[LAU] Some disturbing news

David Kastrup dak at gnu.org
Tue Jun 5 08:46:57 CEST 2018


Tim <termtech at rogers.com> writes:

> On 06/02/2018 04:00 AM, Will Godfrey wrote:
>> I've just read on The Register that there are discussions between GitHub and
>> Microsoft, with a possible buy-out by Microsoft. I really can't think of a
>> worse possibility :(
>
>
> Hi, I spent the day poring over news, blogs, and many comments.
> I read both blogs by GitHub and Microsoft CEOs about the plan.
>
> The new MS CEO seems committed to helping open source.
> I am encouraged by recent moves over the last couple of years.
> Like the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which runs Linux binaries.

A spyware layer is all that Linux applications need...

> I read today that MS is one of the biggest contributors to open
>  source projects on GitHub. There's even a fully open source IDE.
> The impression I got upon seeing Windows Subsystem for Linux
>  and other efforts, was "this is not your father's Microsoft".
> It's an expression that I am seeing all over the place today.
> (Just fix your OS first, please!)

Cloudification and compartmentalization and organization into "services"
means that Microsoft can do evil _with_ Open Source.  If you want to
know who they are, read the Windows 10 EULA and privacy regulations and
how often they sneaked around users' desires _not_ to upgrade to Windows
10.

They are very much not interested in letting users make their own
decisions.  And yes, they are finding ways of using FLOSS licensed
software for those purposes.

You don't want to be locked in one room with a 500lb gorilla playing
nice.

> What does this move mean for our wee projects like MusE?
> Would MS mess up or monetize the open source projects?

It likely depends.  Annoying projects will die a death by a thousand
papercuts, and the terms and conditions will be changed to allow for
them, or the existing terms and conditions will be used to that purpose.
Clients and functions and protocols will be created that work, if at
all, best on Windows.  Microsoft developer accounts will make everything
easier, Documentation will be integrated with Office365 and so on and so
on.

-- 
David Kastrup


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