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Mandriva: An open letter to Steve Ballmer

blog.mandriva.com — When Steve Ballmer screws you over. New Nigerian Classmate PC's with Mandriva Linux to have MS Windows installed later.

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  • advix, on 11/01/2007, -31/+4No comment for this. I am just curious for the reason they changed their opinion.
    • mightydavefish, on 11/02/2007, -4/+50Really? You have no clue?

      $$$$$$$$$$$
    • zybch, on 11/12/2007, -64/+8More likely they wanted to actually use some good software, and there is a huge lack of that for the linux platform.
      Its all unpolished, the UI is all over the god damned place, and simple ***** like installing off-the-shelf and other comercial software is nigh on impossible without hacks and emulation.
      • capiCrimm, on 11/12/2007, -2/+44the 90's called, they want their FUD back.
        • MacEnvy, on 11/02/2007, -1/+10I'm sorry, I buried you by accident.
          The digg button should really be like twice as big as the bury button. Hear me, Kevin Rose?
          • MicrosoftBob, on 11/02/2007, -0/+3Heck, put them on opposite sides of the bar.
      • joebaloney, on 11/02/2007, -1/+15Yeah, of course. Nigerian classrooms COULD use OpenOffice and Dia for free, but those Nigerians schools are so loaded, I'm sure they'd rather spend a couple hundred per pc to install MS Office and Visio. That way their students can get the kind of high paying tech jobs they deserve.
        • aiten, on 11/01/2007, -0/+6I've worked in a number of large software companies, and the windows people never get paid as much :) The linux/open source people, who actually know about computers, get paid a lot more handsomely.
          • sabach, on 11/01/2007, -0/+4My boss just got a job as a civilian contractor for the military paying twice what he got here, simply because of his linux/unix skills. Believe me, that woke me up to smell the coffee, LPI here I come.
        • manitoba98xp, on 11/01/2007, -0/+2@aiten
          I'm a Linux/Mac user myself, but I just have to ask: what OS does your CEO use?
        • reddfox321, on 11/01/2007, -1/+1manitoba
          -98-
          -XP-
          is a linux/mac user?

          http://sydlexia.com/blogstuff/ackbar_its_a_trap.jp ...
          • manitoba98xp, on 11/03/2007, -0/+1I honestly am. That's an artifact from my Windows days. My current OS is Ubuntu Linux 7.04 "Feisty Fawn", and I will be getting a 20-inch Aluminum iMac with Leopard within weeks. Do you need proof of some sort? You could read my comments, many of which confirm this, but I don't see how else you could verify it.
    • RockinGoodNews, on 11/02/2007, -6/+17According to news reports, Steve Ballmer offered to provide Microsoft software (including the operating system), keybords and optical mice, 40 chickens, and a carton of cigarettes. It was far too much to resist.
    • capiCrimm, on 11/02/2007, -0/+9free toy inside every box, works like a charm.
    • advix, on 11/01/2007, -2/+1Don't get me wrong, I was curious because I think there is some strange things. Why the customer buy Mandriva and then pay again for Windows. He must be out of mind. But when he doesn't not care for the money, so O.K. Let we try again to sell them something. Maybe Ubuntu...
  • capeman, on 11/01/2007, -3/+38I think the man from Mandriva was dropping a very broad hint as to what the reason was.
    • MikeCerm, on 11/02/2007, -9/+8I thought he was hinting at something, but I don't know what. Do they think that Microsoft is going to pay Nigerians to use Windows or something? Why would they do that, and isn't it possible that they just made a competitive deal?

      Furthermore, I don't know what this guy is so pissed off about. Mandriva made their sale. It's not like Microsoft stole their sale. The government said they'd pay for what they got, but also get Windows. Why is this guy complaining about shipping 17,000 units that they won't have to support?

      If Ubuntu had swooped in and did the same thing, would this guy be complaining? If yes, would he be complaining about the same thing?
      • MacEnvy, on 11/02/2007, -0/+30If you recall, Bill Gates just went to Nigeria. It was on digg because he had trouble getting a visa. How much do you want to bet that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is going to be paying for some public works projects in Nigeria soon?

        I don't want to be cynical, but that's how I would play it if I were an evil genius.
        • Jimmyy, on 11/01/2007, -6/+1You could be right, I don't think "Microsoft" would go to that much trouble for a mere 17,000 unit sale.
          • Philluminati, on 11/01/2007, -3/+9I think Microsoft would pay people to use Windows. If Nigerians learned Linux then they can be cheap technicians for the rest of the world. If they use Microsoft products and get MCSE's they won't have a highly sought after skill.
          • fluxion, on 11/01/2007, -1/+3its not about the "sale", obviously not if the Nigerians were the ones who "profited" off this deal. Microsoft wants to shut linux out of new potential markets, they don't want it taking hold. If they succeed (they won't), rest assured those losses would be recouped.
        • Elranzer, on 11/01/2007, -17/+3Nice conspiracy except for the fact that Bill Gates has nothing to do with Microsoft anymore, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has absolutely zilch to do with Microsoft.
          • Urusai, on 11/01/2007, -5/+21You keep telling yourself that...
          • GawtMilk, on 11/06/2007, -6/+6Digg is sick. One of the largest charity organizations in the world is just a ploy to keep Microsoft's market share up? You keep telling yourself that.
    • keyo, on 11/02/2007, -1/+24It's not about the sales they get from those computers at all. They try and get their foot in the door first so everything gets based around their OS (vendor lock-in). All they have to do is pay off a few of the top guys and their on the way being the dominant OS for a generation of nigerians. It's kinda like a drug dealer getting people hooked with free samples.
      • Philluminati, on 11/02/2007, -1/+15"It's kinda like a drug dealer getting people hooked with free samples."

        -- That's an excellent simile
      • daverave999, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2"It's kinda like a drug dealer getting people hooked with free samples."

