Conspiracy Theories and the 'Smoking Gun'

By Katherine Noyes
LinuxInsider
Part of the ECT News Network

Is Microsoft behind a conspiracy to keep Linux-powered netbooks off the market? "If this is true, it will make everything the EU has investigated to date seem like an act of sainthood in comparison," said Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack. "It's not a conspiracy when there are no partners," observed Slashdot blogger drinkypoo.

Linux bloggers are never shy about laying blame at Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) door, but in recent days the accusations seemed to be flying faster than ever.

First, Groklaw published a post entitled, "Linux on Netbooks: The Smoking Gun."

Referring to a post from earlier this month by ZDNet's Dana Blankenhorn, Groklaw zeroed in on comments made by Li Chang, vice president of the Taipei Computer Association, in response to a query at Computex about "where the Linux went," as Blankenhorn put it.

"In our association we operate as a consortium, like the open source consortium," Chang reportedly said. "They want to promote open source and Linux. But if you begin from the PC you are afraid of Microsoft. They try to go to the smart phone or PDA to start again."

'Mystery Solved'

Groklaw's reaction: "Mystery solved. Totally blatant... next time you hear Microsoft bragging that people *prefer* their software to Linux on netbooks, you'll know better. If they really believed that, they'd let the market speak, on a level playing field."

So that was the smoking gun, and by Friday it had drawn more than 460 comments on Groklaw and 170 on ZDNet. It drew 400 on Slashdot, where the debate was taken up soon thereafter.

"Microsoft continues their predatory ways," lamented Anonymous in the Groklaw comments. "I often wonder if the rumored cooperation between MS and NSA is a factor."

On the other hand: "This leaves a huge opportunity for a maverick entrepreneur," wrote PolR. "If you are willing to sell low cost linux devices, you are guaranteed an exclusive access to the Linux market for quite a while since Microsoft won't let anyone else get into this market but other entrepreneurs using the same strategy as you."

'I Don't Buy It'

Another blogger argued that Groklaw had misinterpreted Chang's words.

"To me, Mr. Chang's quote could be paraphrased as, 'We are a hardware consortium, just like the Open Source Consortium. They [the OSC] want to promote Open Source and Linux. But when you [again, the OSC] attempt to start that promotion on the PC, you have to contend with Windows, which is scary. So they [once again, OSC] avoid the PC platform for now, and try start with PDAs and smartphones, where Windows isn't so much of a threat'," Anonymous asserted.

"In other words, he is not saying the hardware manufacturers refrain from bringing GNU/Linux netbooks to market because they are scared of Microsoft, but rather putting the guilt on OSC's hands," Anonymous added. "Under this interpretation, the reason for the absence on GNU/Linux on netbooks would be that OSC chooses not to compete in that arena, but rather on the smartphone and PDA."

Of course, "I don't buy it," Anonymous added. "It would surprise me very much if OSC were chicken to confront Windows in the netbook market. I am afraid that Mr. Chang may have just been doing a pretty good job of weaseling out of an uncomfortable question, but I don't think this quote is anywhere near a smoking gun..."

'Completely Untrue'

Fuel was only added to the fire, of course, when a post on the "Linux and Free software" blog asserted that 90 percent of the world's desktop computers are controlled by Microsoft.

"Completely untrue" was tuxchick's assessment on LXer, for example, and the protests proceeded from there.

Perhaps most intriguing of all, however, was Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols' recent assertion that Linux stories get deliberately buried on Digg.

"I became aware of this because in the last few weeks I've had several stories that were pro-Linux and anti-Microsoft," Vaughan-Nichols wrote. After becoming popular on Digg, the stories had been buried -- effectively removed -- an hour later," he charged.

'Buries Should Be Exposed'

"Digg admits that groups of users -- say, Microsoft employees, partners, and supporters -- can 'abusively bury content'," he wrote. "I'd add, not just 'can', but 'do.'"

Besides making this LinuxInsider reporter feel a whole lot better about her own Linux stories (so *that's* what keeps happening!), the notion also drew 90 comments on Vaughan-Nichols' blog and was picked up on LWN and on Digg itself, where bloggers were quick to respond.

"Let's bury this one too [grin]," quipped antdude.

On the other hand: "I thoroughly agree that Buries should be exposed just as Diggs are," wrote Carpy. "Why is one public & the other private? Makes no sense."

'Asus Was Bought Out'

So what's actually going on here? Does it all add up to so much paranoia, or is there something to these conspiracy charges? The enquiring minds at LinuxInsider want to know.

"M$ has a long history of no-holds-barred 'Technology Evangelism'," blogger Robert Pogson told LinuxInsider. "M$ trained people how to infiltrate/buy-out/co-opt people to spread the word that competitive platforms were junk. This has been pretty well demonstrated in the news media, blogs, conferences and the web -- one need look no further than Desktoplinux.com forums or Digg to see that this is so."

