[Am-info] The Boycott Bulletin | 2002.09.02
Paul Rickard
pr@ms-bc.com
Thu, 5 Sep 2002 21:45:27 -0400
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D[ THE BOYCOTT BULLETIN | 2002.09.02 (6.03) ]=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
------- Official eNewsletter of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign -------
In the last few weeks we've seen a surge of new Bulletin
subscriptions. The number isn't particularly large, but in comparison to
the average month it's been significant. We recently worked on the
Bulletin subscription form and replaced an ancient script handler there
there with some CGI, so the signup process is smoother than ever before.
You can help us keep the momentum going by forwarding this e-mail to any
friends or coworkers you have who might be interested in signing up. Word
of mouth is, after all, the best form of advertising and our efforts
become more effective with every additional person who gets this update.
Last time we told you about the MSBC Promotional Contest and all the
great anti-Microsoft prizes you can win, but so far nobody has sent us a
response. For the benefit of anyone who skipped that part in the last
mailing or has signed up since then, here again are the details:
Whoever comes up with the best MSBC promotion (and sends us
documentation of it) before the end of September wins a seriously nice
prize package. The promotion must be legal (no graffiti, theft, viruses,
pie attacks, etc.) and you must actually carry it out out on a college
campus, in the office, or anywhere that will get attention. Be sure to
take lots of photos and send us any related publicity so we can be sure
your entry is authentic. All submissions are due by 11:59 PM Eastern time
on September 27, 2002. Entries will be judged by our writers/editors and
all decisions are, of course, final. (Runner-up prizes may also be handed
out if we get several really good entries, so try hard.)
Oh, and what of the prizes? MSBC Merchandise! A mousepad, coffee
mug, and t-shirt (your choice of shirt designs) from the MSBC
Anti-Microsoft Merchandise CafePress store ( www.cafepress.com/msbc/ ).
We'll also throw in a free copy of the 1998 book "Bill Gates' Personal
Super Secret Private Laptop" because the publisher sent us a box of them
four years ago and they're in the way. This prize package would cost
about $50 (plus shipping) if you bought everything yourself, so it's
definitely worth an effort - plus you'll be helping to promote our common
cause.
If no one responds before the 27th we're keeping the prize package,
so try to send in something before then.
------- Boycott Bulletin Subscribers: [ 765 ]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D[ ANTI-MS SUPERPICK | http://www.msboycott.com/super/ ]=
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ProComp - http://www.procompetition.org/
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D[ OUTSIDE OPINION | Independent voices against Microsof=
t ]=3D=3D=3D=3D
Microsoft's smell of desperation | Nicholas Petreley
http://www.linuxworld.com/site-stories/2002/0731.microsoft.html
.Net and the Emperor's new clothes | Charles Cooper
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-948375.html
Windows Dissatisfaction Bolsters Mac, Linux | Lisa Gill
http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/18905.html
Straight Talk on XP Activation | John C. Dvorak
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,462414,00.asp
Considering TCO | Russell Pavlicek
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/02/07/29/020729opsource.xml
What's in a .NET Name? | Teri Robinson
http://www.osopinion.com/perl/story/19126.html
Can Linux duck the Redmond death ray? | Charles Cooper
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-950138.html
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D[ ALTERNATIVE SPOTLIGHT | http://www.msboycott.com/thea=
lt/ ]=3D=3D
IRIX - SGi [Alternative to WinXP Professional]
http://www.msboycott.com/thealt/reviews/irix.shtml
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D[ RECOMMENDED READING | http://www.msboycott.com/books/=
]=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Proudly Serving My Corporate Masters: What I Learned in Ten
Years As a Microsoft Programmer | Adam Barr
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595161286/themsbcbookstore/
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D[ MICROSOFT NEWSWATCH | http://www.msboycott.com/news/ =
]=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
-----| Security Hole Affects Explorer, Web Browser on KDE:
In mid-August security researchers revealed major security holes in
Internet Explorer for Windows and Linux's KDE Konqueror browser. The
holes, which work identically but are not related in origin, are the
result of simple programming oversight. Specifically, the holes affect
secure socket layer (SSL) security, which is used for any secure Web
transactions involving passwords, credit cards, or other personal
information. SSL essentially works by sending a digital certificate from
server to browser in order to confirm the security of a site. The
certificates are "signed" by an authorized company to confirm their
validity. But in the case of IE and Konqueror any signed certificate is
accepted by the browser, no matter what domain they were signed for. For
example, ripoffsales.com could attach a signature for buy.com to its SSL
certificate and (after redirecting from one site to the other) Explorer
or Konqueror would accept that site as secure.
