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A few days ago he wrote up a storm about all the journalists he estimated had been "bribed" by Microsoft

See the comments:

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/11/09/yardena-arar-bribed-by-ms/
http://boycottnovell.com/2008/11/09/harry-mccracken-bribed-by-ms/

This is the most idiotic thing I've seen there yet, and I've seen plenty (although I just subscribe to his feeds, maybe it's time to stop now).

You'll notice he didn't post a retraction or an apology or anything like that.

A few days ago he wrote up a storm about all the journalists he estimated had been "bribed" by Microsoft

See the comments:

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/11/09/yardena-arar-bribed-by-ms/
http://boycottnovell.com/2008/11/09/harry-mccracken-bribed-by-ms/

This is the most idiotic thing I've seen there yet, and I've seen plenty (although I just subscribe to his feeds, maybe it's time to stop now).

You'll notice he didn't post a retraction or an apology or anything like that.

Look, zealous protesters on private property and zealous policemen aside, Roy Schestowitz is just a kid with massive amounts of time on his hands and a grudge the size of Ireland. He's an unemployed college dropout who lives with his parents (I'm not kidding here) and his credibility level is less than zero. Occasionally he'll write up something interesting, but with his seemingly 24/7/365 posting activity (just head on to COLA to get an idea) most of what he writes is just self-referential gobbledygook of no value whatsoever. Six or seven thousand-word-plus posts per day? No way.

Anyone who thinks Microsoft made Hans Reiser kill his wife, claims he turned down a "six figure" job because they asked him for a Word document or posts things like these shouldn't be taken seriously. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and that's what he banks on. The rest is really just his inexperience, insane hatred and child-like demeanor showing through.

That blog is nothing more than an endless stream of misrepresentations, thinly veiled lies, witch hunts and weird "THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE SCARED OF" prose, accentuated by what I suppose he thinks are "funny" photoshopped images of people and things he thinks are out to get him. A few days ago he wrote up a storm about all the journalists he estimated had been "bribed" by Microsoft because they got evaluation laptops with Windows 7, and a few of those people actually humoured him by stopping by and explaining why they wouldn't throw away decades of journalistic experience and reputation for a $2,000 laptop, but he just ignored them. Hey, he's right and he knows it.

Linux.com featured an article by Bruce Byfield on this. Roy has a retinue of about half a dozen hanger-ons why post up a storm whenever and wherever anyone criticizes his abrasive "advocacy", which can be seen clearly there... don't miss the fact that our very own favorite troll is also chummy with him (I mean if you needed an excuse). It seems he does these days is post links to Schestowitz's blog with his fourteen accounts anyway.

I'm sure it's important to keep an eye out for Microsoft and all, but by god, this guy is just bad news for the FOSS community. He brings out the worst of the "OMG I HATE MICROSOFT, I AM ANGRY AND I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!" crowd. On purpose, I'm sure. Because the more abrasive he becomes, the more people dislike him and the more he can claim he's being "stalked" and "targeted" by the Evil Empire (TM). That kid is trapped in a vicious circle he built for himself. He needs to take a deep breath, go outside and play or something. He's so desperate and impatient to make a name for himself but he goes about it with such incompetence (volume != quality) that sometimes I think he must be sponsored by someone or something like that. Hell, he's already claiming Microsoft and Novell are directly responsible for all this.

Anyway, teh internet is serious business and all that...

Look, zealous protesters on private property and zealous policemen aside, Roy Schestowitz is just a kid with massive amounts of time on his hands and a grudge the size of Ireland. He's an unemployed college dropout who lives with his parents (I'm not kidding here) and his credibility level is less than zero. Occasionally he'll write up something interesting, but with his seemingly 24/7/365 posting activity (just head on to COLA to get an idea) most of what he writes is just self-referential gobbledygook of no value whatsoever. Six or seven thousand-word-plus posts per day? No way.

Anyone who thinks Microsoft made Hans Reiser kill his wife, claims he turned down a "six figure" job because they asked him for a Word document or posts things like these shouldn't be taken seriously. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and that's what he banks on. The rest is really just his inexperience, insane hatred and child-like demeanor showing through.

