Technocrat

Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far

Bruce Perens
Wed Jul 30 21:03:00 -0700 2008
Computers.
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News publications are cautious about making accusations, and because of that, some nasty acts of Microsoft are essentially being erased from the record.

Only four months ago, a U.S. based Microsoft executive posed as VP of a Malaysian IT Organization so that he could influence that nation's vote on the ISO acceptance of OOXML, according to Malaysian standards committee member Yoon Kit. Today, I can't get one of the publications I write for to allow me to make that claim, because nobody else has has corroborated Yoon Kit's information online. I don't have Yoon Kit's email, yet. Someone send it to me please.

Microsoft convinced Baystar Capital to put $50 Million dollars into SCO's lawsuit against IBM and other Open Source users, and promised to "backstop" Baystar's investment if SCO lost money, according to this sworn testimony. But I'm told that one person's testimony, even sworn testimony, isn't proof. Can you help me show more evidence?

Six years ago, Microsoft told other companies it would sue Apache, the project it's just joined. HP's internal memo on that briefing leaked two years later. I was not at the meeting it describes, but saw the HP memo shortly afterward had to keep quiet. Having been hired by HP to be an Open Source leader first, and an HP employee second, I never expected to have to keep Microsoft's plans to sue Open Source projects secret. That was the NDA from hell because it made me feel disloyal to my own community. But today, Linux.com, where that memo is, appears too biased to some to be taken as evidence. Can you corroborate that memo too?

Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far
The Open Sourcerer
Thu Jul 31 00:03:09 -0700 2008
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Haven't got any more evidence, but at least here's some humour.

http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2008/03/25/trussst-in-microssssoft/

Al

Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far
Alan
Thu Jul 31 00:22:59 -0700 2008
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because nobody else has has corroborated Yoon Kit's information online

Looking at the comments and links to the original blog, there is:

Contracts

lars
Thu Jul 31 03:53:57 -0700 2008
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Another issue would be to get daylight on the (presumably) illegal contracts MS signs with schools and universities. BECTA in the UK has been recently running into problems getting the details of the current agreement. In other countries, it is similar. For example, Uppsala got a "greater than" 90-percent discount on MS cruft somewhat recently. The details should be available publicly by Swedish constitutional law. (FWIW Norway and Finland have similar constitutional requirements) Getting these details from public agencies regarding the contracts said public agencies have signed for software and services. Failing to publish these means it's not possible for competition.

Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far
Yoon-Kit Yong
Thu Jul 31 04:24:18 -0700 2008
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Hi Bruce,

What do you need to know?

 

Ditesh Kumar, who also was in the room has his report here:

http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2008/03/can-i-have-a-li.html

 

and Prof. Zaki, the chair of the technical committee responded to the Microsoft Exec here:

http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2008/03/20/an-open-standards-meeting-in-malaysia.aspx

or

http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2008/03/how-to-royally.html

 

 

yk. ( yoonkit att gmail dott com )

Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far
Roy Schestowitz
Thu Jul 31 05:30:20 -0700 2008
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> News publications are cautious about making accusations

Yup! I have that experience too. Editors too afraid of stuff about Microsoft. It's an advertiser.

> But I'm told that one person's testimony, even > sworn testimony, isn't proof. Can you help me show more evidence?

circumstantial stuff here.

> Microsoft executive posed as VP of a Malaysian IT Organization...

That's small potatoes. I have a lot more severe cases here, including briberies.

But most importantly, remember Bruce: people will call you a 'hater'. Of course, denouncing crime is a bad thing in our uncivilised society.

[Cue picture of 3 monkeys]

Crimes Microsoft Gets Away With - So Far
tqft
Thu Jul 31 05:45:20 -0700 2008
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Got some comment from PJ at Groklaw

http://www.groklaw.net/comment.php?mode=display&sid=20080730194705432&title=Request+for+confirmation&type=article&order=&hideanonymous=0&pid=715722#c715725

 

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