        Where does this guy hang out?
    • rchargel, on 11/02/2007, -1/+0Having worked as a consultant for a large international (I won't say who) in a particularly corrupt part of the developing world (I won't say where, but it wasn't in Africa), I would doubt that Microsoft bribed anybody. At least not directly. While it's easy for local companies to bribe their officials, it's much harder for the big guys. For one thing, there is a lot more international oversight on large corporations. Secondly, if they got caught, they would be subject to international fines and contract loses (not worth a few pitiful million dollars in Nigeria).
      What IS possible is that Microsoft was not selling directly to the Nigerian government, and instead was working through a local reseller. We did this at my company for two reasons. First, many developing nations have laws on the books that don't allow their government to sign large contracts with foreign companies. These are intended to protect local businesses, however they do tend to simply make the foreign products more expensive because they're going through a middle-man. Secondly, the resellers often already have relationships with purchasing officers in those countries' governments, making it easier to build onto an already existing relationship rather than trying to start up dialog from scratch.

      It is possible that this local reseller did bribe some officials to make the deal go through. That said, because MS is a public company, it is unlikely that they would be directly involved with any such scheme. In fact, at my company, when we became aware of such activity (and it did happen) we immediately cut off ties with the reseller. This was especially an issue since the passing of Sarbanes-Oxley. I'm not saying that MS is totally innocent here (and I am no great fan of there's and a Debian user myself), but it is almost certain that if anything shady had occurred, Steve Ballmer was not in the know (even if just for the good-old Reagan sense of plausible deniability).
  • ptFoe, on 11/05/2007, -13/+99C'mon Africa is so corrupt, ideal playground for MS.
  • mightydavefish, on 11/02/2007, -12/+85That's M$ for you. Wait until someone creates a market, then use your money to ***** 'em.
    • Phocion55, on 11/02/2007, -3/+49Just like they're trying to do with the OLPC. They just wait until the actual system is created (with Linux installed), then at the last second jump in with an announcement that they have a "specially tailored" OLPC version of WinXP. (And by "specially tailored" I actually mean "purposely crippled").

      Such a gutless move.
      • zybch, on 11/02/2007, -52/+3Better than distributing the laptops with a crippled version of whatever linux flavor was going to be used.
        What am I saying, linux is already crippled, hence why its not even 4% of the desktop market.
        • Coldkill, on 11/02/2007, -1/+25Stop trolling, idiot
        • Remmy, on 11/02/2007, -2/+24Linux is in no way crippled and a comment like that shows that you simply want to troll. I use Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and occasionally use a Mac. I'm not one to show favoritism when it comes to Operating Systems, but comments like that show ignorance.
        • thomasprebble, on 11/01/2007, -1/+11I thought I had a stalker for a bit but I see zybch is trolling everyone who has a different opinion to his.
        • noahhoward, on 11/02/2007, -1/+8Just because you can't figure out how to use it doesn't mean the rest of the world is just as doomed.
        • thewfirestarter, on 11/02/2007, -0/+4This is zybch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVwx9qJyM8M

          He's just a bitter fatty. You almost have to pity him, trolling digg is all he's got.
        • Philluminati, on 11/01/2007, -0/+2your an idiot and you have no idea what Linux is like. It's certainly not crippled. The only reason that everyone still buys Microsoft is because that's what they were taught on. When your happy with Windows, even if Linux was better (and it is IMHO) you still wouldn't switch because it doesn't (and won't ever) feel exactly like Windows does.

          Linux is ideal for their needs. Microsoft are trying to stamp out Linux now.
    • marklarznexyne, on 11/01/2007, -21/+8Stop replacing the s with a dollar sign in the abbreviation for microsoft, it does not make you look clever!
      • RockinGoodNews, on 11/01/2007, -10/+1You, however, are so very, very clever.
      • userini, on 11/01/2007, -7/+2I actually have to agree with him. I'm not trying to argue that Microsoft does not deserve being pictured as an ethicless money-hungry company - but at least have some class when you're bashing it. The $ is played out.
      • rchargel, on 11/02/2007, -0/+3I like it because I am reminded of the old Richy Rich cartoons of my childhood. Man do I want a robot.
  • capeman, on 11/01/2007, -14/+2@pfFoe, Your comment gives an even bigger hint to advix as to what the rea$on might have been.
  • Phocion55, on 11/05/2007, -6/+102And, ladies and gentlemen, *THIS* is the EXACT reason why I wish Microsoft would stay away from the OLPC.

    "You have the money, the power, and maybe we have a different sense of ethics you and I, but I believe that hard work, good technology and ethics can win too."

    Cheers to that.
    • thomasprebble, on 11/02/2007, -1/+20Well apparently they recently succeeded in getting XP to run on the thing but not without having to install a new bios and bricking a few of the machines in the process. I have spoken to people working on the OLPC project and they are adamant they are going to be sticking with the whole open source thing and this is echoed all over their site.
      • zybch, on 11/02/2007, -23/+2Way to limit what the soon-to-be-owners of the OLPC will be able to do with them then!
        • rolf, on 11/02/2007, -0/+13Yeah, that's what pissed me off when I installed Ubuntu! It was, oh noes, I can't install the same malware and spyware as everyone else!;)
        • rchargel, on 11/01/2007, -0/+3Seriously. I am so jealous of my wife because we dual boot our computer so she can run Windows. Man she gets the coolest popup ads all the time and so many great porn ads, even when she isn't on IE. Man, all I get is a functioning PC with all the free apps I can handle. My life sucks :(

