Windows 7 vs. Linux, Microsoft Trashes Open Source OS

Quoting:What a shock, a company trashing its rival. I wonder if they'll cut in on the soap operas for that breaking news segment.

Quite a good point! And what may be most relevant here is that the Microsoft Windows 7 Sales juggernaut is indeed so actively and publicly even MENTIONING its rival.

As the widespread and historic Mahatma Gandhi quote on passive resistance went “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” --- see http://thinkexist.com/quotation/first_they_ignore_you-then_t... among other fine sites. So Microsoft Sales' attempts to so forthrightly trash Linux could very well signify a transition to Microsoft attempting to "fight" head-on potential Linux users.

End-users, as opposed to vendors and other partners.

LXer readers are already all too well aware of Microsoft's continued Legal and Product Development attacks on F/OSS through IP Patent Threats, hidden court-settlement conditions (see PJ's http://www.groklaw.com), questionable past SW-EULA clauses, NDAs for HW manufacturers, claims for code "interoperability", Embrace Extend Extinguish, .... the list goes on and on. Probably best to note here as materially relevant for this piece, that these L and D attacks are MUCH less aimed at the public, that is, unless any useful FUD somehow leaked out to consumers/governments (the infamous Novell Patent Deal ?? the ODF vs. OpenXML standards fiasco??) leads to increasing interest in MIcrosoft products.

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Again, the indication of a more widespread and public attack on Linux is the key point of this piece, apropos of Gandhi's historic Satyagraha "fighting call" above..

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Quoting:@flufferbeer: I could give specific examples where I believe mudslinging and negative advertising worked in U.S. campaigns. I don't want this to go into a TOS violation

It's even viable to give examples without TOS violation: Assumed travel expenses malversations reported by Boston Globe, Peter Quinn, ODF/Massachussets, Peter had to resign, was cleared from the accusations, but too late.

However, back to Microsoft: I'm pretty sure most employees of Best Buys etc. have been disappointed by Microsoft products in the past. Either privately when working with it at home or when trying to help customers. I'm also pretty sure they will remember the Vista-marketing. Probably they also received some "Vista-training" when Vista was introduced. I'm also pretty sure customers came to them complaining about Windows Vista. So, probably, by now they're smart enough to have realized that - at least in the case of Vista - Microsoft advertizing wasn't really telling the truth and should be taken with some tons of salt.

The progress made here: When MS tried to brainwash them about how Vista was the best thing since sliced bread, it didn't became public. Now it does.

That's a tendency it seems. In the recent history, when the Suisse / Romanian / Dutch governments spent milllions on Microsoft software, nobody noticed, then they noticed but almost nobody complained, and nowadays Microsoft can't sell them software without the whole issue becoming public and people starting to complain. Cases like this are discussed in the parliaments (in NL), sometimes even by the presidents of countries (such as Brazil/ Cuba) or sometimes even the government is 'sued' for only looking at Microsoft (this happened in CH).

I see the awareness of what Microsoft is doing increasing, year and year again. And Microsoft is probably helping the awareness by warning Best Buys employees that it would be possible customers could be coming to them asking for 'something else than the newest Windows', or even they could be asking for Linux or Ubuntu!