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● 05.15.10

●● Apple Lies About “Open Source” (and More on Apple/Microsoft AstroTurfing)

Posted in Apple, Free/Libre Software, Marketing, Microsoft at 5:43 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: John Sullivan shows how/why Apple is being dishonest about its relationship with “Open Source”; a glimpse at how perception management at Apple and Microsoft actually works

APPLE is not a friend of Open Source. Apple has exploited Open Source a great deal (so has Microsoft), but it’s not the same as befriending it. Apple is suing Android/Linux and threatening Theora (links a the bottom), to name just two recent examples.

=> so has Microsoft | ↺ suing Android/Linux

John Sullivan (FSF) accuses Apple of saying “things that aren’t true” (i.e. lying). He names one example:

=> ↺ one example

This is one, from http://www.apple.com/opensource: As the first major computer company to make Open Source development a key part of its ongoing software strategy, Apple remains committed to the Open Source development model. Not only is the overall statement false, but so is each component.

Apple and honesty do not go hand in hand. It is a company of fake hype which relies heavily both on grassroots and on fake grassroots (i.e. AstroTurfing). Microsoft’s own AstroTurfing campaigns are greater in terms of scale (e.g. number of AstroTurfers) and severity, so they just happen to get a lot more attention and scrutiny.

=> fake hype | ↺ AstroTurfing campaigns

A moment ago we found out that Microsoft’s AstroTurfer which it gives schwag to in exchange for his trolling (under multiple fake names) in Free software and GNU/Linux blogs is still receiving schwag. “My MVP Award Kit arrived today, gosh its gorgeous! Got a bit choked up,” said Andre Da Costa, whose relationship with Microsoft we have covered in:

=> ↺ said Andre Da Costa

Vista 7 Does Have Battery Issues (Microsoft Lied) and Microsoft Gives “MVP” to Man Who Loves “to Argue Against Linux Fanatics”AstroTurfing for Vista 7 Still AliveAndre Da Costa: Profile of a Microsoft ShillMicrosoft PR Presented as ‘News’“Mr Dee” from CNET Received Laptop Gift/Bribe from MicrosoftAggressive Marketing for Vista 7Microsoft MVPs Nymshifting, Pretending to be Other Gender, Accepting Bribes, and Libeling GNU/Linux Users

Andre Da Costa is just one AstroTurfer among very many, so we merely use him as an example. There are probably thousands like him.

“Nice,” says OpenUniverse, “I remember, although I forgot how they bribe people with laptops.” We gave many more examples when the Vista 7 AstroTurf began. OpenUniverse also asked, “out of curiosity, how do you prove it’s the same guy and not two or three?” Well, Andre Da Costa has already admitted this when proof was presented to him (posing as “Mr. Dee” and “Lucy”).

=> ↺ says OpenUniverse | many more examples | ↺ Vista 7 | ↺ also asked

Apple, for example, has Daniel Eran Dilger, who is also attacking Android/Linux/WebOS as long as it suits Apple’s agenda and they, in turn, give him ‘special access’ to the company, by his very own confession.

=> ↺ attacking Android/Linux/WebOS

Microsoft and Apple fan sites are often built by people who are compensated for their effort by the companies they glorify. This corrupts trust. █

Apple on Theora:

Patents Roundup: Red Hat on Patent Trolls; Apple Antitrust; Microsoft Attacks Theora, Which is Needed to Save Our Video CultureBehind the Microsoft Puppetmaster: SCO-Type Libel, Acacia-Type Patent Trolls, and Novell-Type Patent Deals to Make GNU/Linux Not Free (Gratis)Apple’s and Microsoft’s New Motto: Do More Evil, TogetherSteve Jobs: “A Patent Pool is Being Assembled to Go After Theora and Other “Open Source” Codecs Now.”Apple and Microsoft a Threat to Culture (Data), Not Just Software (Tools)“The fight has been around a long time, now the target of Microsoft is Theora”Symptoms of the Sickness of the Patent System and Apple’s Infinite GreedMicrosoft Brings MPEG-LA-LA Land to the Web and Threatens GNU/Linux With Software Patent Lawsuits

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