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Putin's Internet Czar Wants To Ban Windows On Government PCs
SmartAboutThings writes: The Russian government is allegedly looking to ban Microsoft's Windows operating system, increase taxes on foreign technology companies, develop its homegrown OS and encourage local tech companies to grow. All these proposals comes from German Klimenko, Vladimir Putin's new 'internet czar, as Bloomberg describes him. In a 90-minute interview, Klimenko said forcing Google and Apple to pay more taxes and banning Microsoft Windows from government computers are necessary measures, as he is trying to raise taxes on U.S. companies, thus helping local Russian competitors such as Yandex and Mail.ru.
Well at least, unlike France and Spain for example, he's being honest about his true reason for arbitrary and specious attacks and restrictions on, and extortion of, US tech companies.
Imagine all the people...
Slightly off-topic, but the only way to make sure everyone pays their fair share would be to remove *all* loopholes/deductions/credits, and set a single tax rate (say, 15-20%). For charity's sake, the first $x/year income can be exempt (where x = 120% of poverty rate or similar metric).
Yes, a flat tax. But, it is ultimately fair for a zillionaire to pay in 20% of his income, which would be way larger than 20% of Joe Sixpack's middle-class income. As a beneficial side-effect, people would suddenly get very interested in any congressional action that would change the tax rate, no?
Of course, often when people demand that $group pay their "fair share", what they often mean is "enough to make them suffer - hard!" I trust and am hoping that you're not one of those folks.
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Now, on topic - as for Russia? They can set whatever rates they want... we have no sovereignty there, so even if they were taxed at 100% of income, the US government would not see a dime of it.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
He is an old KBG agent. You can bet your life on him being paranoid beyond what is healthy.
He doesn't run anything that he doesn't have full control over and he doesn't care about idealism.
My guesses:
1) Basically, Windows is dead. Countries will have to move away from using Microsoft products, since Microsoft has shown it cannot be trusted in ANY way. For example: Windows 10 phones home (A LOT) even with all reporting and telemetry disabled.
2) Microsoft wants to make money in the Facebook and Google way. Microsoft plans to mine all user data on all computers connected to the internet and sell the information.
3) The reason there will be no more versions of Windows is that Microsoft will do what Adobe Systems has done: Force users to move to a subscription model.
4) Windows users will isolate Windows from the internet, and use Linux on a different network with a cheap 2nd computer to connect to the internet. (But how to allow information interchange between the 2 networks?)
5) In response to users isolating Windows from the internet, Microsoft will make Windows stop working after a few days of no internet connection. Adobe Systems does that, in my experience, with CS6. (CS6 is the last version before the forced move to a subscription model.)
6) Satya Nadella, the new Microsoft CEO, was chosen because he was the least annoying candidate. He is apparently not the real controlling manager, but only someone to advertise.
7) Microsoft has a contract with secret U.S. government agencies to make Windows into what users consider to be malware.
8) Because Microsoft often releases buggy software, possibly because it is paid to do so by secret U.S. government agencies, Windows 10, with its many ways to connect to the internet, is now FAR less secure than before.
Not a guess, because verified by others: Microsoft is shockingly badly managed. The cover of the January 16, 2013 issue of BusinessWeek magazine has a large photo of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with the headline calling him "Monkey Boy". See the BusinessWeek cover in this article: Steve Ballmer Is No Longer A Monkey Boy, Says Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The BusinessWeek cover says "No More" and "Mr.", but that doesn't take much away from the fact that the magazine called Ballmer Monkey Boy -- on its cover.
Slashdot commenters called Ballmer "Monkey Boy" for years before BusinessWeek called him that on the cover of its magazine.
Worst CEO in the United States: Quote from an article in Forbes Magazine about Steve Ballmer: "Without a doubt, Mr. Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today." Another quote: "The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft when it comes to destroying shareholder value -- and jobs." (May 12, 2012)
You are obviously correct. It is so obvious that it begs the question, "why have they waited until now?"
Windows has been popular in Russia. If this had been done in the past, it would have pissed off many people.
But Windows 10 is opening new territory.
The perception of forced updates and background telemetry - whether true or not - make this a state loyalty issue.
Developing a world class OS is easily within the grasp of the Russians, especially with state assistance.
There are more than a few people in the US who think MS had unfair government assistance.
This could easily turn into the new moonshot. and the Chinese will be soon to follow.
Thank you, Windows 10.
A few of the many stories about backdoors in U.S. hardware:
D-Link: Reverse Engineering a D-Link Backdoor (Oct. 12, 2013)
Arris: 600,000 Arris cable modems have 'backdoors in backdoors', researcher claims (Nov. 20, 2015)
Juniper Networks: Juniper drops NSA-developed code following new backdoor revelations (Jan. 10, 2016)
Cisco: Snowden: The NSA planted backdoors in Cisco products (May 15, 2014)
Netgear: Netgear Patch Said to Leave Backdoor Problem in Router (April 23, 2014)
Windows 8: NSA Backdoor Exploit in Windows 8 Uncovered (Aug. 22, 2013)
Windows: NSA "backdoor" mandates lead to a computer-security FREAK show Quote: "Microsoft Windows OS vulnerable to hackers, thanks to National Security Agency requirements." (March 6, 2015)
Windows: NSA Built Back Door In All Windows Software by 1999 (June 7, 2013)
Hard drives: Breaking: Kaspersky Exposes NSA's Worldwide, Backdoor Hacking of Virtually All Hard-Drive Firmware (Feb. 17, 2015)
Is every backdoor the work of the NSA? There is no way of knowing.