That blog is nothing more than an endless stream of misrepresentations, thinly veiled lies, witch hunts and weird "THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE SCARED OF" prose, accentuated by what I suppose he thinks are "funny" photoshopped images of people and things he thinks are out to get him. A few days ago he wrote up a storm about all the journalists he estimated had been "bribed" by Microsoft because they got evaluation laptops with Windows 7, and a few of those people actually humoured him by stopping by and explaining why they wouldn't throw away decades of journalistic experience and reputation for a $2,000 laptop, but he just ignored them. Hey, he's right and he knows it.

Linux.com featured an article by Bruce Byfield on this. Roy has a retinue of about half a dozen hanger-ons why post up a storm whenever and wherever anyone criticizes his abrasive "advocacy", which can be seen clearly there... don't miss the fact that our very own favorite troll is also chummy with him (I mean if you needed an excuse). It seems he does these days is post links to Schestowitz's blog with his fourteen accounts anyway.

I'm sure it's important to keep an eye out for Microsoft and all, but by god, this guy is just bad news for the FOSS community. He brings out the worst of the "OMG I HATE MICROSOFT, I AM ANGRY AND I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!" crowd. On purpose, I'm sure. Because the more abrasive he becomes, the more people dislike him and the more he can claim he's being "stalked" and "targeted" by the Evil Empire (TM). That kid is trapped in a vicious circle he built for himself. He needs to take a deep breath, go outside and play or something. He's so desperate and impatient to make a name for himself but he goes about it with such incompetence (volume != quality) that sometimes I think he must be sponsored by someone or something like that. Hell, he's already claiming Microsoft and Novell are directly responsible for all this.

Anyway, teh internet is serious business and all that...

Look, zealous protesters on private property and zealous policemen aside, Roy Schestowitz is just a kid with massive amounts of time on his hands and a grudge the size of Ireland. He's an unemployed college dropout who lives with his parents (I'm not kidding here) and his credibility level is less than zero. Occasionally he'll write up something interesting, but with his seemingly 24/7/365 posting activity (just head on to COLA to get an idea) most of what he writes is just self-referential gobbledygook of no value whatsoever. Six or seven thousand-word-plus posts per day? No way.

Anyone who thinks Microsoft made Hans Reiser kill his wife, claims he turned down a "six figure" job because they asked him for a Word document or posts things like these shouldn't be taken seriously. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and that's what he banks on. The rest is really just his inexperience, insane hatred and child-like demeanor showing through.

That blog is nothing more than an endless stream of misrepresentations, thinly veiled lies, witch hunts and weird "THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE SCARED OF" prose, accentuated by what I suppose he thinks are "funny" photoshopped images of people and things he thinks are out to get him. A few days ago he wrote up a storm about all the journalists he estimated had been "bribed" by Microsoft because they got evaluation laptops with Windows 7, and a few of those people actually humoured him by stopping by and explaining why they wouldn't throw away decades of journalistic experience and reputation for a $2,000 laptop, but he just ignored them. Hey, he's right and he knows it.

Linux.com featured an article by Bruce Byfield on this. Roy has a retinue of about half a dozen hanger-ons why post up a storm whenever and wherever anyone criticizes his abrasive "advocacy", which can be seen clearly there... don't miss the fact that our very own favorite troll is also chummy with him (I mean if you needed an excuse). It seems he does these days is post links to Schestowitz's blog with his fourteen accounts anyway.

I'm sure it's important to keep an eye out for Microsoft and all, but by god, this guy is just bad news for the FOSS community. He brings out the worst of the "OMG I HATE MICROSOFT, I AM ANGRY AND I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!" crowd. On purpose, I'm sure. Because the more abrasive he becomes, the more people dislike him and the more he can claim he's being "stalked" and "targeted" by the Evil Empire (TM). That kid is trapped in a vicious circle he built for himself. He needs to take a deep breath, go outside and play or something. He's so desperate and impatient to make a name for himself but he goes about it with such incompetence (volume != quality) that sometimes I think he must be sponsored by someone or something like that. Hell, he's already claiming Microsoft and Novell are directly responsible for all this.

