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Microsoft Complaints Help Russian Gov't Pursue Political Opposition Groups
asaz989 writes "The New York Times reports that Russia selectively pursues software piracy complaints from Microsoft in order to suppress the opposition — confiscating computers for evidence, searching offices, and the like. Microsoft lawyers usually back the authorities in such cases, even when cases such as that of the environmentalist group Baikal Waves, which went out of its way to buy licenses to prevent police harassment and nevertheless had its offices raided, and its computers confiscated. Microsoft participated in this legal process. Published alongside this story, under the same byline, is a related piece on the collusion of Microsoft lawyers with corrupt Russian police in extorting money from the targets of software piracy investigations. In a responding press release, the company states, 'Microsoft antipiracy efforts are designed to honor both [antipiracy concerns and human rights], but we are open to feedback on what we can do to improve in that regard.'"
How can your average be below average?
Quit asking stupid questions. Besides, the Teachers Unions act in ALL OF OUR INTERESTS.
Now, let's sing 'Solidarity Forever,' and keep those pickets moving, folks. You don't have tenure because of anything to do with merit!
You know, I probably shouldn't bother feeding a troll like you, but WTF I'm bored. Its the APPS DUDE! Nobody "uses" windows, they use Photoshop, Quickbooks/Quicken, MS Office, and about a billion other apps for which there is NO alternative on Linux! And no, OO.o is about MAYBE Office 97 quality, if that. Writer is good, the rest sucks, just ask any Excel jockey about it.
So you want to get rid of MSFT? Then get the Linux community to quit acting like a bunch of hippies and accept the fact that nobody is gonna use a desktop that doesn't run what they need! It has been 15 years and you're still lower than the margin for error in numbers, okay? That should tell you "Ur doin it wrong" if nothing else. You're gonna have to make concessions to all the software companies so they can have the same DRM they use on windows, you're gonna need to have the ENTIRE platform, kernel and all, stable enough that they can "write once, use for years" like they can on Windows, and you need to get rid of RMS and GPL V3, because after he went to the trouble to write a license just to kill TiVo needless to say no company is gonna want to do business with him. Otherwise you can pretend "year x is the year of Linux on the desktop" while everyone ignores you. No APPS, NO SALE, got it?
As for TFA, does anybody think the fricking Russian political machine actually needs MSFT as an excuse? They'd simply replace it with CP, terrorist activity, hell unpaid taxes, if MSFT didn't want to play the game. Just like RIM is finding out you wanna play in a country you play by their rules or GTFO. But if anyone thinks the fricking Russians are taking their marching orders from Redmond I got some nice swamp land to sell you. MSFT just makes a nice excuse for the papers.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Interestingly enough, when I ask 'Excel Jockies' about it, they can't actually tell me what exactly it is that Excel does that Calc doesn't.
It's interesting because, I mean if I talk to a Photoshop jockey what it does that GIMP doesn't, they can tell me; Indeed, they generally admit GIMP is a good program. Same with various email programs, it goes the other direction in Apache vs IIS, but in general people know what the competition looks like.
It's pretty much limited to MS-Office junkies that insist on it's being 'so much better' but can't actually say they know what other programs do.
Just Sayin' - ug
An Invisible Entity of Vast Power whose existence must be taken on faith alone: Liberal Media
There seems to me to be an intuitively obvious difference between "Apple's knowledge of the situation at Foxconn" vs "Microsoft and their russian branch's legal department"
Simply put - When 'Foxconn' turns a profit, that money does not go to Apple's Stockholders. When 'Microsoft's Russian Branch' turns a profit, that does go to Microsoft's Stockholders. Therefore, Microsoft has a moral and ethical responsibility to know what the fuck is going on there - the combination of facts that: they have stated that they don't have any direct knowledge, their lawyers are in fact directly involved with these cases, and Microsoft has not fired those lawyers . . . indicates that they are lying and in fact directly aiding and abetting these corrupt practices by the Putin regime.
So, yeah - Different.
Pug
An Invisible Entity of Vast Power whose existence must be taken on faith alone: Liberal Media