Making things worse, the SSL hole was not actually an Internet
Explorer problem but a _Windows_ problem, because the SSL framework is
built into the operating system instead of the browser. That leaves users
of IE on every version of Windows since 95 potentially vulnerable to this
serious security breach. Faced with the monumental task of quickly
patching several dozen different browser/OS combinations, Microsoft took
its usual exit and dismissed the SSL problem as a non-issue, then
promised to produce a patch for it. Weeks later no such patch has been
released, but it took less than two hours for someone to put out a fix
for KDE Konqueror - before Microsoft had even issued an official
response. What's a Windows user to do while waiting on Microsoft to take
action? Download Mozilla, Opera, or Netscape, browsers that supply their
own SSL frameworks and are thus not affected by Microsoft's oversight.
IE flaw can expose credit cards
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-949551.html
SSL defeated in IE and Konqueror
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26620.html
Multiple Vendor Invalid SSL Certificate Vulnerability
http://online.securityfocus.com/bid/5410
SSL flaw is in operating system, not Web browser
http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/holes/story/0,10801,73507,
00.html
MS soft-pedals SSL hole
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26714.html
Expert: Banks yield to Microsoft flaw
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-955442.html
Alternatives to Internet Explorer
http://www.msboycott.com/thealt/alts/internetexplorer.shtml
-----| UPDATE: Dell Rebellion Not Complete, But A Good Start:
Our report last edition about Dell's decision to avoid a Microsoft
contract clause has been backed up by additional reports from several
other sources. As reported here, Dell has chosen to skirt around a
stipulation in Microsoft's new OEM contract that forbids the sale of any
computer system without an operating system by tossing free copies of an
MS-DOS clone in the packaging of its clean computers [see Aug 12, 2002
- http://msboycott.com/news/02_08_12.shtml#2 ]. Unfortunately, Dell is
only making the hardware available to corporate customers, and the
systems cost the same as PCs with Windows XP and Office preloaded. (An
issue dictated by Microsoft's paranoia about anyone knowing what preloads
actually cost.) But the good news is Dell probably keeps that money
instead of sending it on to Microsoft (OK, the news isn't so good after
all), and - most importantly - this action may inspire other box
assemblers to follow suit and offer their non-corporate customers the
same deal using similar tactics. Not a total victory, but still a small
step in the right direction.
Dell mocks MS' mandatory-OS regime
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26690.html
Dell: No-OS PCs Aren't Designed for Linux
http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=3D26268
MS plays volume licensing upgrade card against Naked PCs
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26821.html
-----| HP Swaps Preloaded Ms Works for WordPerfect:
HP, struggling with declining profits because of a slowing economy
and costs related to its merger with Compaq, has decided to trade
Microsoft Works for Corel's WordPerfect Office Productivity Pack on
discount Pavilion desktop PCs. Corel's package includes the WordPerfect
word processor and Quattro Pro spreadsheet software, both of which offer
more features than the equivalent portions of Works and cost $20 less.
WordPerfect is not completely compatible with Office but neither is
dumbed-down Ms Works, so swapping one for the other will not reduce
Office compatibility for consumers. HP is reportedly in talks with Corel
to expand the deal, while Dell and Sony have both offered Corel software
on budget laptops for at least a few months.
Microsoft gives up some ground
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-955383.html
HP Goes Corel: Rare Win or Changing Times?
http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=3D26429
HP, Dell ditch MS Works for WordPerfect
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26832.html
Microsoft losing out to Corel
http://www.it-director.com/article.php?id=3D3147
-----| Released APIs and Middleware Control Found Useless:
Now that Win2000 SP3 has been out for a few weeks, closer examination
shows that the touted "middleware control" software [see Aug 12, 2002
- http://msboycott.com/news/02_08_12.shtml#2 ] added for the antitrust
trial settlement agreement isn't so great. Apparently it only works when
applications provided by other companies have been written to recognize
the new framework, and, since Microsoft only made details of the control
available to developers a few weeks before the release, nothing out at
the moment has been coded to use it. Hopefully future releases of
competing software will take advantage of the concession, but until they
do it's absolutely meaningless. The 272 DOJ-agreement-required
application APIs released at the same time have also proven to be
useless, as Microsoft apparently released a big pile of mixed old and new
interfaces, most of which came with little or no accurate documentation.
Developers who looked them over report that they are useful only as a
public relations boost for Microsoft. That, of course, is what Ms was
counting on. A few days later Microsoft's lawyers sent the judge
overseeing the federal antitrust lawsuit an unrequired "progress report"
highlighting all the steps they've taken to comply with the settlement
agreement.
MS API disclosures - errors, incomplete, useless?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26803.html
Microsoft discloses 289 Windows APIs
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/28/020828hnapis.xml
Microsoft highlights antitrust progress
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-955924.html
-----| Date Set to Consolidate Ms Antitrust Lawsuits:
Last week a federal judge set October 1st as the date for a hearing
to see if the 100+ individual antitrust lawsuits filed against Microsoft
should be consolidated into one massive class action case. The infamous
lawsuit filed by the US government and 18 state attorneys general is not
involved, but the list of plaintiffs does include AOL/Netscape, Sun, Be,
and several hundred others. Judge Frederick Motz of the District of
Maryland court also set October 24 as the day to decide if rulings made
in the federal antitrust case apply to those other suits. A separate
hearing to address some of Sun's charges, also overseen by Motz, will
begin in early December.