Anyway, teh internet is serious business and all that...

The connections between M$ and the reasons you should discard the results of this study are well laid out by Boycott Novell. The place is run by former M$ employees and their methodology is deplorable. You should only trust the numbers if you are comfortable believing what former M$ employees have to say about people dumb enough to download additional spyware for Winblows. Studies like this are paid for by M$ to demoralize free software users. If you listen to them you will conclude that GNU/Linux has less than 1% of the desktop market. It's bullshit.

<twitter> I'm back.
<twitter> Want to see a nice piece of net stalking?
<schestowitz> Yes, definitely. I want o document such phenomena too.
<twitter> This one is personal and not one I'd like to call attention to.
<twitter> my trolls on Slashdot like to out me as BRLUG member Will Hill. That's not something I will confirm or deny.
<twitter> They also identify my accounts on the first few posts. They got my GNUChop today and replied to it by cut and pasting a brlug comment.
<twitter> compare http://mail.brlug.net/pipermail/general_brlug.net/2008-August/018582.html
<twitter> to http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=647417&cid=24621437
<twitter> Nasty, isn't it?

This is what twitter has been doing to Slashdot for most of the year:

http://slashdot.org/~SockDisclosure/journal/214377

Advocacy in action:

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1014837&cid=25591469

Disagree with the troll and find yourself in his troll list, where
he also documents death threats for the win.

Bragging with buddies about how "M$" monitors the way he creates accounts on Slashdot:

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/11/08/irc-log-07112008/#tNov%2007%2021:19:07

Treatment of people who revealed what he was doing:

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=993447&cid=25494651

Trascending Slashdot and bringing everyone down by association:

http://www.osnews.com/conversation/483454a1/Do_you_get_tired_of_the_Web_Hype_
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2008-August/154926.html
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2933313#post347878554
http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2007/11/06/5924058.aspx#6051569

Original submission, with original puerile style:

"Analysts at Bloomberg noticed the tumble in M$'s traditional software sales last quarter and blamed it on netbooks:

The devices, which usually cost less than $500, are the fastest-growing segment of the personal-computer industry -- a trend that's eating into Microsoft's revenue. Windows sales fell short of forecasts last quarter and the company cut growth projections for the year, citing the lower revenue it gets from netbooks. When makers of the computers do use Windows, they typically opt for older and cheaper versions of the software.

Equipping Linux on a computer costs about $5, compared with $40 to $50 for XP and about $100 for Vista, according to estimates by Jenny Lai, a Taipei-based analyst at CLSA Ltd.

This is why, M$ declared war on the segment last year and palm top computers in previous years. While they may have successfully tamed the Asus EEE PC but, they can't hold back everyone who wants to make a buck on cheap hardware and free software. Analysts have predicted the fall of M$'s business model when computers break below $250/unit retail. We are there now, and it has shown in the bottom line."

Welcome to the trolled by twitter club, timothy.

When Mark Shuttleworth can invite the heads of corporate IT departments over to his waterfront mansion to kiss his ass.

I think you meant heads of state.

Nobody on slashdot would typically suggest Novell for anything. Patent issues, selling their soul to MS, working with mono, You should know better.

Pidgin + OTR + Jabber server if needed = good solution, open source, no software costs of any kind (only hardware).

Failure.

So goes the patent shake down. What does that leave them with?

To those interested, here it is as HTML and here it is as a more complex HTML version with images.

To those interested, here it is as HTML and here it is as a more complex HTML version with images.

You're absolutely correct. If someone excludes options it means they have their reasons for it, political, imposed policy, vendor goodies or maybe just being nervous to go unchartered waters (in itself not a bad thing as long as it occasionally involved re-evaluation of the underlying decisions).

Plus, the guy may not have the mental strength or clout to get into a battle he can't win because companies are presently as little controlled for their abuse and malfeasance as bank and politicians are (and we know the mess that made).