          I do enjoy Photoshop more than Gimp though.
  • joe90210, on 11/02/2007, -60/+10boohoo tought luck you babies, it's called competition not "everyone share and hold hands". Trophies aren't given out for participation
    • MrARPA, on 11/07/2007, -8/+33Actually any real competition scares M$ witless, as the court cases and dirty tricks they've been involved in prove.
      • BigFuzzyArchon, on 11/01/2007, -36/+7You are a fool if you believe the biggest software company in the world is scared of a company that has to give away their software for free.
        • zwaldowski, on 11/02/2007, -2/+16'has'?! ***** you.
        • MrARPA, on 11/07/2007, -3/+12And you must be a fool if you don't know the way M$ behaves.
    • KaptainKandy, on 11/02/2007, -3/+19Clearly you have absolutely no conception of business ethics or standards.
    • ArrakisDune, on 11/02/2007, -3/+19No. Its call a monopoly. Look it up.
      • manicallday, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1It's not even that. It's called handing over a small amount of money to a couple of corrupt officials.
    • init100, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2Competition? Competition is what takes place during the bidding process, not afterwards. That the government changed its mind *after* the bidding process was over and the winner selected smells pretty bad to me. In other words, it smells a lot like a bribe.
  • Spoomeister, on 11/02/2007, -53/+13An open letter to Mandriva:
    Were you giving your product away? Did your customer renege on their contract? Did you still get paid for your sale? If the answers are no, no and yes, STFU. It's called a free market, and doing business. Just because you are doing business with a school doesn't make you noble.
    Sincerely,
    me
    • ArrakisDune, on 11/02/2007, -3/+19and that people, is why the human race is screwed.
      • poonaka, on 11/02/2007, -10/+7actually this is why:
        http://www.republicans.org/
        http://www.foxnews.com/
      • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -8/+2Ah, ok. The downfall of the human race will not come from endless wars, from the erosion of our civil liberties in America, from tyrants and torturers, not even from thoughtless, careless polluters on a global scale... but from people honoring their mutually agreed-upon business contracts, and paying for goods/services desired and delivered.
        Thanks. I might have missed that otherwise.
        Carry on.
        • ArrakisDune, on 11/02/2007, -3/+7No. You missed it again I'm afraid.
          Its screwed because its easier to turn a blind eye to what's actually happening. You know those civil liberties that you're on about being eroded? Guess what: Same reason. The majority of people don't give a dam because of the wool that's pulled over their eyes by people in power; which in turn gets the people turning a blind eye to what's actually happening.
          Microsoft probably got that 'deal' by being corrupt. You're loosing your civil liberties because of people in your government that are corrupt. Same difference, different situation.
          And you have the audacity to talk about "tyrants and torturers" with Bush in power. Nice one.
          • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -6/+1And the proof that MSFT got this deal illegally is, what, exactly? The exceedingly vague innuendo of one person from a company that works on open source. Biased, much?
            And tyrants and torturers don't just exist in America, y'know. It's physcially possible for Bush and his administration to be evil (which it is) AND other governments as well. Not mutually exclusive.
            But I'm sure, from your morally superior position, from the sounds of it outside the United States, you already knew that.
          • sites, on 11/01/2007, -4/+3Just wanted to tell Spoomeister that while his mother was lying on the operating table waiting for her heart transplant, I stepped in with a fat wad of cash & bought the heart because I was hungry. Your mom is dead now, but i'm full again. STFU

            Sincerely
            The Spoomaker
          • Philluminati, on 11/02/2007, -1/+3Spoonmeister,

            If Microsoft gave Windows away for free, Linux would still be the better choice. There are no subscription fees, no updates required, no virus's - if you learn Linux before you learn Windows, you wouldn't be able to switch. Microsoft software is too inflexable, opaque and confusing. Linux skills are in high demand - they could breed a well paying skill used world wide easily - for the benefit of their population. The operating systems used in schools are the operating systems then used in business because only 10% of a population would ever seek out alternatives after learning to use 1. That's why Linux has a small market share! Because we all used Windows first.

            Linux was clearly the better choice in my eyes but because it's so important that Linux skills aren't learnt on a mass basis Microsoft used any tactic they could.. probably involving a lot of Money. It's really sad to see a poor country making a poor choice.
    • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -4/+1[comment off of wrong post deleted - oops]
    • init100, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Except that this is really out of the ordinary by happening after the bidding process was over and the winner selected. Smells like a bribe to me.
  • lostarchitect, on 11/01/2007, -8/+9Dirty pool, old man.
  • DiggOrNotToDigg, on 11/01/2007, -3/+7Money Talks
  • Rizmaster, on 11/02/2007, -26/+14Yeah, what's the problem? The guy made a sale. Who gives a ***** what they do after they cut the check?

    He should spend his time trying to sell more systems rather than bitch about the previous sale that was just fine as it is.
    • kageki, on 11/01/2007, -0/+8If you didn't get the hint later in the post the answer is support. Support contracts are also money and most likely pretty lucrative. If they had kept Mandriva on their pcs then they can proudly present this case in their profile to boost even more sales. Yes they landed the initial sale, but you have to admit it's fishy.
    • Remmy, on 11/02/2007, -2/+11That's the problem. Unli9ke Microsoft, they aren't in it just for the money. They want to see the advancement of the Open Source movement and a deal like this is what it needs. Microsoft plays dirty. Starting with DOS.
      • ferrariman60, on 11/02/2007, -4/+4Hey buddy, everyone's in it for the money. You can like Open source, but no one gets into software if it isn't for money unless they're not selling their stuff. And guess what? They're selling their distro. Hence, they're in it for the money. Sorry.
        • init100, on 11/02/2007, -0/+3"no one gets into software if it isn't for money"

          No? I know plenty of people that got into software because they were interested in software development and computer science, not because of the money. That software development pays pretty well was just a nice side effect.
    • zybch, on 11/02/2007, -16/+2Meh! This guy just seems like one of the stupid lintards that like to blame MS for every problem the world faces.
      If he can't stand the heat he shouldn't be in the kitchen!
  • cmost, on 11/02/2007, -4/+69Knowing Microsoft, they probably gave away the Windows licenses, just to get the Nigerian folks dependent on it (and Office, which I'm sure they also threw in for good measure.) They probably also gave a hefty cash donation to a few Nigerian causes. Microsoft is much like the corner drug dealer, the first taste is always free! I'm sure the non-techie folks in Nigeria haven't attempted to run Vista on these low spec machines. If they were to do so, they'd soon regret their decision to wipe the much faster (and more secure) Mandriva OS for the slow, bloated behemoth that is Vista. I don't know when folks will wake up to the fact that Microsoft isn't a company that plays fair or ethically.
    • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -6/+2If Mandriva is that much better, why would these folks switch away? Even if the Win licenses were free?
      • ArrakisDune, on 11/01/2007, -5/+5Microsoft = Corrupt (proved by the courts several times)
        Nigeria = Corrupt (I don't even need to explain)

