09.29.22
Posted in Antitrust, Deception, GNU/Linux, IBM, Microsoft at 3:50 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Video download link | md5sum bdfdd6fa693b45158f0e1cb63bb496ef
Protection Racket
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0
Summary: From a purely objective perspective, the so-called ‘Linux’ Foundation spends far more time/money protecting monopolies than it spends protecting Linux; hence, the organisation arguably does more harm than good to society
EARLIER today we said that the Linux Foundation (LF) was claiming, in vain, that it had protected women and minorities. It’s about rhetoric with almost nothing to show for it. We said that "The Linux Foundation is in No Position to Lecture Us (or Anybody) on Diversity" because it seemed like a typical corporate ploy; they paint communities as zealots and bigots, then demand control of the projects of these communities. The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) constantly uses such issues as a "wedge". SFC played a big role in the coup against the FSF, even more than once. Someone has told us that “a reminder about the anti-RMS petition tied to the unfounded smear campaign is needed. The campaign was based on baldfaced lies which too many, out of apparent eagerness to lynch RMS or destroy FOSS, did not examine.”
“It’s about rhetoric with almost nothing to show for it.”The video above discusses that for a bit and then proceeds to pointing out how the LF does nothing about ‘secure-core’ or ‘secure’ boot blocking Linux (back doors’ proponents and spy agencies like the NSA misframe security). In other words, when it comes to pressing issues the LF is on the same side as Microsoft and IBM, which even tried to deprecate BIOS support. Restrictions and lockdowns like DRM and TPM are perfectly OK with the LF.
An associate of ours brought up “secure-core”, the “thicker part of the wedge, long after the thin edge.”
“SFC played a big role in the coup against the FSF, even more than once.”The associate said “secure-core has hardly been covered at all; remember 20+ years ago when Microsoft tried to acquire Phoenix or AMI BIOS? I forget which. That was when they laid out their strategy to also begin lock-in from the hardware on up. Not just from the OS on down. I’m missing a few steps but secure-core appears to be a certification programme where restricted boot is not just on by default but on permanently in such a way as to prevent non-Microsoft systems from booting.”
Recently, Microsoft and the OEMs stepped this agenda up a little. Where was the LF? What did it do to protect Linux from this? Absolutely nothing! Spending endless millions on vanity offices. █
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08.30.22
Posted in Antitrust, Deception, GNU/Linux, Microsoft at 7:38 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Video download link | md5sum 4acde7aa8d1e6582a533b3a678a539c3
Blaming the Victims
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0
Summary: A Microsoft-friendly revisionist history says that GNU/Linux isn’t more widely adopted simply because people aren’t used to it; while it’s true that people typically resist change, this guy completely fails to mention Microsoft’s past and ongoing crimes (as recent as this summer), so I respond to the first half of his latest video
THE above is a rebuttal or commentary regarding “year of the Linux desktop” videos; this new one (hours-old) misses a lot of important points and apparently some other people with a YouTube channel do the same thing. They serve to trivialise Microsoft crimes. They’re not Microsoft apologists, but they unintentionally help Microsoft.
“They serve to trivialise Microsoft crimes. They’re not Microsoft apologists, but they unintentionally help Microsoft.”An associate asked me: “Did he acknowledge the OEM monopoly that Microsoft abuses?”
There are so many examples of that, including sub-notebooks and OLPC. Developing countries didn’t reject GNU/Linux and that had nothing to do with old habits; it was sabotage by Microsoft. It keeps happening and nobody from Microsoft gets punished for the crimes. They also did this 16 years ago in Walmart.
Apparently many people in YouTube fail to talk about this ‘difficult’ subject. We have extensive material, even leaked documents, that clearly show what Microsoft does behind the scenes (‘secure’ boot requirements, massive bribes, OEM lockouts that restrict distribution of other operating systems and so on). Microsoft corruption, such as bribery and other crimes, isn’t the subject of mere speculation. Microsoft whistleblowers speak about those things.
