____/ [H]omer on Wednesday 29 August 2007 03:42 : \____
> Verily I say unto thee, that nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx spake thusly:
>
>> Linux does not have Windows Genuine Advantage. Anything in the Linux
>> world that is advertised as "Genuine Advantage" is almost always a
>> genuine advantage. Orwellian twists of language are uncommon in the
>> Linux world. Free and open source software FOSS, upon which GNU/
>> Linux is based, is designed to liberate you, not to lock you in.
>> "Improvements" are real improvements, designed for technical reasons,
>> not to thwart competitors, lock you into a pointless and expensive
>> upgrade cycle, or for other anticompetitive reasons.
>>
>> I mention this because this newsgroup is infested with trolls (=paid
>> Microsoft propagandists) who whine endlessly that any news about
>> Microsoft is off-topic or irrelevant in a Linux news group. In fact,
>> the charter of this newsgroup explicitly states that it is a purpose
>> of the newsgroup is to compare Linux to other operating systems. I am
>> doing that here. Regular readers will not need to hear this, but any
>> newcomers should be informed. If you, newcomer, do not believe me,
>> then just read the newsgroup for a while.
>
> Excellent post.
>
> And yes, discussions about Microsoft /are/ relevant in this group. Not
> only are such discussions relevant for the purpose of software
> comparison, but Microsoft itself is a direct and pro-active threat to
> the future of Linux, GNU/Linux and Free Software in general. It is not
> the /only/ threat, but it is certainly the biggest and most venomous.
>
> This is quite adequately demonstrated by Microsoft's continual lobbying,
> threats, allegations, insults, out-of-hand dismissal and mockery of the
> competition; nefarious deals with OEMs, government bodies, standards
> bodies, broadcasters, and others; litigations, bribery, paid-to-post
> shilling, grass-roots trolling, sponsored "impartial" studies, lock-in
> strategies, campaigns of FUD and disinformation, predatory pricing
> policies, protection rackets, divide and conquer strategies, their
> "embrace, extend and extinguish" "development" model, and generally
> throwing their dirty money around like gangsters to buy people's loyalty.
>
> Doubtless Microsoft considers this strategy to be merely "evangelism",
> but AFAIAC it is nothing short of sabotage and debase criminal
> behaviour. Apparently the US DOJ and the EU Antitrust Commission agrees.
>
> So how are we supposed to react to such behaviour ... with a /smile/?
>
> No, for my part I react by exposing the corruption where I find it. To
> some people, that makes me a "zealot", and in some ways equally
> reprehensible (fighting fire with fire), since what I do might just as
> easily be construed as "sabotage" against Microsoft. So be it. Somebody
> has to fight the good fight, and you can't draw blood without getting
> spattered. Microsoft have a several billion dollar advantage, so I'm not
> exactly the "bully" in all this.
>
> Microsoft's modus operandum is "fscking killing" people by "tipping them
> into death spirals". If that's their game, then by all means let's play.
>
> Quid pro quo.
Another excellent post. The list of strategies is worth presenting as
bulletpoints somewhere. Good summary.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Wintendo O/S gets malware on its tail
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