Microsoft SUSE and OpenSUSE

this post was finalised and posted

Microsoft Linux Marketing

Summary: Gold Microsoft Certified Partner Attachmate has a new strategy masquerading as "open" and "community" for earning volunteer labour while benefiting these two proprietary software companies

 YESTERDAY, we spotted Attachmate/SUSE's latest plea for volunteer labour towards developing Microsoft Linux. As always, we strongly urge people not to fall for these red herrings.

The mission of the original SUSE distro was to develop a "technically superior Linux distribution with the large number of employed engineers" The ulterior motive of the Attachmate SUSE distribution, on the other hand, is about increasing Microsoft's control and influence in GNU/Linux and FLOSS development. This is why Microsoft funnels money into the remnants of the original project. A new openSUSE release candidate is out to help entice peons for bug reporting. The SUSE conglomerate meanwhile is working to refine its marketing so as to distract more suckers towards this quasi-community. From this new openSUSE News post:

"Friday 16.09, while working on the openSUSE 12.1 marketing actions during the Marketing Hackfest, two of us had the spontaneous idea to suggest an interview to Michael Miller(Vice President of Global Alliances & Marketing for SUSE), asking him a few questions we could have in the openSUSE community. We did not have the time to go around, to find the FAQ or to choose the “best questions”. It was kind of “shall we do that, around a cup of coffee ? Why not ?”. And Michael Miller accepted our proposition, without any objection or any “joker’s need”."

True proponents of GNU+Linux should not feel obligated nor pressed to help out Microsoft's recommended (and patent-taxed) distribution. There are many other projects much more worthy of volunteer time and effort. Most of these other projects are not coordinated by people's on Microsoft payroll, either (indirectly).

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