        Microsoft deal + Nigeria deal =...........
        Who knows what they offered the government to use Windows. My guess is a lot of green paper. Its simply not about the product being better. If that was the case, there would be almost no reason to use IE......yet look at its market share.
        • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -4/+2So, Mandriva selling to a corrupt government is alright?
      • andycr512, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Inertia. It's what almost everyone uses and already knows.
      • rolf, on 11/01/2007, -0/+2Higher-ups make the purchasing decisions. Microsoft secretly donates to higher-ups' "me" fund and the problem (Linux) is fixed regardless of the pain it causes down below.
    • kretik, on 11/02/2007, -1/+6Actually, knowing Nigeria the Minister For Education or whatever the hell took a big chunk of payback. That's how the game is played, and Mandriva obviously got the rug pulled out from under them. Maybe they'll learn this time.
      That's why this happens in Nigeria, but not Germany. Microsoft can compete with Linux, but if they don't have to then they'll just take the easy route. Just like any other large Western multinational that does business in the third world.
    • infiniphunk, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1"I don't know when folks will wake up to the fact that Microsoft isn't a company that plays fair or ethically."
      Probably around the same time that folks wake up to the fact that McDonalds is ***** food.
  • thomasprebble, on 11/02/2007, -7/+34Steve Ballmer is the personification of every reason I don't want to work for Microsoft. Seems I'm not the only one put off by this guy either.
    • gquaglia, on 11/02/2007, -4/+22Ballmer is the personification of an perfect *****. And I for one will not buy his garbage.
      • thomasprebble, on 11/02/2007, -3/+10A chair throwing, ape like ***** at that.
    • Christbait, on 11/02/2007, -3/+14He's a nut job. I just hope he keeps up with the erratic behaviour at conventions at his age, to the point where he has a heart attack, has a scrooge scenario and sees what a greedy ass he is.
    • vertexoflife, on 11/01/2007, -3/+4Developers developers developers developers developers .
  • nukethewhales, on 11/01/2007, -21/+7I don't get this story. So the Nigerian Government is going to pay Mandriva for hardware and software and then turn around and pay Microsoft for more software. And this is a bad thing?

    Mandriva is getting paid and Microsoft is getting paid. It seems like the only one losing out on this deal is Nigeria.
    • TeatimeGrommit, on 11/02/2007, -3/+18Nigeria is almost certainly *not* paying Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft will pay Nigeria some undisclosed figure. This policy got started in the early '90s when MS realized that Universities were graduating armies of Unix users who didn't know about Windows, didn't want Windows, and couldn't see any good in Windows when they tried it. I was at such a school when MS came in and bought a bunch of "free" workstations, only catch was: they come with Windows and have to stay Windows.
      • thomasprebble, on 11/01/2007, -2/+3Why aren't they getting done in court for this like they are in the EU?
        • kretik, on 11/01/2007, -2/+3Because he pulled that out of his ass.
          • Andir, on 11/02/2007, -1/+2Not necessarily. Maybe it did happen like that in his school, but at the college I went to, Microsoft offered to sell the school "at a discounted" price (read free) full versions of Visual Studio and Office if (and only if) the school removed all Macromedia and Adobe (Flash/Dreamweaver/etc.) products from all the systems in the school.
          • init100, on 11/02/2007, -1/+2He certainly didn't. Microsoft has been hard at work trying to make my university migrate from its UNIX workstations to Windows computers. And it seems like they have succeeded everywhere except in the computer science department.
    • sintaxi, on 11/01/2007, -1/+2you have little understanding of business relationships dont you?
    • manicallday, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Where I go to school I have a bunch of Nigerian classmates. Apparently, from my understanding, you can't get anything done without a bribe. That's the problem. You just can't go around bribing folks.
  • brwright, on 11/02/2007, -24/+11I'm not seeing what's so wrong about it. I think it's great that a company is supporting this. Sorry to all the MS haters out there, but MS does have a heart in the middle of their billion dollar corporation. One of the great things about America is that it is a free market. Mandriva has no right to blame MS, everyone held their end of the deal.
    • ArrakisDune, on 11/02/2007, -2/+12"but MS does have a heart in the middle of their billion dollar corporation"

      You have GOT to be kidding?
      Microsoft, as in the business side of it, is like almost all businesses: Money.
      This is not a short term decision by Microsoft. If they run windows across the majority of their machines, anything they need to develop will be aimed at windows. When they need to upgrade their OS / Hardware, guess what OS they'll have to buy to get all their app's working.....

      Bill Gates _is_ a generous person and has gave millions away to charity, there is no denying that. But you need to learn there is a big line between charity and business. Sometimes these might cross paths, but if they do, there is almost a hidden reason behind it.
      • ferrariman60, on 11/01/2007, -3/+1Um, make that Billions to charity, man. Now, really,waht do you think is the point of a business? It's surely to make a profit, is it not? I realize there is a human aspect too, but what harm is microsoft causing besides pissing off the Mandriva people? I don't see anything.
        • Andir, on 11/02/2007, -0/+3Donating to a charity doesn't make you a better person. It makes you a better marketer.
    • init100, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2The wrong in this is that they had their opportunity during the bidding process. That the government changed its mind after the bidding process was over and the winner (Mandriva) selected smells really fishy to me. It certainly smells like Microsoft bribed a few upper-level officials to make them change their mind, and this isn't worthy of a free market.
  • mirzar, on 11/01/2007, -14/+12its just plain business. Everyone wants to make more profit and companies have been using such tactics since after civil war (Andrew Carnegie would be a prime example of a person who did a similar things to take away business from his smaller competitors and yet he said that he was pro-competition )
    • TeatimeGrommit, on 11/02/2007, -2/+7Um, who ever said that Andrew Carnegie was pro-competition? Oh. Andrew Carnegie. We have anti-trust laws in more developed nations to try to prevent screw tactics like buying markets to prevent choice from being available later. (at that point, prices can skyrocket). We don't know if MS is violating US or European anti-trust law in Nigeria because such laws do not apply there. Sucks to be them.
      • mirzar, on 11/01/2007, -3/+2according to his book that he wrote in his later years "The Wealth Of Nations" , he claimed that "the law of competition between these as being not only beneficial but essential for the future progress of the race"
        • shango5, on 11/02/2007, -0/+6Adam Smith wrote wealth of nations.
    • init100, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1That it is common does not make it right.
  • obxjdt, on 11/01/2007, -8/+13Great, so now I can get open source spam from Nigeria.....
  • RockinGoodNews, on 11/01/2007, -17/+3He writes very well. Tolstoy would be proud. John Kennedy Toole as well. But I wonder if Francois has a mustache... or bits of sausage dribbling from his mouth??? Is he French? I love the French.... almost as much as I love George Bush, or furry bunnies.
    • RockinGoodNews, on 11/01/2007, -4/+1You're so mean. Stop picking on the Mexicans.
  • RegalGSX, on 11/01/2007, -30/+7Maybe they realized that they would need to run software on it.
  • dadavexx, on 11/01/2007, -12/+6Steve Ballmer = George Bush, Dick Cheney, and their many compatriots. This is the evil empire ! !
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 11/02/2007, -2/+1Not really. At one point Steve Balmer was pretty cool. If you ever saw "Pirates of Silicon Valley".
      • Andir, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Money corrupts.
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 11/06/2007, -0/+1"It's not just money... it's a ***** load of money!" - Spaceballs
  • macsaver, on 11/02/2007, -6/+27Steve Ballmer offered a blue screen of death and viruses.
    • zwaldowski, on 11/01/2007, -1/+7... and it was apparently accepted with open arms. Perhaps scamming princes depend on Outlook?
  • ercocozza, on 11/02/2007, -4/+31For those of you who don't understand....

