Jaunty: Notifications

[GreyGeek]

Lindsay Mathieson wrote:
> Good grief, just determined to be a linux fan boy with your head in the sand 
> aren't you LA LA LAH I CAN"T HEAR YOU.
>   
Like an MS Fanboi?   It works both ways.
> Mono runs on more linux/unix platforms than java, GPL'd and non-patent 
> uncumbered ... Jeeze, but you MS haters just don't get it. It's ridiculous
> I've been running linux and contributing one way or another, including code 
> and criticising MS for decades and I just don't get this mindless MS bashing. 
> Its pointless and counter productive, there's a lot of talented people and 
> good products from MS which can be learned from. This holier than thou shit is 
> just mindless group think.
>
>   
It would be "mindless" if there were not facts to back up the "bashing",
as you call it.   From Microsoft's point of view it is  "pointless and
counter productive" unless your desires favor Microsoft maintaining or
extending its control over PC OEMS, and state and federal software
vendor processes that have ruled out FOSS, and the stuffing of panels,
buying off journalists, bloggers and websites, and political bribes to
pass laws favorable to them. 
http://boycottnovell.com/2008/11/10/summary-of-the-ms-bribed/

*I don't believe that Mono "runs on more" Linux platforms than Java*
(and I don't care about Unix)  ...   I don't know of, nor can I recall,
a single, current Linux distro that doesn't/can't run Java.  And, I
can't think of a single Linux distro that is *dependent*  on MONO or
*requires* it, even if they can "run it".   There are a few Linux
applications on some distros that are built with MONO but they can
easily be removed without impairing the distro.  

_Here is the problem with MONO (.NET):_   James Plamondon, the first
head of Microsoft's Technical Evangelist team stated it this way: "every
line of code written to Microsoft's standard is a victory for Microsoft,
and every line of code written to any other standard is a Microsoft
failure."    Stated another way,  _every line of code written to
Microsoft's standard is a failure for Linux_.    MONO development stops
dead in its tracks and stagnates the first time Microsoft decides to put
*further* improvements to .NET under patent protection that requires
license fees to use, and MONO trickle downs will stop.    IF Microsoft's
history is any judge, that is not IF, but when.   Microsoft has already
used threats of lawsuits to divide the FOSS developer community:  In
their agreement with Novell they promise that the only group of FOSS
developers that would be immune from the threat of an MS lawsuit are
ONLY those whose contributions to OpenSUSE *are included in SELS*,
because for every copy of SELS that Novell sells they pay an IP ROYALTY
to MS.  All other FOSS developers,  including contributors to OpenSUSE
or working on any other distro, are under threat. 
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/2006/11-02NovellInterop.mspx
"*Novell will also make running royalty payments based on a percentage
of its revenues from open source products.*"
Ask  yourself what Novell is admitting to by paying royalties so they
could get $300M from MS.  In other words, what is the reason for royalty
payments?

An MS "Hater"?  (An emotional word, shades of left-wing agendas).   But,
I admit it.  I hate any corporation that is as corrupt and unethical as
MS. 

Do you think the OOXML ISO panel stuffing was their last in a long line
of unethical and/or immoral actions and deeds, one of which they were
convicted twice in Federal court?  Think again.  MS is waiving the "Open
Source" flag but only, as Bruce Perens warned, so it can destroy FOSS
from within.  Currently MS is fighting FOSS in Europe.  They are
stuffing of the European Open Source Strategy committes and the document
they are writing, which will set the course for FOSS in Europe:
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/How_to_Hijack_an_EU_Open_Source_Strategy_Paper

For a complete explanation of both their "The Slog" technique and their
"The Stuffed Panel" technique see the comes vs. Microsoft lawsuit
website and read the PX03096.pdf, around page 53, or for a partial text
version see http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20071023002351958

I retired 8 months ago after a nearly 40 year career in teaching and
programming. I haven't always disliked MS.    I used to be an MS fan.  I
supported my family installing and supporting Win3FWG on SOHO networks,
and later writing custom software for SOHOs on Win95, NT4, W2K and XP
systems using AREV, PowerBuilder, VB,  FORTH,  Java, FoxPro,
VisualFoxPro, MSVC6++ and Qt4, to name a few tools.    I have a T-shirt
from Microsoft with the Internet Explorer logo on it because I was one
of the 1st 10,000 to download the first release of that browser in
August of 1995, and I wore it proudly.   I still have it.   I wasn't
unfaithful to MS, it was unfaithful to me, a client and developer. 

My first inkling that something was wrong was when I tried to install
Win3 on top of DRDOS4.0.  I got a msg saying it would install only on
MSDOS, but MSDOS wasn't as good as DRDOS4.   Dr Dobbs Journal ran an
article  showing that if that section of code which flagged DRDOS was
replaced with NOPS in a hex editor the Win3 installation proceeded as
normal and Win3 ran very well.  In fact, better than it did on MSDOS. 
That was the first time I realized that MS was trying to tilt the
playing field but I considered a fluke or misunderstanding and dismissed
it.  The benefit of the doubt.    My trust in MS received a serious blow
when it was revealed that MS used tax payers money to write their
software by using a stock option scam.  
http://www.billparish.com/msftfraudfacts.html  Since then the MS
corporate misbehavior and dirty tricks has continued unabated, even if
ignored by most or justified by others.


My favorite Microsoftism was Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer
telling an audience of Eastern Washington University alumni: "Taxpayers
in the state have to come to grips with the notion that we need to
invest in higher education." It was a warning shot of sorts from the
most influential CEO in the state. Ballmer had to know, however, that
Microsoft wouldn't be footing much of the bill if taxpayers increased
education funding. *Seven years ago, Microsoft opened a small office in
Reno, Nev., to collect the money it got from PC manufacturers that
installed Windows and Office on the computers they sold. In the years
since, Microsoft has sheltered more than $60 billion in royalty revenue
in Nevada, a state with no corporate income tax, costing Washington an
estimated $327 million in unrealized tax revenue.*
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2004-09-29/news/citizen-microsoft.php

The sham continues:
"There will be a lack of equity and fairness as long as state leaders
allow Microsoft to operate with a different set of rules than other
businesses that pay the taxes on all of their Washington-made products.
More importantly, the state will be left without vital revenue from its
most successful company. How large does our infrastructure deficit have
to become before our elected leaders find the political will to
challenge this practice?"
http://crosscut.com/2008/02/02/microsoft/11167/

Microsoft is doing EVERYTHING in its power to destroy or coop Linux and
FOSS, and you want Linux users to adopt a "statemen's like attitude" or
worse, shut up and get rolled over?  
GG