However, creating Open Source awareness can happen in different ways. You may not want to use it, but it can still form part of your negotiation tactics and missing that trick almost amounts to negligence..

It would be interesting to dig deeper into the return numbers and find out if it was problems with Linux in general or the specific OS installed on the returned devices. I believe the Linux in general issues can be addressed, but the device specific OS issues will be more difficult.

Agreed. For instance, here's a suggestion MSI's SuSE port doesn't have webcam drivers that work, and another that their preinstalled OpenOffice might not have been ready.

People are upset: no surprise there. That MSI are investigating the alternatives a little more thoroughly for next time round: that's what you'd hope for.

Here's twitter asking for mod points from his buddies on IRC to influence this thread.

Here's twitter admitting to operating the 'GNUChop' account.

You can't get any more blatant than that.

Here's twitter asking for mod points from his buddies on IRC to influence this thread.

Here's twitter admitting to operating the 'GNUChop' account.

You can't get any more blatant than that.

Boycott Novell people noticed this yesterday, it's nice to see such a quick Slashdot response. Their view of Miguel's behavior was not so favorable, "Miguel de Icaza has complained about such things, but yesterday he ran back to Microsoft, giving them credit and thanking them. "

Boycott Novell also has a good summary on M$'s attack on OSI. If Vista and Office 2007 were worth using, all of this sabotage could succeed. As things are, it is pointless vandalism.

Boycott Novell puts the Norwegian story into proper perspective. They have been covering another scandal, which is the OOXML team trying to take over ODF upkeep. The M$ goal has always been the destruction of standards and standards organizations like ISO. They may have won the battle against ISO but they are losing the war against ODF and other real standards. If ISO won't clean itself up, it will be replaced.

There's nothing like a M$ press release to remind you of how far behind the Windows people are. They are finally getting virtual desktops? That's something that's been built into X since 1984 and every GNU/Linux window manager forever. Process monitoring is likewise primitive when compared to any *nix. They things they hype are embarrassing. This is why they are sinking into debt and need a bail out.

M$ won't last much longer.

Surely IBM will have more influence over future ISO decisions if it remains a member.

I don't believe that's true. IBM was a part of this OOXML process and yet it was, along with Sun, barred from the portuguese technical committee. This level of corruption doesn't leave fond memories of the whole process.

Your employer seems to be running out of money, thanks to foolish spending. $6 Billion sounds like a lot for a company that's about to blow its last $20 billion on stock buy backs, but that's just part of the great ongoing collapse. Got your total fuckwad resume polished up? It will do better than one that puts emphasis on any other M$ skillz when they are gone.

This is why I recommend all of my business associates, friends, family, and everyone with a heartbeat to check out Boycottnovell.com. This guy Roy is fighting the good fight, informing others about Microsoft, Novell, and the criminal element which continues today in corporate America and beyond as most of the public cuddles their xbox and continues to send money to Redmond.

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/08/20/microsoft-suse-coupons/

yes, Twitter is pathetic. we both know who you are, AC. but here's something to get you started:

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/08/13/irc-log-12082008/#tAug%2012%2015:54:30

wonderfull Google:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1B3GGGL_en___US229&q=site%3Aboycottnovell.com+twitter+M%24&btnG=Search

give those a whirl, then come back and tall me there are "falsified"

and btw, all of those are in the google cache as well now. ha ha.

Pidgin their IM

I hope they can figure out Pidgin since you apparently are completely unable to.

<twitter> They also identify my accounts on the first few posts.
They got my GNUChop today and replied to it by cut and
pasting a brlug comment.

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/08/16/irc-log-15082008-2/#tAug%2015%2023:24:46

It should be noted that "GNUChop" is one of twitter's sockpuppets, and that twitter has been seen lately falling over how awesome Roy "crapflooding USENET" Shitzforwits is and bragging about getting frist post. twitter also haz flowers.

We can expect twitter to start pushing the "boycotteverything" Schez line from now on? Probably.