“It keeps happening and nobody from Microsoft gets punished for the crimes.”As our associate explained, “without acknowledgment of the anti-competitive abuses, specifically stuff like restricted boot and the OEM monopoly, there is really no point and in some ways is kind of blaming the victim:
“if only vendors saw the market potential …”
“if only distros were easier to use …”
“if only there were fewer distros …”
… and so on with the FUD they are reinforcing. Remember that Microsoft successfully fought against and got laws blocking whitebox systems.”
“DT [Derek Taylor/DistroTube] often makes the same mistakes. Though I can’t guess the reason for DT’s mistakes, it can’t be naivety because he has been around the block enough times to know how Microsoft operates. If he is trying to project his own values onto the crowd or mob known as Microsoft, then that is a major error in judgement. Without having seen Jay’s video(s), I may be off, but say again that projecting ones own values is a common error. There may be other reason for missing or pretending not to see the ongoing anti-competitive behaviors.”
My own thoughts are in the video above. █
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07.31.22
Posted in Antitrust, Microsoft at 8:01 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
“We need to slaughter Novell before they get stronger….If you’re going to kill someone, there isn’t much reason to get all worked up about it and angry. You just pull the trigger. Any discussions beforehand are a waste of time. We need to smile at Novell while we pull the trigger.”
–Jim Allchin, Microsoft VP
Original from Nicholas Klein. They are fighting us while smiling (schmoozing) at us.
Summary: Government bailouts for Microsoft (passing money or national debt from taxpayers to Microsoft’s tax-evading management) won’t last forever; Microsoft as a business is becoming unsustainable or barely sustainable
THE people who have sympathy for Microsoft are either working for Microsoft or they might simply be mentally weak. Some are exceptionally gullible.
This past week we saw several US “tech” giants falling on their sword; Microsoft too isn’t doing well, it has been faking its performance for decades while taking de facto bailouts from the US taxpayers. Nowadays the levels of bailout are unprecedented and barely sustainable.
“Microsoft’s influence in the Web has never been more meager.”Seeing the rapid demise of Windows (relative to Android in particular), Microsoft resorts to illegal tactics again, this time tightening the screws on Linux and BSD [1, 2, 3, 4] while even bigger things happen at the ‘sidelines’.
Microsoft’s influence in the Web has never been more meager. In spite of plenty of acquisitions, Microsoft descended into oblivion on the server side. Its Web browser, even when almost imposed on Windows users, continues to lose market share. The same is true for Microsoft’s search engine, which Microsoft now markets by proxy in DuckDuckGo (DDG). Yes, DDG is like a Microsoft-hosted Bing proxy that allows Microsoft to spy on everybody. DDG’s management now openly admits this while refusing to spill all the beans, citing an NDA. We won’t even mention “Azure” being an utter failure because it’s not even clear what that brand is; like “clown computing”, everything gets rebranded to fake growth while Azure itself quietly lays off staff. It’s not growing. It’s technically hopeless. Military (“defence”) budget cannot eternally bail out “Azure”. Sooner or later taxpayers will realise who’s causing inflation and why. The shareholders are being conned and a lot of the money in this game is people’s pension funds. They’re going to lose it. It’s like a pyramid scheme, gambling and riding totally fictional valuations.
“The shareholders are being conned and a lot of the money in this game is people’s pension funds. They’re going to lose it. It’s like a pyramid scheme, gambling and riding totally fictional valuations.”Mentioned in passing the other day was Netcraft’s report for the end of July. The latest Netcraft report, showing sharp decreases for Microsoft yet again, isn’t mentioned by the mainstream or “tech” media. Microsoft barely registers in the charts anymore. From what we can gather, a lot of businesses appear to have moved to apache/nginx during the pandemic. Some chose third-party (not locally-hosted, e.g. with Varnish) caches and CDNs. For some that meant “clown computing” or Clownflare, which isn’t so good either (Clownflare loses money, it’s not really a viable business). Not “so good” to say the least or to put it very politely… they view the “customers” as products and site visitors as something to be sold.