Dates set in antitrust suits against Microsoft
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/27/020827hnmsconsumer.xml
Microsoft Facing New Legal Challenges
http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=3D26462
-----| Win2000 Server Replacement Still Years Away:
Microsoft has admitted defeat in the race to complete a successor to
Windows 2000 server this year, adding on August 30th the version
indicator 2003 to the product's name. The server (whatever they decide to
call it) was originally promised for April 2001, then in April 2001 was
promised for early 2002, leading to a March 2002 promise that it would be
finished in "the second half" which has now arrived without any finished
software. The addition of a year indicator is the 3rd name change for
that product, which was first called Windows 2002 Server, then
Windows.net Server when Microsoft was .net-crazy, was briefly rumored as
being an XP branded product, and will now be called Windows.net Server
2003 - leading us to wonder how long before Microsoft decides to stick
the letters NT or XP in there somewhere. Maybe they would be able to get
done faster if someone could decide what the product is actually supposed
to be...
.Net Server's new name suggests delay
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-956054.html
Windows .Net Server gets 2003 label
http://infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/30/020830hnwinserver.xml
-----| Microsoft Purchases Canadian College:
The president of Microsoft's Canadian subsidiary announced on August
14th that his company had formed the Education Innovation Alliance Fund,
a supposed charity with $10 million in grants earmarked for Canadian
schools. The Alliance's first "donation" is being made to the University
of Waterloo in Ontario, which will receive $2.3 million over a five year
period. That grant is allegedly for independent research but it will be
spent almost entirely on projects that benefit Microsoft, such as
researching technology for the Microsoft Slablet PC and setting up
computer labs to explore .net software. Most disturbing, the bribe will
also pay for the university to replace its existing C++ programming
courses with a Microsoft's C# class which will be mandatory for all
students in the electrical and computer engineering department. Microsoft
had apparently been lobbying the school to make that change for some time
with little success until their sizable pocketbook fell open.
Upon hearing of the agreement, University of Waterloo students were
livid and immediately accused the school of selling out. The school's
federation of students issued a statement saying that the deal "sets a
dangerous precedent" and "compromised" the university's academic
standards (assuming it had any to begin with). Waterloo President David
Johnston issued a press release denying charges of undue influence and
claiming that the school's independence "is not for sale," even though he
had pretty much just signed away his authority for a 2.3 million dollar
bribe. One administrator then later joked how "$2.3 million isn't enough
to sacrifice curriculum" - perhaps showing an desire for larger
"donations" from other companies interested in wrapping young minds
around their products.
UW receives first $2.3M from Microsoft
http://uwstudent.org/msstory.html
Microsoft's grant has strings attached?
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-949945.html
Students Say MS Buys Curriculum
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54601,00.html
UW Microsoft Alliance Fact Sheet
http://www.uwaterloo.ca/documents/microsoft20020816.html
-----| X-Box Gaming Network Launches in November:
On November 15, a year to the day since X-Box first shipped in the
U.S., Microsoft plans to launch a proprietary network supporting
multiplayer gaming on the console. The X-Box Live network, available for
$50 a year with a customized microphone headset, will launch nearly three
months after Sony starts selling network adapters for its popular
PlayStation 2 console. Sony is only providing hardware and will leave
game publishers to develop their own networks, while Microsoft's system
will be closed and proprietary. Sony will be paid once for its system
while Microsoft can tie the X-Box Live service into .net and extract
monthly fees from users for years, but the open nature of Sony's console
makes it more attractive to publishers - probably explaining why there
are so far only six titles in development for Microsoft's network and
dozens for the Sony system.
Xbox Live set for November 15 launch
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/26661.html
Microsoft names the day for Xbox online
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-949489.html
Xbox Live Launch Set for November 15
http://www.wininformant.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=3D26236
Microsoft talks up Xbox online service
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-954810.html
Xbox Live applicants: No game for you
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-954927.html
-----| Microsoft Scams Citizens of New Orleans:
Living up to its reputation as a politically corrupt backwater, the
city of New Orleans, Louisiana, has entered into an agreement with
Microsoft that saves millions of dollars up front but will eventually
lead to a significant taxpayer shakedown. On August 15, New Orleans mayor
Ray Nagin announced that he signed an agreement for Microsoft to upgrade
the city's government and police department computers for "free." The
project, worth an estimated $100 million, will replace crucial
quarter-century-old computer systems at the verge of overload. New
Orleans had awarded another company a $150 million contract last year to
do the same job but suddenly canceled it after Mayor Nagin and Bill Gates
met personally in July. Microsoft's contract was awarded without any bids
being placed because it appears to be a free gift - but according to New
Orleans CTO Greg Meffert, the city will have to purchase the software
"eventually" at minimal expense. In other words, Microsoft got the
contract without placing a bid because it will be "free" for the time
being, and in several years when the mayor has moved on to bigger and
better things Microsoft will present the city with a substantial bill for
outdated software. Way to get reelected, Mayor Nagin.
