 2006 on behalf of a number of indirect purchasers who acquired Microsoft software from resellers and from those who had Microsoft software pre-installed on their computers.
They argue they were forced to pay more for the software component of their purchase as a result of Microsoft’s anti-competitive actions.
Pro-Sys alleges that the indirect sellers suffered harm from paying prices that were artificially inflated by anti-competitive behaviour.
“This could be the start of cases like the ones the States,” says Chips B. Malroy. “Imagine how many countries, and or class action lawsuits there could be around the world wanting to happen,” he adds.
A Canadian GNU/Linux enthusiast wrote:
I love it. I tried to get the Competition Bureau to act years ago but they declined in deference to the US DOJ. Why surrender sovereignty?
What a lot of Canadians may not know is that Bill Gates invests over $1.5 billion in the Canadian government (it buys him influence). Too many people think that Gates is benign because of that foundation he set up to manage his money, conveniently forgetting Gates' long past of criminal activity. Will Hutton even published the following shocking article where he helps whitewash by claiming that Gates is among the ‘clean’ figures in the list of rich people.
Sixty-two of the 1,011 are Russian oligarchs. Twenty eight are Turkish oligarchs. Even Carlos Slim made his fortune from being the monopolist who controls 90% of Mexico’s telephone landlines and 80% of its mobile phone subscribers. The OECD notes that he charges among the highest usage fees in the world. But hey! He is a billionaire and what matters today are his riches – not the manner in which the money is made. He may have started out as a productive entrepreneur. Today he is using his power to expropriate wealth on a mega scale.
The contrast with his rival Bill Gates could hardly be greater. Microsoft may have had its head-to-head confrontation with the EU Commission over anti-competitive practices, but Gates built his company by innovating around one of the great historic general purpose technologies. Information and communication technology is like the railway, internal combustion engine or air travel – a technology with massive spill-overs and implications for society. It is a classic example of productive entrepreneurship. Gates may not deserve $53bn, he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time with a great university system around him, but he undoubtedly deserves to be rich. Both Gates and Slim are exploiting their market position to get above average profits, but one is more overtly political than the other. Put another way, Gates has grown the economic pie. Slim represents a tax on it.
This is ridiculous. It’s based on the assumption that Microsoft invented computing rather than crippled progress in computing. It merely reiterates PR campaigns and endless lies because anyone with a clue about history knows that Microsoft was taking other people’s ideas — sometimes illegally — and then breaking the law to destroy a once-competitive market, putting instead low-quality and overpriced software while bullying anyone who disagrees in all sorts of creative ways. This is more like a cartel and the reaction to competition includes racketeering [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] and costs a lot more than crimes of the Russian mafia. The United States government finds him guilty, but one person who posts an article in the Observer/Guardian decides that he knows better. Hasn’t the Guardian done enough Microsoft PR already [1, 2, 3, 4]? █
“The advance planning and sense stimuli employed to capture a $10 million cigarette or soap market are nothing compared to the brainwashing and propaganda blitzes used to ensure control of the largest cash market in the world: the Executive Branch of the United States Government.”
–Phyllis Schlafly
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03.11.10
Posted in Antitrust, Europe, Google, Microsoft, Office Suites, Search at 3:58 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: A look at what Microsoft is doing to Google and what it has done to Yahoo!
IT IS no longer a secret that Microsoft is behind investigations of Google in Europe. Microsoft admits this after being pressured. There are still some articles about it [1, 2] and the ZDNet theatre discussed this last month before it was confirmed, at which point it was mentioned as well [1, 2]. Here are some articles that stood out:
John Dvorak wrote an article titled “Is Microsoft Behind Google’s Italy Woes?”
Microsoft is up to its old tricks again. Google is under all sorts of attacks right now—all somehow related to Microsoft. There are a slew of stories about how Microsoft managed to get Google into anti-trust trouble with the EU. This proxy fight may also have had something to do with the situation in Italy, in which Google executives were indicted for allowing some dopey video to be uploaded in that country.
There’s also:
• EU Regulators and the Microsoft Antitrust Issue
No sooner did Microsoft settle its antitrust woes with the European union, than it turned around and allegedly threw Google under the very same bus.
• Yahoo CEO Doesn’t Favor Google Antitrust Investigations
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has taken the high road as more and more antitrust regulators start to display an interest in Google’s practices. Rather than cheer on the investigations – or instigate new ones – Bartz has stayed mostly neutral on the matter, perhaps even supporting her biggest rival a little.
