An interesting article on astroturfing here:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fea...onfessore.html

More info related to MS astroturfing here:

http://timlambert.org/2003/11#tcs

I wonder how many posters here collect paychecks from DCI and
similar firms?

Jim

Fearing a spontaneous XP reboot, Jim Bublitz mumbled this incantation:

Here's a quote from this long article:

TCS's articles have also complemented work being done by DCI. During
2000, Microsoft contracted with DCI to perform various services,
among them generating "grassroots" letters opposing a breakup of
Microsoft and launching Americans for Technology Leadership, an
anti-breakup group funded in part by Microsoft and run out of DCI's
office. Meanwhile, down the hall, Tech Central Station went on the
offensive, inaugurating an "anti-trust" section that over the coming
months would publish little except defenses of Microsoft and attacks
on the software maker's corporate and governmental antagonists, with
occasional detours into the subject of lawsuit reform. (Microsoft
smartly plugged some of the articles on its own Web site.)

...

Until 2000, for instance, Glassman had written about the government's
case against Microsoft on precisely one occasion. (He opposed it.)
After Microsoft became a sponsor of TCS, he inveighed against the
suit in nearly two dozen columns for the site. He also penned op-eds
for another dozen or so publications and appeared on TV to attack a
Microsoft breakup in vivid, even strident terms. (On "Crossfire"
Glassman argued that one court decision in the suit placed "in
jeopardy not just high technology, but, I think, the entire
U.S. economy that's been booming.")

Here's a link from 8/23/2001:

http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/13046.html
Report: Phony 'Grassroots' Campaign Orchestrated by Microsoft

Here's one from 9/18/1999:

http://news.com.com/2102-1040-234780.html?legacy=cnet
Microsoft secretly paid for ads for Independent Institute

The Times also cited internal documents of the Independent Institute
of Oakland, California, showing that Microsoft paid a $153,868 bill
to cover the cost of newspaper ads and air fare for the foundation's
president, David Theroux, to travel to Washington for a press
conference the day the ads ran in two major newspapers.

Microsoft has such a long and sordid history of crimes and misbehavior
that they really ought to change their name to Crimosoft.

--
No, I won't fix your Windows computer!

Jim Bublitz wrote:

That's why they can come in here and truthfully state that they are not
receiving checks from Microsoft...

--
COMPUTER POWER TO THE PEOPLE! DOWN WITH CYBERCRUD!

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 10:55:02 +0000, Jim Bublitz wrote:



http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/13046.html
"Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff says that at least two of the more
than 400 letters his office has received in support of Bill Gates'
Microsoft were from people who had died."

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 10:55:02 GMT, Jim Bublitz wrote:

Hmmm... let's see who comes to mind... there's you, and there's Terry, and
there's Roy, and there's Paul and there's Peter. All collecting checks.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 09:52:49 -0700, Freeride wrote:

Nice soundbite. Of course, you leave out (because it doesn't let you bashg
Microsoft) the fact that the people who sent those letters were the
person's family members, who signed it *themselves* and sent it in.

But hey, anything to bash Microsoft and make Linux look good - even if it
means lying - right, Freeride?

Milo T. wrote:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fea...onfessore.html

Sorry Simon - I don't collect a check. When I need money I just
do an online transfer from my company's account to my personal
account. My company doesn't collect many checks either - most of
our customers pay by wire transfer or ACH.

Jim

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 19:09:23 GMT, Jim Bublitz wrote:

<linux zealot>Liar. You must be paid by Microsoft to post here.</linux
zealot>

Milo T. wrote:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fea...onfessore.html

Awfully touchy, aren't you? I doubt anyone here is paid directly
by MS, as it appears they outsource all of their astroturfing.
As for you specifically, I haven't seen you post anything here
that would be worth anyone paying you for.

Jim

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 21:31:40 GMT, Jim Bublitz wrote:

It's just so boring hearing the same baseless claims made about people in
an attempt to defuse their arguments.

If you were secure enough in your knowledge, you wouldn't need to claim
that people are paid to post here.

Milo T. wrote:

What baseless claims? Did you read the links? Pretty well
documented, and really not even that software related in the
case of the original article. The article (other than the couple
paragraphs someone quoted here) isn't even about MS.

Which means what? I'm very secure in some knowledge, a lot more
tentative about most things, but what I know or don't know has
nothing to do with the way public relations firms operate. It
would seem those are two independent things.

I don't know if people are paid to post here, but given the fact
that astroturfing is a large and well documented industry and
it's fairly likely that MS avails themselves of the astroturf
industry's services, it's within the realm of possibility that
some of those services are "provided" to this newsgroup and in
similar places like /. and "talkbacks".

If MS *isn't* doing that kind of thing, they're bigger fools than
I already think they are. Most of the people I know get their
information (and opinions) largely outside of the traditional
media channels, especially when it comes to software.

Jim

Milo T. threw some tea leaves on the floor
and this is what they wrote:


The only cheques I collect are for the embedded devices I design and sell. I'm
self employed.


--
Kind Regards from Terry
My Desktop is powered by GNU/LinuX, Gentoo-1.4_rc2
New Homepage: http://milkstone.d2.net.au/
** Linux Registration Number: 103931, http://counter.li.org **

Jim Bublitz wrote:
Simon's doctor diagnosed him with something called, "Pelvic Head Trauma".
This condition is brought on by aggressive head-bobbing and constantly
bashing his forehead against his boyfriend's pelvis during his blowjobs.
The subsequent brain damage has distorted his ability to make sense
of things that contradict what he wants to believe. To cope with his
condition, Simon needs to make it up as he goes along by ignoring things
such as facts and truth.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 09:52:49 -0700, in article
<pan.2003.11.23.16.52.39.213152@maillinux.org>, Freeride wrote:

Windows' EULA gives Micros~1 the right to send mail in your name before or
after you die.

--
"Until a judgment in a case would unequivocally warrant it, Linux
users should not pay SCO the license fees it has asked for to settle
its allegations of infringement of intellectual property rights."
-- http://www3.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=118545

Terry wrote:

mistakes underestimating. This morning, a long term client just
telephoned with some new requirements. So, I have until Friday to come
up with an estimate. Fortuneately, it is for one of my oldest
applications so I can estimate very accurately.

--
12:10pm up 1 day, 20:07, 1 user, load average: 1.33, 1.14, 1.05
To email me, change .com to .ca Linux Counter Registration #126647

Michael Vester threw some tea leaves on the floor
and this is what they wrote:


Lucky you!

It's like a gift actually quoting on known and understood work!

I always try to never underestimate my underestimations when quoting!

--
Kind Regards from Terry
My Desktop is powered by GNU/LinuX, Gentoo-1.4_rc2
New Homepage: http://milkstone.d2.net.au/
** Linux Registration Number: 103931, http://counter.li.org **

Terry wrote:

charge. That was about 15 years ago.

--
7:45pm up 2 days, 3:42, 1 user, load average: 1.17, 1.18, 1.05
To email me, change .com to .ca Linux Counter Registration #126647