:Hoax -- .net Jury Claims Microsoft/Siemens in Secret Joint Venture to Create Linux Distribution
Hoax -- .net Jury Claims Microsoft/Siemens in Secret Joint Venture to Create Linux Distribution Sep 6, 1999, 14 :02 UTC (35 Talkback[s]) (13579 reads) (Other stories by Dave Whitinger)
A press release, allegedly from the
.net jury which earlier this year awarded the prestigious Prix Ars
Electronica to Linus Torvalds, claims discovery of secret strategy by
corporate giants to control the open-source movement.
"Their joint venture startup will most probably become one of the leading
Linux distributors, directly attacking Red Hat and SUSE," claims the press
release.
In a press statement allegedly from members of the .net jury of this year's Prix Ars Electronica forwarded to Linux
Today, we read that next year's Ars Electronica Festival will be
entitled "Open Source". This has been unofficially agreed upon by the
direction of Ars Electronica and its sponsors (Siemens, Microsoft, Oracle,
and Hewlett-Packard, among others.
The interesting part of the press release discusses a strategy whereby
Microsoft, Siemens, Oracle, and HP are working on a Linux distribution
joint venture.
Quoted from the press release:
Because we have also just learned that the
above-mentioned IT-companies are involved in a linux distribution joint
venture and a strategic alliance. Their joint venture startup will most
probably become one of the leading linux distributors, directly attacking
Red Hat and SUSE.
This is the classic oligopolistic strategy. They cannot buy linux,
nevertheless, they will take control over the distibution of the
competitor.
[...]
But the information about the secret linux distribution joint venture
between Microsoft and Siemens in combination with next years topic made us
alert.
Our conclusion: the industry has strongly lobbied and put pressure on at
least one jury member to award "linux". We now have to interpret this in
persepective of next years ars topic. They pushed the topic. The idea is
to use the art and science community to soft launch their linux activities
and control open source strategies. They do understand that open source has
evolved into a stronger development strategy and they have to jump that
train early enough, in order to avoid another "internet" desaster.
So as artists writers and scientists we are used as lab-rats and cheap
alternative researchers. This is NOT what artists need and it is certainly
not what Ars Electronica should be aiming at.
You may view the original E-Mail
that contains this press release. We have tried unsuccessfully to
telephone the contacts mentioned, but will continue to attempt contact
until we are able to reach someone with additional answers.
Expect a followup story when more information becomes available.