Yahoo’s position is interesting given what Microsoft did to it and news like this. Following some interview/s, there was the following additional coverage:
• Why We Have A Hard Time Thinking Of Yahoo As A News Company
• Yahoo Could Take Years to Recover, Says CEO Bartz
• Yahoo Is Marching Forward, We’ll Prove It: CEO Bartz
• How Yahoo has evolved over 15 years
• Yahoo Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary: Now, Is It Finally Time to Buy AOL as a Gift to Itself?
Microsoft Nick published an article that says: “If Bartz were Yahoo CEO then, would she have accepted Microsoft buyout? ‘Sure’”
Microsoft is still trying to defend its abuse of Yahoo!, pretending that it was a saviour rather than a bully. It is crucial to remember Bartz’s past ties with Microsoft and how she came to power (proxy battle).
BNET writes: “It’s Official: Yahoo Is Available for Purchase. But Who Wants It?”
Yahoo (YHOO) CEO Carol Bartz put in an appearance on CNBC yesterday during her company’s 15th anniversary. There was the bravado you could expect from any CEO of a publicly-traded company trying to convince listeners why the company is doing better than many may think. However, one interesting tidbit that came out was that any company could buy Yahoo for the “right price”. The question is, of the potential suitors, who would bother with an acquisition?
Microsoft is getting Yahoo! users (including Ubuntu users [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]), so it doesn’t need to buy Yahoo! anymore. Microsoft got what it wanted from Yahoo! very cheaply.
So anyway, Microsoft has not only abused Google but it was abusing Yahoo! too. Microsoft is trying to hurt its competition rather than improve its own product. Microsoft’s entire history is like that.
A world where Microsoft is relevant in search is a rather scary one because Microsoft — being the control freak that it is — changes the search results to suit its own agenda. Here is a new look at what Microsoft does in the Arab world: [via]
Sex, Social Mores, and Keyword Filtering: Microsoft Bing in the ‘Arabian Countries’
[...]
It is unclear, however, whether Bing’s keyword filtering in the Arab countries is an initiative from Microsoft, or whether any or all of the Arab states have asked Microsoft to comply with local censorship practices or laws.
[...]
Microsoft’s declared aim from this type of censorship is to filter out “results that might return adult content.” However, filtering at the keyword level results in overblocking, as banning the use of certain keywords to search for Web sites, not just images, prevents users from accessing—based on Microsoft’s definition of objectionable content—legitimate content such as sex education and encyclopedic information about homosexuality.
In our past writings about Bing we mentioned the calls for a Bing boycott in China (where Microsoft censors heavily). Homophobia at Microsoft is not news, either. But anyway, in China Microsoft still censors “sex”, according to this new article from Forbes:
Where Microsoft Censors Bing For ‘Sex’
[...]
Microsoft, unlike Google, never said that it wouldn’t be evil. So when it comes to censorship of its search engine Bing, it should come as no surprise that the company is much more willing than Google to block content rather than risk upsetting censorious governments around the world.
That doesn’t just apply to China, where Google says it plans to stop filtering search results.
Google is changing its position in China, with an announcement to come shortly (according to Google’s CEO). Microsoft Nick has meanwhile assured that it’s business as usual for Microsoft in China where it will maintain operations. Microsoft is generally close to the Chinese government, for diplomatic reasons that we covered here before.
Microsoft’s fear of Google does make sense. Google is no longer a search company (maybe the googol refers to money); it threatens Microsoft’s fattest cash cow and this new acquisition (announced here) is doing more to undo Microsoft lock-in in office suites:
Stepping up its fight against Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. acquired DocVerse, a technology startup that allows people to edit Microsoft Office files online.
This is also covered in:
• Google Buys DocVerse For Reported $25 Million
• Google Takes Another Shot at Microsoft Office
• Google DocVerse Buy Builds Bridge For Google Apps, Microsoft Office
• Google to plug self into Microsoft Office
• Google fends off Microsoft Office with DocVerse acquisition
• Google takes aim at Microsoft with acquisition
• Google To Steal Office Web Apps’ Thunder?
• Google to steal Office Web Apps’ thunder?
Google has stepped up its assault on Microsoft’s productivity software with the acquisition of a start-up company that allows Office users to edit and share their documents on the web.
People ought to avoid both Microsoft and Google when it comes to mail and office suites. both are proprietary.