    MS Is giving the OS for free. The reason is to promote MS in Nigeria in place of open source. Then when the students are more comfortable with MS products as adults they will stick with them. So Open-Source will be less accepted in this community of children.

    Unfortunately by the time these people are adults, the free MS OS offer is sure to be off the table.
    • Feej, on 11/01/2007, -14/+3And you have proof of this, I'm sure.
      • dezman2003, on 11/02/2007, -3/+13If you need proof for that kind of thing education has failed you.
        • kretik, on 11/02/2007, -8/+2No, actually you do need to provide proof. Insulting people after they make a reasonable request to back up your claims is called "being a *****" in most places.
          • dezman2003, on 11/02/2007, -2/+7Microsoft either gave away the OS for free or so cheaply that it may as well have been free, my "proof" is that Nigeria is a poor ***** country that already gave the contract to Mandriva instead of MS. Since poor does not always equal stupid I can only assume that they would not give the contract to one company pay for it then pay for it again when they just could have just gotten it from MS in the first place. Using this very simple and easy to understand logic I was able to determine that ercocozza has a very high probability of being correct. You have a brain for a reason learn to use it. People shouldn't have to spell ***** like this out for you.
      • HalfNakedPappy, on 11/01/2007, -2/+4And you have proof this is not the case?
    • LargeTrout, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Once the free MS OS offers disappear the people will just pirate it like everywhere else (most notably China). Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot so to speak. Either that or they'll sell their software really cheaply; in which case us Brits are getting conned even further (£200 for Vista anyone?).
      • arjie, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Whether they pirate it or not, they add to the illusion that 'Windows is the only operating system' and the smaller illusion that 'Windows is the only OS that works well'. That can hurt. I think I saw this quote somewhere, "We'd rather they not pirate software, but if they're pirating it, it better be ours."
  • hafniOum, on 11/01/2007, -9/+3I enjoyed reading this letter... except that it's well written because this happen every day and it won't be the last time.

    We all know that we live in a world owned by a thing called Money. All these deals worth a lot. In this case Mandriva and Microsoft had the opportunity to sells ten thousand of licenses that enormous, gigantic for a company like Mandriva.

    I am 100% with François on it, he got "censored word" by Microsoft. Hell this is business. Yeah it's cheap... who wouldn't be pissed by that? Microsoft offered something that Mandriva couldn't offered. $$$.

    Poor countries can't spitted on that.
  • secretmode, on 11/01/2007, -2/+7I am assuming that Microsoft sponsored all the cost for them and more
    • awp0, on 11/01/2007, -0/+3Obviously that's what we're all meant to assume, though it's a bit curious that the author gave zero detail as to why they chose Windows.
      • mabhatter, on 11/01/2007, -1/+5he doesn't know... his customer is contractually not allowed to tell HIM the details of why they are buying his product but replacing parts with somebody else's. If that was in the US, it would be contractual interference but it's not under US or French law so Mandriva is screwed.
  • poonaka, on 11/01/2007, -11/+5what's with the brutal grammar?
  • gregharmon, on 11/01/2007, -13/+10Business is cut throat. If it's legal, it's legal. If it's not legal and the company isn't punished, it's not their fought. Blame the government for that. People shouldn't expect corporations to do the "right thing" for THEM. They do the right thing for their shareholders. Period.

    He just comes off as whining, to me.
    • Denelson83, on 11/01/2007, -0/+2Well then, if they are grossly violating the public interest, then the government just shouldn't have any patience with them, and thus revoke their charters!
    • rolf, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Actually, I expect that companies do the right thing for more than shareholders. I wouldn't want them to pollute my rivers, kill my family (if I were in Iraq), etcetera just so they can make a buck off of it. Corporations are ultimately made up of people - so when we argue corporations have no responsibility to be ethical - we are saying that the people behind them don't either.

      I reject that reasoning out right. Sure, the government sometimes has to step in, but do we really want to live in a world where the only reign on a "corporation's" conscience is government oversight and whatever the government happens to catch in time?

      Corporations have more responsibilities than just to their shareholders, just like you and I have more responsibilities than our spouses or ourselves (whoever maintains the household budget).
    • digsig, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1That's BS. A company's "do no evil" policy reflects in it's revenue and share price.