City may get free Microsoft makeover
http://nola.com/news/t-p/neworleans/index.ssf?/newsstory/o_microsoft16.html
MS gives New Orleans 'free' systems for City Hall, PD
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26725.html
Microsoft Sinks Teeth Into New Orleans
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=3D02/08/17/1413216&mode=3Dnested&tid=
=3D109
-----| Seven Years Later, MSN Comes to the Mac:
Even as Microsoft's executives were attacking Apple for the supposed
slow adoption of Mac OS X, its Mac Business Unit (which occasionally
shows a surprising amount of independence) was working on delivering MSN
services to that platform. On August 22, Microsoft officially announced
that it will make MSN Explorer and the services that accompany it
available for Mac OS X sometime early next year. Microsoft's ISP
agreement with Qwest [see May 07, 2001
- http://msboycott.com/news/01_05_07.shtml#3 ] already requires dialup
MSN service for Mac users, but MSN's exclusive questionable-quality
content has been otherwise off limits to Mac users since MSN's creation
in 1995. No word if any Macintosh owners actually WANT Microsoft Internet
service, but it will soon be available either way.
Apple users to get a taste of MSN
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954794.html
MSN cuddles up to OS X
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26790.html
-----| Windows Media Player Upgrade Expected Soon:
How you see it, how you don't
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/08/24/1030052995857.html
Microsoft puts privacy policy on display
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-955514.html
-----| Microsoft Ends Free Font Downloads:
For almost as long as Microsoft has had a corporate Web site, it has
provided free TrueType fonts there for download. The fonts, duplicates of
a half-dozen default typefaces that come with Windows and Mac OS, were
made available for anyone who cared to go get them - including users of
non-approved systems like Linux. That's probably why Microsoft
discontinued its "TrueType core fonts for the Web" downloads on August
12, redirecting interested users to sites with shareware typefaces.
Microsoft refused to comment about the decision, only saying that its
font packages had been "abused, repackaged, modified and shipped with
commercial products" - likely referring to a handful of companies that
were including Microsoft fonts in their Linux distributions. Microsoft's
decision will affect all users of alternative OSes since the fonts in
question are used by most Web sites and are necessary for Web designers
who want their work to have a uniform appearance on every platform.
Microsoft Withdraws Free Web Fonts
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,469394,00.asp
MS yanks free Web TTFs
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26723.html
-----| MICROSOFT QUICKIES:
Microsoft released Office XP Service Pack 2 on August 21, finally
repairing a large list of bugs and security holes. The 15MB update, which
is fairly minor in comparison to previous Office service packs, combines
previously released patches for Outlook, Word, and Excel into a single
package. The update also corrects annoying flaws in foreign language
versions of Office and other small problems like reversed images and
scrollbars missing from some applications. Office XP was launched with
little fanfare in May 2001.
Fresh from merging with Compaq and desperate to grow the services
side of its business, HP recently became the sole provider of helpdesk
support to all of Microsoft's employees. The new contract gives HP access
to Microsoft's 61,000 U.S. workers in addition to the 11,000 global
employees it was already under contract to serve.
Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission has launched an investigation into
Microsoft's business practices in that country. According to reports,
Taiwanese companies are complaining that Microsoft's subsidiary there
forces them to sign long-term contracts that restrict their abilities to
use competing products. Officials from Microsoft have so far refused to
comment about the charges.
-----| OTHER UNRELATED STORIES:
Experiences at a Firm Hostile to Free Software
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26628.html
China: The Republic of Linux
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/linux/story/0,24330,3395670,00.html
How to defang Win2k SP3's auto updating
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26750.html
New super patch for IE fixes six new flaws
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/23/020823hniepatch.xml
MS recruits for Palladium
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26651.html
Microsoft revamps Asian management
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-949746.html
Microsoft patches Windows 2000 flaw, SQL holes
http://infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/08/16/020816hnmspatch.xml
-----| CORRECTION:
Last time we mistakenly reported in our story about Dell that the
Microsoft contract clause preventing sales of computer systems without
software was "intended to 'prevent privacy'." While it may in fact
prevent privacy, we intended for the story to to say "prevent PIRACY."
Spell check won't catch that stuff, folks. We apologize for the error.
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"I don't know what a monopoly is until somebody tells me." -Steve Ballmer