Here is another proprietary software firm that’s after Microsoft’s customers.
NetSuite woos Microsoft resellers with commissions
NetSuite Inc (N.N), which makes Web-based business accounting programs, is offering software resellers commissions to promote its products over those of bigger rival Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O).
Microsoft is feeling the heat on the Web, where it is losing over $2 billion per year. █
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03.05.10
Posted in Antitrust, Apple, Europe, GNU/Linux, Google, Patents at 7:31 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: Signs of weakness or dis-servitude at the US patent office, Alison Brimelow is leaving, and Apple wants to be paid for a Linux platform it does not develop
THIS post assembles some key news about the patent systems and how they affects Free software.
USPTO
The USPTO shoots itself in the foot by going beyond the making of hamburgers and sandwiches as patents. Now there is a patent on hotdogs:
So when he heard about this new pediatric warning, he went looking to see if any of the hotdog makers were offering pre-hollowed dogs — and instead discovered that in 2006 someone had applied for a patent on hollow hot dogs. Seriously.
According to this, things are bound to get worse, not better, because the US wants ACTA to cover patents as well.
Furthermore, the response confirms what became clear in the most recent leak, that the US sees ACTA as covering not just copyrights and trademarks — but patents as well (though, some of the other participants are against including patents).
Then there are those who hacked the system, such as Ray Niro (inventor of patent trolling, who also bullies critics [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]) and Microsoft’s Nathan Myhrvold, the world's biggest patent troll.
“I’ve always treated Myhrvold’s company with the greatest scepticism (I call them “Intellectual Vultures”) and this report is extremely believable,” says Simon Phipps, who caught up with the latest news (exposé) about Intellectual Ventures. “It fits in with the use of patents,” he adds, “especially software patents – by companies like IBM, who hide their patent shake-downs behind confidentiality, out-of-court settlement and fine language about their community credentials.”
EPO
André Rebentisch has this new post about “trade elitism”.
Still you may wonder if EU trade policy always adheres to Free Trade objectives. In the field of IPR, in particular geographical indications, common policies are incompatible with a classic Free Trade agenda.
The head of the EPO is leaving after her mistakes. “Defining the limits of patentable subject-matter in “new” areas (life, software, business methods) is a source of unease,” writes or quotes the president of the FFII, Benjamin Henrion. Based on IPJur, there is already a succession plan.
Earlier in May 2009 I had reported that Ms Brimelow is not going to apply for a second term in Office as President of the European Patent Office beyond her term ending in June 2010. After considerable woes, the Administrative Council (AC) of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg) eventually managed to elect her successor by a 3/4 majority of votes on March 01, 2010.
This long paper [PDF] had Henrion write: “European and European Union Patents Court, a somewhat uninspired label abbreviated as the troglodyte-sounding acronym EEUPC”
A “Union” patents court is an indication of an attempt to mix or rather to negatively contaminate existing patent laws that protected Free software developers. It’s policy laundering, just like ACTA.
Apple
Apple has decided to be a spoiled brat and attack Linux with software patents [1, 2, 3, 4]. According to this, Apple is aiming specifically at the Linux-based platform.
Commentators suggest that this action by Apple is actually targeted at Google’s open source Android operating system, rather than relating just to HTC’s smartphones. HTC is one of the most prominent handset manufacturers globally to have developed products based on the Android operating system, using it in its Hero and Nexus One phones.
Microsoft did something similar against TomTom. It’s usually an indication that the plaintiff/aggressor is losing. “Popularity is killing Android,” says the headline at The Inquirer.
AS ANDROID SWEEPS across the smartphone market like a wave of locusts over a land that is strewn with Windows Mobile devices cast by the wayside, Google’s idealistic open source, embrace all attitude is starting to look naive.
TechDirt has written about Apple’s sheer hypocrisy and dishonesty.
…Steve Jobs noted how Apple was “shameless about stealing great ideas.” But in the announcement about the HTC lawsuit, he has a different perspective: “competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
TechDirt also believes that Apple might face antitrust action for other reasons.
Apple’s iTunes store has always dictated the terms of its dealings with record labels. As such, the largest U.S. music retailer has never censured the labels over marketing or promotion strategies.
Apple is not a nice company; it’s probably not as bad to GNU/Linux as Microsoft is. Alas, it’s important to avoid Apple products in order to sustain Free software and help it thrive. █
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