It should be noted that "GNUChop" is one of twitter's sockpuppets, and that twitter has been seen lately falling over how awesome Roy "crapflooding USENET" Shitzforwits is and bragging about getting frist post. twitter also haz flowers.

We can expect twitter to start pushing the "boycotteverything" Schez line from now on? Probably.

It should be noted that "GNUChop" is one of twitter's sockpuppets, and that twitter has been seen lately falling over how awesome Roy "crapflooding USENET" Shitzforwits is and bragging about getting frist post. twitter also haz flowers.

We can expect twitter to start pushing the "boycotteverything" Schez line from now on? Probably.

It should be noted that "GNUChop" is one of twitter's sockpuppets, and that twitter has been seen lately falling over how awesome Roy "crapflooding USENET" Shitzforwits is and bragging about getting frist post. twitter also haz flowers.

We can expect twitter to start pushing the "boycotteverything" Schez line from now on? Probably.

Here is another way the deal is bad for everyone, spreading disinformation as if it came from the free software community or commercial Linux vendors.

The end game is to own free software. The original deal was so transparently bad that even sleeping antitrust courts will notice. We should imagine the second bribe is on equally crazy terms. Look at how they are trying to cover the bills and you see what they would like to have as a future business model when people realize that Windows provides no value. Yep, they openly call the coupons "royalty payments." That kind of language makes the GP look nice.

Here is another way the deal is bad for everyone, spreading disinformation as if it came from the free software community or commercial Linux vendors.

The end game is to own free software. The original deal was so transparently bad that even sleeping antitrust courts will notice. We should imagine the second bribe is on equally crazy terms. Look at how they are trying to cover the bills and you see what they would like to have as a future business model when people realize that Windows provides no value. Yep, they openly call the coupons "royalty payments." That kind of language makes the GP look nice.

Here is another way the deal is bad for everyone, spreading disinformation as if it came from the free software community or commercial Linux vendors.

The end game is to own free software. The original deal was so transparently bad that even sleeping antitrust courts will notice. We should imagine the second bribe is on equally crazy terms. Look at how they are trying to cover the bills and you see what they would like to have as a future business model when people realize that Windows provides no value. Yep, they openly call the coupons "royalty payments." That kind of language makes the GP look nice.

Here is another way the deal is bad for everyone, spreading disinformation as if it came from the free software community or commercial Linux vendors.

The end game is to own free software. The original deal was so transparently bad that even sleeping antitrust courts will notice. We should imagine the second bribe is on equally crazy terms. Look at how they are trying to cover the bills and you see what they would like to have as a future business model when people realize that Windows provides no value. Yep, they openly call the coupons "royalty payments." That kind of language makes the GP look nice.

Boycott Novell has good information about this slimy deal.

Here's Bruce Perens' 2002 perspective. All of this was planned in advance. It is put together very well by a poster named LARS:

However, a licensing dependency injects a control and ownership over otherwise Free systems. What is happening to FOSS distros like Fedora and Ubuntu have been getting infected with Microsoft's licensing (e.g. Mono) could be a risk for Apache. The reminder from these HP memos from 2002 is that MS could just be lining up its shots for a future lawsuit by using funding to leverage injecting proprietary material into general projects like Apache, Ubuntu, GNOME, etc., which it appears to be doing, and then cashing in (assuming MS is still around). Think a case like SCO but where MS has had a few years to ensure contamination has occurred before calling in the lawyers.

Novell is a traitor to software freedom and things will not end well for them.

Something like that

Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself.

Xandros founderHighlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support

Linspire CEO Kevin CarmonyHighlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux.

-- Source

I can answer all of your bullshit.

The only link I can find for 'selling inferior tools to Lotus' is to a Roughly Drafted article that, as usual, fails to cite sources. Can you provide any? I'd be interested to read them.

Email from the guy who did it has been presented in court twice. He's the one who called developers "pawns and one night stands".

You say that Microsoft actively smear advocates of freedom - can you show me one example?

Peter Quinn, RMS, Bruce Perens, Eric Raymond and so on and so forth. Anyone who stands up to M$ is smeared, directly and by proxy. Your assault on twitter is the same kind of thing and shows just how petty you bastards are.