On the desktop (“client”) side, Microsoft is throwing wrenches at the cogwheels at hardware level. This whole UEFI thing is obnoxious and they’ve infiltrated a lot of organisations such as OSI and the Linux Foundation, rendering them Microsoft advocacy groups, i.e. the very antithesis of their original purpose/s.
“When Microsoft goes under we’ll have a new (another) problem to deal with: staff from Microsoft that ends up in a lot of other companies, spreading unfit-for-purpose pseudo-engineering.”Microsoft is definitely fighting us. It is using the tactics of Nicolo Machiavelli, but a lot of people aren’t familiar with Machiavellian tactics, so they just aren’t seeing it. As Machiavelli himself put it: “Men rise from one ambition to another. First they seek to secure themselves from attack, and then they attack others.”
Maybe Microsoft was “underdog” in the 1980s, but back then it already sabotaged the rivals and broke the law. By the 1990s Microsoft was already on a killing expedition. Sadly, many of today’s young people don’t know this. The media distorts their perception and lies to them about the past.
When Microsoft goes under we’ll have a new (another) problem to deal with: staff from Microsoft that ends up in a lot of other companies, spreading unfit-for-purpose pseudo-engineering. That has already happened in some companies, including Nokia and Canonical. █
“…yesterday we were notified that the Microsoft representative in charge with the education strategy had requested the organizers to pull the Ubuntu presentation because it is ‘unfair competition’ to hold such a presentation at an event sponsored by them. They are indeed co-sponsors but the conference is organized by the Ministry of Education and its local office, and is being held on the premises of a public University.”
–“Then, they fight you,” May 2008
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07.29.22
Posted in Antitrust, Deception, Microsoft at 3:01 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
From yesterday’s “news” alone:
Summary: Don’t expect the Linux Foundation or OSI to speak out against Microsoft’s latest crimes [1, 2, 3]; heck, even Ubuntu no longer competes with Windows because Microsoft paid the parent company to become a partner instead of competitor (hence WSL); this is what antitrust laws exist for! But nobody enforces them anymore, except when Microsoft lobbyists ask regulators to focus on other companies, weaponising enforcement to basically protect an abusive monopolist
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Posted in Antitrust, Microsoft at 2:35 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Yesterday: Antitrust Action Against Microsoft is Well Overdue
Two days ago: Microsoft’s Crimes Against the Competition, Notably BSD and GNU/Linux, Persist Albeit Disguised as ‘Security’ (UEFI ‘Secure’ Boot, TPM, Pluton…)
Microsoft knows exactly what's happening
Android and Windows. Notice the trends this year.
Summary: Microsoft is just blatantly trying to obstruct BSD and Linux from even booting on new desktops/laptops, having simply resorted to illegal tactics while bribing those who would otherwise deposit a complaint with the authorities
Background: Aside from the links above, consider that Lenovo (probably more OEMs to come) has become outright blocking Linux from even booting on some new laptops. They’re not just preloading Windows, they force people to keep it and use it. They’re using the false pretence of “security”.
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07.28.22
Posted in Antitrust, Microsoft at 2:52 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Summary: The solution is to file more antitrust complaints, not simply accept Microsoft’s abuses which are disguised as "security"; but Microsoft bribes Canonical to play along and push Ubuntu as “WSL”, so who’s going to file such complaints?
Related stories:
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06.15.22
Posted in Antitrust, Microsoft, Windows at 4:40 pm by Guest Editorial Team
Guest post by Ryan, reprinted with permission from the original
The death of Internet Explorer has been greatly exaggerated.
Yesterday and today, there have been numerous articles about Microsoft “removing” Internet Explorer from Windows (it has never been usable in Windows “11” apparently, but has been “removed” from Windows 10).