The much-discussed 'apology' by Asus for "the showing of a netbook with SnapDragon CPU is proof enough that Asus was bought out by M$," Pogson asserted. "There is never a business case for apologizing for innovation."

Microsoft can buy out or intimidate "the big guys" because "they have a lot to lose if they lose the blessing of M$," he added. "But, with ARM (Nasdaq: ARMHY) and the netbook, there are 10 little guys waiting in the wings for the business the big guys pass up."

'The Penalties Would Be Huge'

Chang's response at Computex doesn't yet constitute a smoking gun, "but it sure is a signal to the antitrust authorities in several jurisdictions that they need to take a closer look," Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack told LinuxInsider. "If this is true, it will make everything the EU has investigated to date seem like an act of sainthood in comparison. If this is ever proven, I expect the penalties for Microsoft would be huge."

On the other hand: "It's not a conspiracy when there are no partners," Slashdot blogger drinkypoo opined. "These companies aren't Microsoft's partners; that would imply a two-way street. In actuality, there is no complicity; Microsoft is exerting the same control over OEMs that they did regarding forcing them to bundle IE."

The results of that have already been seen -- "the EU is going after them for fines every other Thursday, while the US DOJ gave them a free pass (thanks, Ashcroft!)," drinkypoo told LinuxInsider. "I suspect that in five or 10 years, it will come out that Microsoft forced OEMs to neglect Linux, and nothing at all will happen to them because of it."

Regarding Digg, "You don't need a conspiracy to bury anything on Digg," drinkypoo charged. "Just allow the users to comment, and they will bury the story in nonsense themselves. I used to think Slashdot was bad like that, then I checked out Digg. Just wow."

'Sorry, Linux Guys'

At least one blogger felt that conspiracy has nothing to do with it.

"There is actually a simple reason why OEMs aren't supporting and selling Linux -- it is the same reason I don't," Slashdot blogger hairyfeet told LinuxInsider. "It is because it costs too much money compared to MSFT.

"I'm sorry, Linux guys, but your OS is not ready for the home consumer," hairyfeet charged. "If you want proof, just go to Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) or Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) or Staples.com and see how many items there have Linux support. If you don't research, the odds are zero that you will get full functionality in Linux, if anything works at all."

In other words? "No contest," hairyfeet said.

'The Movement Is Too Large'

Not everyone, however, is quite so sure.

"Unfortunately for M$, the strategy that worked so well against Netscape, OS/2 and other commercial technologies cannot succeed against GNU/Linux and Free Software," Pogson said. "The movement is too large, too diverse and is not dependent on just a few supply lines.

"M$ can delay ascendance of GNU/Linux, which does bring in more money," he added. "But that is the best they can do."

Content Source : www.technewsworld.com

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Firefox 3.5 Streaks Onto the Web

Firefox 3.5 is twice as fast as Firefox 3, but from the user perspective, the change may be barely perceptible. New privacy controls may draw more interest. There's the completely private mode, which doesn't store any surfing history, and there's the forget-this-site feature, which obliterates all traces of any given site. Another option gets rid of browsing history for the past few hours.

Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5, the latest edition of its open source browser, one year after its release of Firefox 3.

The update went through four betas, incorporating JavaScript fine-tuning and other improvements, resulting in the fastest version yet, according to Mozilla.

Mozilla was unable to provide an interview for this story in time for publication.

Five Times as Fast

Firefox 3.5 includes support for a new private browsing mode, native support for open video and audio, and location aware browsing.

However, it is the performance upgrades -- particularly the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine -- that Mozilla is touting the most: On complex Web sites, Firefox 3.5 is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3, and it's 10 times faster than Firefox 2.Support for open video and audio is now native to Firefox 3.5, available to users without the need to install plug-ins.

There are also new privacy controls in Firefox 3.5; the new private browsing mode, for example, does not store anything from a surfing session online. Also new is the forget-this-site feature, which can remove all traces of a site from the browser. Another feature, clear recent history, removes all activity from the past few hours.

Missing Toolbars

So far, the new browser is living up to its promise, Brent Diggins, a public relations rep at Mindspace and a Firefox enthusiast, told TechNewsWorld. "It looks the same. The functionality is good. It's cleaner than the last version, a little bit."

The one disappointment, said Diggins, is how few toolbars and other applications are compatible with this version.

"I lost virtually all of my toolbars and add-ons from other sites when I downloaded and installed 3.5. They are vital to what I do, so I may have to go back and download an old version," he said. "In hindsight, I wish I had waited."