What you call co-option others call co-operation. Can you explain why you feel that Microsoft helping Novell to create an OSS version of .NET is 'poison'?

Mono is a good example of both poison and fight feeding. It is patented and M$ will tell you that only SLED can use it. Advocacy of such crap by people like you wedge driving. You want people to waste their time developing, thinking and fighting about M$ junk. It's not going to work.

Can you give me an example of Microsoft creating fights between OSS developers? All the ones I have seen publicised on Slashdot have been the inevitable result of the politicisation of OSS and FOSS by people such as yourself.

I would describe such fights as driven by M$ misinformation. Not many people fall for it and after a decade of bullshit, more people than ever understand software freedom.

We all know you hate Vista, but what in your view is wrong with IIS and Visual Studio?

Both are only useful for Windows users and both are inferior to free software offerings.

I can answer all of your bullshit.

The only link I can find for 'selling inferior tools to Lotus' is to a Roughly Drafted article that, as usual, fails to cite sources. Can you provide any? I'd be interested to read them.

Email from the guy who did it has been presented in court twice. He's the one who called developers "pawns and one night stands".

You say that Microsoft actively smear advocates of freedom - can you show me one example?

Peter Quinn, RMS, Bruce Perens, Eric Raymond and so on and so forth. Anyone who stands up to M$ is smeared, directly and by proxy. Your assault on twitter is the same kind of thing and shows just how petty you bastards are.

What you call co-option others call co-operation. Can you explain why you feel that Microsoft helping Novell to create an OSS version of .NET is 'poison'?

Mono is a good example of both poison and fight feeding. It is patented and M$ will tell you that only SLED can use it. Advocacy of such crap by people like you wedge driving. You want people to waste their time developing, thinking and fighting about M$ junk. It's not going to work.

Can you give me an example of Microsoft creating fights between OSS developers? All the ones I have seen publicised on Slashdot have been the inevitable result of the politicisation of OSS and FOSS by people such as yourself.

I would describe such fights as driven by M$ misinformation. Not many people fall for it and after a decade of bullshit, more people than ever understand software freedom.

We all know you hate Vista, but what in your view is wrong with IIS and Visual Studio?

Both are only useful for Windows users and both are inferior to free software offerings.

See this warning about divide and conquer. M$ has not brought much to the table. In return their marketing department is going to pretend there is community support for OOXML and other proprietary formats.

The broader M$ goal is to have people pay M$ if they want to use free software. They want you to use Windoze and taxed versions of GNU/Linux. Until they shut up about patents it is best to have nothing to do with them.

ACPI was designed to harm free software, so this is not surprising. M$ will continue to lay mines like this as long as makers are willing to sell their reputation or fail to guard it with proper QA.

Until there are cheap motherboards with free BIOS, free software users will have to research carefully or test hardware before they buy it. Thanks to Social Network Poisoning and corporate moles, research is harder to do than it once was.

ACPI was designed to harm free software, so this is not surprising. M$ will continue to lay mines like this as long as makers are willing to sell their reputation or fail to guard it with proper QA.

Until there are cheap motherboards with free BIOS, free software users will have to research carefully or test hardware before they buy it. Thanks to Social Network Poisoning and corporate moles, research is harder to do than it once was.

They will obviously pay in Linux CPU licenses. I hear they're worth $699.

Yeah, but that's just a right-to-use license, y'know- a "covenant not to sue" - so to speak.

http://boycottnovell.com/2008/01/07/mistake-bruce-byfield/

By the way, wasn't Xandros one of the distributions that paid the M$ tax?

That's why I mentioned it when I submitted the story. :)

By the way, wasn't Xandros one of the distributions that paid the M$ tax?

The only thing that makes the two companies actions even more perverted is that the number of Microsoft and Novell advocates/astroturfers who were "wacking off" while watching it unfold.

The only thing that makes the two companies actions even more perverted is that the number of Microsoft and Novell advocates/astroturfers who were "wacking off" while watching it unfold.