But like other mistakes and cruft, Internet Explorer is a part of the Win32 API and cannot be removed without bricking numerous applications and Web sites, and corporate Intranet applications, so it is still there. You just can’t use it directly.
Microsoft has disabled about 1% of Internet Explorer, which was the part that you could visibly see, and open as an application. The other 99%, the MSHTML “Trident” engine is still there. In fact, you could write or run a Web browser that embeds it and continue to browse with it now, although that would be a serious mistake due to its infamous security history and incompatibility with standards-compliant Web sites.
In fact, Windows now embeds MSHTML/Trident into their latest disaster, the Chromium-based Edge, which is packed with malware and spyware directly from Microsoft, including a keylogger trojan called “SmartScreen” and “Windows Defender”.
In the sense that Windows Defender is a security program, it’s like being accused of a crime as a poor person in America and getting stuck with the public defender, which your county funds 5-10% as much as the other guys who may be trying to frame you. In the sense that it sends your keystrokes and file hashes to Microsoft, it’s malware in and of itself.
And Windows doesn’t just have one horrendous semi-functional browser engine leftover from a dead end, it has two. The engine from the original Edge is still in there somewhere for “Windows Store Apps”.
Windows is rather large and full of trash. To hide some of this, Microsoft has compressed part of the C:\Windows folder, using NTFS compression, which uses an inefficient compression algorithm that robs your computer’s processor of yet more cycles than just dealing with Windows.
Back in 1998, I was 14.
I removed Internet Explorer 100%, lock, stock, and barrel as soon as it landed on my computer with Windows 98. There were other browsers even then, and I had quite a few, including Opera, Netscape 4, Mozilla Suite, and eventually Firefox.
K-Meleon was also nice as it blended in with Windows and used Mozilla’s engine.
Windows 98 had few legitimate improvements over Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.1 (which was unavailable to retail channels), but when IE and the rest of the nonsense landed, it was like Bill Gates himself left a flaming bag of dog shit on your front porch and rang the buzzer.
I used a tool called ROM II (Revenge of Mozilla) and the Windows 95 B shell (which was aware of FAT32) to rip it all back out, where thereafter I applied the updates that still made sense.
Windows 98 was pretty stable without Internet Explorer.
About the only difference was applications which assumed it was there no longer worked properly, but most of those were other Microsoft crap that used those hooks as a way to foist it even on people who held back with Windows 95 to try to avoid IE.
By the time I stopped using Windows 98 on a full time basis, it was essentially ROM II cutting all of the bloat out, some hotfixes, a generic Sandisk driver that enabled me to use pretty much all USB Mass Storage Class devices, and the Notepad, Paint, and Defrag program from Windows Me (which had some badly-needed improvements even though the rest of Windows Me was a mess).
As the years went on, I liked Windows less and less and started to turn more of my attention to GNU/Linux until finally Windows Vista came out, and trying to run it even on most of the computers that came with it was a truly pathetic experience, and forget anything that came with Windows XP. It would just burn your laptop up trying to scroll through the Start Menu.
At that point, I basically gave up on Windows. And there’s few reasons to try to use Windows today.
It’s just as much of a mess on security as Windows XP ever was. The attacks on the JBS meat packing plant, the Colonial Pipeline, hospitals, and plain old users prove me right.
Microsoft is so desperate for attention these days that it puts a Linux compatibility layer in Windows, and when that causes more Windows viruses, they pay the media to say “Linux malware”.
We should be beyond the point of having to even come up with a reply to Microsoft’s trash articles, which they seem to pay for in bulk. Many of them even have the same typographical errors even when they’re listed under different authors.
However, if you do need a response as to why to get rid of Windows now, this site seems to have a lot of that covered.
The legacy of Internet Explorer is blue screens of death and malware, but even without it enabled, Windows will not improve on this front. █
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