      It's the same as GAP subcontractors using children slave labor to create their products. I bet GAP have seen a drop in sales recently ...
  • psion01, on 11/02/2007, -2/+55That's it. Not only am I through with Microsoft products, I'm ticked at Nigeria, too. Until they change their tune, I'm not helping any more of their government officials or royalty move money out of their country.
    • poonaka, on 11/02/2007, -5/+2all the more for me!!!
    • Lionhart, on 11/01/2007, -1/+4Haha I was waiting for someone to make that joke. Isn't this just going to mean tons more Nigerian scammers?
      • ferreth, on 11/02/2007, -2/+7No, their Vista systems will be so bloated they will be waiting all day in order to send out their spam
        • Andir, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2So maybe this is a good thing. Cripple the spammers with Windows and the rest of the world can resume work at peace.
  • link5280, on 11/02/2007, -19/+8Linux whiner
  • tedjar, on 11/02/2007, -2/+9This is interesting, it was the first thing that I saw when I went to test my wireless Internet...on a brand new Mandrivia one installation. Seriously. And it works perfect, I'm extremely happy so far. First time i ever got wireless to work on a Linux install..
  • Christbait, on 11/01/2007, -6/+8It's not just MS. It's the fact they put this ***** greedyass monkey Steve Ballmer in charge of the company, the man is a loon.

    but at the end of the day, it's just business, if you're not dog eat dog, you just a contingent.
  • tehbored, on 11/09/2007, -5/+9Really? Trying to reason with Steve Ballmer? Isn't that like trying to reason with a rabid monkey or something?
  • kageki, on 11/02/2007, -1/+17For some people that don't seem to get it this is not a win-win happy situation. The postscript is most telling of this:

    "PS: a message to our friends in Nigeria: it’s still time to do the right thing and make the right choice, you will get lots of support for it and excellent services!"

    Support as in support contracts as in more money. You know like warranties these support contracts are lucrative. What kind of services? Additional services that require more money? You know like how salespersons try to sell you more stuff in addition to the original purchase?

    As someone wisely brings up MS Office, if the machines don't run Windows they are not going to run MS Office which is potentially more lost profit in addition to the original license fee for Windows itself.

    If Nigeria retained Mandriva this does cause further competitive issues for MS. If they end up being happy with the purchase it could potentially have a cascading effect and cut into MS' market. It matters greatly whether the customer retains the OS or not that ties into more revenue share in the future and market share.

    What's even more telling is that the reason for switching to MS is not because they didn't like Mandriva for whatever reason. They apparently gave no reason at all.

    Doing dirty business is the antithesis of a free market.
    • kretik, on 11/01/2007, -2/+2Of course, your rant is pretty much invalidated by the fact that the only "free market" in a country like Nigeria is the black one (no pun intended). If Mandriva styles themselves as a corporation selling IT solutions, it needs to learn how to play the game, or invest their time changing Nigeria instead of writing lame ass letters to the CEO of a 70K-employee corporation whose job is to compete by selling the same things. If Mandriva (or Mandrake or Conectriva or whatever they're called this week) can't be bothered with learning how to play the muku-muku game with their former colonial minions then they should stay out of there altogether and shut the ***** up.
      • daftman, on 11/02/2007, -1/+2Nigeria speaks English, not French. So it's the former British colonial. That's the first ignorant point in your post.
        Secondly, you are also dumb enough to suggest that the "black" market is also a "free market". Since black market is consider illegal trading, let's just stick with calling it a "black market" and not wasting time arguing that it is a free market. What you said is very similar to calling China democracy because the only thing it has is close to it. Dumb logic. it might work in kindergarden but not here.
        Thirdly, why would a company like Mandriva waste time dealing with morally corrupt officials? They don't need to stoop to that level. Microsoft can have this cake if it want but writing this letter allow the public and those who are interesting in fair competition to see how dirty and amoral Microsoft can be. I know a shill like you don't really give a crap as long as you get paid but there are other people who are actually want a fair competitive global market.
        The one here that should shut the ***** up is you.
        • kretik, on 11/02/2007, -1/+1I know Nigeria used to be a colony of the British Empire, thanks. Switch "Nigeria" for "Niger" or "Congo" and we can blame the French or the Belgians. They're all the same.
          My dad used to sell heavy mining equipment in Africa and Latin America in the 70s and 80s. I lived for a year and a half in Brazzaville, in Mali for six months and a year in Pretoria. I know how things work over there. You wanna do business there? You "stoop" to the level.
          When was the last time you went to Africa to sell something? I thought so. How about a a nice warm cup of shut the ***** up then? Awesome. Thanks for playing.
        • daftman, on 11/02/2007, -1/+1> I know Nigeria used to be a colony of the British Empire, thanks. Switch "Nigeria" for "Niger" or "Congo" and we can blame the French or the Belgians. They're all the same.
          You made a mistake. Move on and quit bitching your way out of it. Why should we switch NIgeria with Niger? Why not switch with Macau and blame the Portuguese? It sounds to me that you desperately trying to link your argument with the word "French" and thus, given the American sentiments towards the French, attempting to discredit the author. Childish and immature.
          > My dad used to sell heavy mining equipment in Africa and Latin America in the 70s and 80s. I lived for a year and a half in Brazzaville, in Mali for six months and a year in Pretoria. I know how things work over there. You wanna do business there? You "stoop" to the level.
          Great, so we know now that your dad stoop to that level as well. You know the term blood diamond? Yea I'm sure your dad's company would stoop to that level too as long as he make a quick buck
          > When was the last time you went to Africa to sell something? I thought so. How about a a nice warm cup of shut the ***** up then? Awesome. Thanks for playing.
          Irrelevant. I don't need to go to Africa to see corruptions. Just head to China, Thailand, VIetnam and you see the same thing. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, ***** still stinks. Get my drift? Good boy. The point here is that companies can choose to be corrupt and make a buck or choose not to be corrupt and try to make a buck legally. If you want to educate and change the people of NIgeria or China, you got to start off by doing the right thing. Not jumping in and be a dirty corrupt businessman in order to make buck.
          Furthermore, you were also wrong by calling it a "free market". Like I said, just stick to calling it a black market where companies like Microsoft and your dad's like to operate it. So just take it kid and please shut the ***** up.
  • JasonCox, on 11/02/2007, -24/+9Oh you Linux zealots, dont you ever learn?
    • deadlikeoscar, on 11/02/2007, -6/+12Learn what? That even if Linux becomes superior to Microsoft in every way some day that no one will use it because Microsoft will pay people to use Windows?
      • Coldkill, on 11/02/2007, -3/+11No, he means wont you ever learn that with Linux articles comes annoying trolls like him
    • daftman, on 11/01/2007, -0/+4I'll make a deal with you Jason. If you stop trolling Linux section, we'll learn. But I take it you have an unhealthy addiction to trolling so I guess we'll never learn then.
  • kgdoom, on 11/01/2007, -13/+6Tip: If you're going to publicly flame a high profile person, have someone proof read your statement for grammatical errors so they take you seriously.
    • deadlikeoscar, on 11/01/2007, -3/+3The guy is from freaking France and you are complaining about grammar.
      • Ademan, on 11/01/2007, -2/+2Er, yeah? This is open source people, i'm SURE at least a handful of happy mandriva users would have been more than happy to help him proofread.
        • daftman, on 11/01/2007, -2/+1Oh *****! are you trying to be funny?
          FAILED!
          • Ademan, on 11/02/2007, -1/+1Wasn't trying to be funny, and it sorta looks like you failed too, anyways I'm interested why you don't think that's a valid option, it would have gotten the job done just fine.
      • poonaka, on 11/01/2007, -1/+1So we only make fun of bad grammar when the author isn't related to linux?
        • struds, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1or maybe when the author doesn't have English as a second language
    • poonaka, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1he should have used the spell check feature in Word...
  • itux1985, on 11/01/2007, -6/+11...and the Free World takes another hit from a tyrant...
  • lebaige, on 11/02/2007, -17/+7Hah, the Linux nerds here are so amusing. A Linux distro loses to Microsoft with no reason given at all and you instantly assume foul play. Perhaps they just decided they didn't want Linux ...
    • cjnkns, on 11/01/2007, -2/+1Oh ya that's likely - considering whom we are talking about and the circumstances involved.
    • jstone, on 11/01/2007, -5/+7They agreed to buy Mandriva and then switch to Windows later. That seems fishy to me. If they didn't want linux, then why by Mandriva at all? It's almost as if Microsoft payed them to use Windows, and they didn't want to be rude and drop the deal with Mandriva.
    • jstone, on 11/01/2007, -4/+8They agreed to buy Mandriva and then switch to Windows later. That seems fishy to me. If they didn't want linux, then why by Mandriva at all? It's almost as if Microsoft payed them to use Windows, and they didn't want to be rude and drop the deal with Mandriva.
      • jstone, on 11/01/2007, -3/+5Digg comment system is acting funny. Digg the above down.
    • init100, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2"Perhaps they just decided they didn't want Linux ..."

