“In a recent column, Chad Simonds, a Webmaster for Tucows Linux,
proclaimed that, “A lot of reviewers” from several small Linux news
sites “don’t tell you about the bugs and compatibility problems in
a program, because they keep getting free software in exchange for
glowing reviews.”
“While some will find such claims shocking, journalists are all
too familiar with such attempts to manipulate reviews. “This is an
endemic problem with publications that don’t pay their writers,”
claims one editor. “You get what you pay for. And, when the only
‘pay’ is coming from the vendor, well what do you expect?”
“Rob Pegoraro, senior technology editor for The Washington Post,
reflexes that, “It’s not that Linux is special; many software
companies see sending out evaluation programs as an extension of
marketing. Writers and software makers who buy into this, though,
are stupid, because it quickly becomes obvious who’s in the tank
for a specific company.” And, once you’ve lost your creditability
as a reviewer or a magazine, you’ve got nothing left.”