Speed Doesn't Thrill

As for speed, Diggins didn't notice a perceptible difference -- but then again, measuring browser speed is becoming more science than art.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) touted Safari 4's unprecedented speed when it was released earlier this month. However, companies that measure such things report that the difference in speed among browsers, in general, has narrowed considerably, with perhaps one-second advantages on certain Web sites, depending on how they are designed.

Source Content : technewsworld.com

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Can The Mobile Industry Go Green?

The mobile phone industry seems to be lagging behind the rest of the tech world in going green. What does it need to do to catch up?

By Jennifer Scott

Green technology is being embraced more and more within the tech industry.

Big players such as Dell, HP and Intel are all citing it as a driver for their new products, be it lower power consumption on a server or the materials that build it.

Businesses buying the hardware are also taking up the green gauntlet, seeing it as a badge of honour to draw an environmentally-conscious customer base, as well as a way to help cut costs.

Greening the mobile world

But what of the mobile phone industry? The handset is a piece of hardware we all use on a daily - or more likely, hourly - basis, but how green is this industry and what does it need to fix to become so?

Some steps have been taken. Manufacturers are starting to market phones as eco-friendly, suggesting there's a place on the shelves and consumer pockets for such devices.

As more and more old handsets pile up in our homes, services are popping up to recycle them. Some manufacturers are looking at ways to cut down on packaging, and shipping manuals built into the phones to save paper, while others are looking at green power for base stations.

One major move the industry has taken recently is to agree on a universal charger. Across Europe over the next year, major phone makers including Nokia will start producing their phones to work with a mini-USB charger, meaning we won't need a new power connector every time we pick up a new handset.

But are such steps enough, or are they merely the beginning of the transition to a green mobile industry?

Sony Ericsson's first steps

Sony Ericsson recently launched its attempt at green handsets.

Its global marketing director said at the time: “It’s not about making normal phones green, it’s about making green phones normal.”

However, journalists quickly turned the meeting aimed to promote Sony Ericsson's green credentials into an interrogation about why the firm had only just made the moves - and what more they could do.

David Aeron-Thomas from Forum for The Future was in attendance. While he clearly approved of the new green handsets, even he openly condemned the company for not doing enough.

He said: “Sony Ericsson hasn’t gone far enough yet, but they are doing great things towards this. The thing is you need to take customers and suppliers with you in long term partnerships.”

At Forum for the Future, Aeron-Thomas works with many companies such as BT and Vodafone on green initiatives but to get on board they need to fit in with strict guidelines.

He said: “Companies approach us but we don’t always approve them. We also have regular conversations as to whether to keep them on.”

But what specifically must these mobile companies do to address the environmental issues of their products?

Chemicals

Nardono Nimpuno, the international chemical secretariat for ChemSec, believes the main obstacle is the chemicals that are used to make the phones in the first place.

In an interview with IT PRO, Nimpuno said: “It is hard for anyone to accept a daily consumer product is harmful, as well as hard to prove. People and companies find it easier to go fair trade or eco-friendly with food as mobiles are complex enough as it is.”

“However, in themselves the chemicals used to make the phones disrupt hormones and can disrupt reproduction. Yes, they are encased in the product, but what about during production if there are leaks, and what do you do at the end of a phone’s life?”

So the phone manufacturers should be looking to remove these chemicals from production, as well as disposing of them safely.

But Nimpuno revealed that even when you return your phone to be recycled, only 54 per cent are accounted for afterwards.

He said: “When consumers do the right thing only half is managed in the proper way. It is a cost issue for companies. For example to recycle a phone safely in Sweden costs €10 but in India you can do it for €1.50 inappropriately.”

Greenpeace has also raised the issue of toxic chemicals in mobiles through campaigns over several years, even posting a diagram on its website showing the chemicals used and the effects they have.

For example, it highlights the lead used in circuit boards and soldering. “In many developed countries, lead is banned from landfills, but mobiles containing lead are still dumped in countries like China and dismantled by hand.”

What progress so far?

There is some progress being made however. EU legislation on the proper disposal and recycling of mobile phones and components is becoming more prominent and there is a rise in the collection of electrical waste.

And manufacturers are starting to get on board. Nokia has taken steps to make its phones charge in more efficient ways, as well as to cut packaging. It claimed using new smaller boxes removed 5,000 trucks from the road in one year.

And, O2 has made several claims to its green credentials, admittedly achieving the accolade of the first mobile phone operator to be certified with the Carbon Trust Standard following its 15 per cent energy consumption reduction over the past three years.

However, it is still selling phones, such as its popular and well-selling iPhone, which has been criticised for green reasons.

Indeed, both the phone consumer and mobile businesses need to get on board for these policies to work and reduce damage to the environment.

As Aeron-Thomas warns: “Sustainability is not a green fluffy nice to have thing, but vital.”

Click here to find out how to recycle your mobile phone - and make cash doing it.

Content Source : www.itpro.co.uk

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