      The time to decide that is before the bidding process, not after. When it happens afterwards it just smells fishy.
  • cjnkns, on 11/01/2007, -4/+7Not sure if it has been said already - but Windows is like crack ( and Steve knows it)
    Once they are hooked that's it nothing else will do.
    • luxette, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1The large number of users migrating to OSX might beg to differ with you.....
  • ArthurArchnix, on 11/02/2007, -5/+29Dear Nigerian Prime Minister,

    My name is Bills Gates. I am the head of a major computer company with assets in the billions of dollars. I have the courage to Crave indulgence for this important business believing that you will never let me down either now or in the future. Legal issues with the SEC in the United States prevent me from accessing all of my money. This is the situation, and my proposal is that I am looking for a foreigner who will stand in as the next of kin to beneficiary. This is simple, all you have to do is to INSTALL Vista on all your PC's so that I could be free up 1Billion dollars. The money will then be paid into an Account for us to share in the ratio of 60% for me, 35 % for you and 5% for expenses that might come up during transfer process. There is no risk at all, and all the paper work for this transaction will be done by me using my position at Microsoft and connections in the banks in the USA. There is no risk and your portion is gaurenteed. Please respond to me at this email if you wish to pursue this opportunity with me.
    • gluon, on 11/02/2007, -8/+1Bill Gates hasn't worked for Microsoft in years. Get your facts straight.
      • ArthurArchnix, on 11/02/2007, -1/+5It's a fake spam email. It's suppoed to be transparently bad. Did you miss the spelling errors and poor english, or did that go over your head too? Get a brain moran.
      • mvent2, on 11/02/2007, -1/+5*whoosh*
      • kennyidaho, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Um gluon you might want to get your facts straight.
    • Smegzor, on 11/01/2007, -1/+3FAKE! I MEAN COME ON, CAPS MAN!
  • awp0, on 11/01/2007, -4/+15I work for a medium sized (~500 employees) software company that routinely competes with IBM. There's an old saying around the office which sums up the biggest challenge in such situations: No one ever got fired for choosing IBM. Dunno if it's relevant, but this reminded me of it.

    As an aside, I think this open letter sounds a little whiny and childish. I don't think these kinds of things help advance the adoption of Linux, rather I'd imagine they're something of a turn-off to the people responsible for making such purchasing decisions. I read this and I think "pseudo-witty 20 year-old with poor grammar and a fairly weak message to someone I'm quite sure doesn't care". Probably not the best way to market your product.
    • mabhatter, on 11/01/2007, -3/+4What else can he do? MS just swooped in on his signed contract before he got to deliver the product to the customer. Generally in business that is unethical and sometimes illegal to even interfere with another companies contracts in process. What Microsoft is is childish and wrong, but they get away with it all the time.
      • compaqdrew, on 11/02/2007, -0/+7There's nothing illegal or unethical about offering someone a solution for a lower price. That's called competition.

        What Microsoft is doing is sneaky, but that doesn't make it wrong--it just makes Nigeria stupid for taking them up on the "offer" that will end up costing them in the long run.
        • kodybryson, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2Actually, offering a product for lower than its cost is called dumping, and is illegal in international matters. If a company has been convicted of abusing its monopoly position, offering a product for less than its standard cost could also be seen as a violation of a consent decree.

          Also using strong arm tactics to convince a customer to throw away a competitors product that they have already paid for is very likely to seen as a violation of all sorts of things for Microsoft.
          • Andir, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1I don't think Microsoft would admit to the real cost of Windows.
      • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -0/+3RTFA. Mandriva got their $. No swooping or interruption of delivery in there.
      • awp0, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Well, I'm not sure if you're assumptions are correct, because frankly there's very little detail as to what actually happened (which I find curious).
        I will say that my company would *never* respond like this to a lost deal (which this technically is not), nor would I expect most businesses. That's where the childish/whiny part comes in.
      • awp0, on 11/01/2007, -0/+0(deleting double post, sorry)
    • manicallday, on 11/01/2007, -1/+1That's all good but... I'm pretty sure what occurred here was purely illegal.
      • awp0, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Without question that's what the author wants you to believe. But curiously he seems a little light on the detail.
    • dcherryholmes, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1I'm sure, had he written it in French, his grammar would have been perfect. How many languages do you speak?
      • awp0, on 11/01/2007, -0/+2Let me put it this way: It's telling that they don't have the resources to author/edit a properly worded public letter. If I were a business man selecting an OS for 17,000 computers, this kind of thing may have a bearing on my decision. It's may not be fair, but it's how things work.
        • mrpresto, on 11/01/2007, -1/+0oh, so only English speaking companies should get business ?
          riiiight.....
        • dcherryholmes, on 11/02/2007, -0/+1He conveyed his point, despite the occasional grammatical snafu, as he wrote in a secondary language (quite fluently, IMO). I tend to focus on the substance of a point rather than tearing it down for stylistic details. It may not be shallow and childish, but it's how I work.
  • omarciddo, on 11/01/2007, -6/+8Digg could use an "Open Letters" section. They're starting to get a bit cliché.
  • wgchinn, on 11/01/2007, -5/+2As provided on the original website:
    Don't worry. Just wait until they try to run any MS Operating system on probably a 256k machine. Then they will have to run Windows software on it. Then they will have to get the 3rd party drivers for it. When it doesn't run give them the MS Tech Support number in India. Then provide the restore disk with your Operating system.
  • gluon, on 11/01/2007, -2/+10It's called a loss-leader and it's a common business practice. If the makers of Mandriva are angry about this, then they are unfortunately putting their effort into the wrong place. To be honest, I don't really see the point of this "open letter". Does he really think that something good or progressive will come out of this letter? Was the intention to somehow soil the reputation of Microsoft? Or was it really to make himself feel good?
  • Jimmyy, on 11/01/2007, -4/+3people are so paranoid these days...
    "go ahead and fight big brother"
    • infiniphunk, on 11/01/2007, -1/+1yeah you go ahead and keep those blinders on.
  • Smegzor, on 11/01/2007, -0/+3I'd day the 419'ers I mean Nigerians realised they could write a bigger cheque to Microsoft, asking for the difference to be sent back via Western Union.
  • lordspidey, on 11/01/2007, -8/+6what a sick ***** i hate MS

    Still Ubuntu could have graphic drivers for my Fx5200 that dont require me hours of trying and getting it wrong and later busting the Os
    i still love it
  • snugglebear, on 11/01/2007, -8/+2Well first, what the ***** does this have to do with Steve Ballmer? He's not a salesman, I doubt he knew very much about the deal at all.

    And how is this dirty? For all mandriva knows they gave a better deal, which is business. Kudo's to microsoft. Thats how business works. Should they stop selling zunes because it might hurt apple? Should they stop selling office because more people might use open office? Mandriva's contract has nothing to do with Microsoft. They have every right to go and offer their software to the nigerian government.
    • openguru, on 11/01/2007, -2/+2You work for M$, right ?
    • daftman, on 11/01/2007, -1/+1Ballmer IS a ***** saleman. It's his company and I'm pretty ***** sure that a deal like this would go through him first.
  • bdbr, on 11/02/2007, -10/+3Most American kids use Windows in school too, because when they grow up they'll work for businesses, and businesses use Windows. Shame on you, Nigerian government, for wanting to provide your kids that same opportunity!
    • openguru, on 11/02/2007, -1/+8Well, That is what is called as vendor lock-in in plain english.
    • dhughes, on 11/02/2007, -1/+8 Maybe the Nigerian government was planning ahead to when Windows is no longer the top dog (thanks to Vista) and Linux is everyone's first OS choice.
    • neko, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2Yes. Everyone should use Windows, because everyone uses Windows.

      Not for it's technical merits, or anything like that.
  • nycwallstreet, on 11/02/2007, -3/+18This pissed me off so much that I've logged in here for my first time in 6 months to post this comment.

    The average Nigerian live on less than $1 a day and now they are going to be sucked into buying expensive licenses for Microsoft products (which have a unattractive passion for crashing and virus) for years to come.

    I'm off to cancel my facebook account.
    • Spoomeister, on 11/01/2007, -2/+3What a patronizing attitude! Do you seriously think the average Nigerian is unable to make their own decisions about what software to buy? Do you think the average Nigerian IT guy is unable to evaluate the merits of different systems? Who exactly is forcing these people to buy software instead of, as you imply, food and basic needs?
      • manicallday, on 11/02/2007, -0/+4Here this article will explain everything for you:

        Corruption In Nigeria Reaches Washington (Cheney/Halliburton)
        The Guardian (UK) ^ | 1-22-2004 | Dulue Mbachu
        Posted on 01/22/2004 3:58:14 PM PST by blam

        Corruption in Nigeria Reaches Washington
        Thursday January 22, 2004 11:31 PM
        By DULUE MBACHU
        Associated Press Writer
        LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - When British officials intercepted a Nigerian man with a briefcase stuffed with $200,000 at London's Heathrow airport, they thought they had stumbled upon a terrorist trail.
        Instead, the cash-filled carry-on has led to the highest-profile corruption case yet in Nigeria, where bribery scandals have been reaching to the world's leading capitals, including Washington.
        Three former Nigerian Cabinet ministers and two other former government officials are due in court Friday in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, on charges of accepting part of more than $1 million in bribes from France's electronics giant, SAGEM SA. The accusations stemmed from September's Heathrow arrest.
        It's only one international Nigerian payoff probe: In Paris, a French judge has reportedly warned that Vice President Dick Cheney could be charged over allegations that his former company, Halliburton, paid $180 million in bribes to build a Nigerian gas plant. Halliburton has called the accusations untrue, and Cheney's spokesmen have refused to comment on the case.
        Corruption has persisted despite promises by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who won election in 1999 after 15 years of brutal - and rankly corrupt - military rule in this oil-rich nation of more than 120 million people.
        Obasanjo pledged to cure the ``cancer'' of graft, but there have been no significant convictions, and no senior-level arrests and trials until now, in the president's second term.
        ``If he had started with such trials in his first term, the perception of Nigeria would have changed'' regarding corruption, said Ishola Williams, a respected retired general who represents Transparency International, the Berlin-based corruption watchdog, in Nigeria.
        Many Nigerians hope the graft case against former Labor Minister Husseini Akwanga, former internal affairs ministers Sunday Afolabi and Mahmud Shata, and two other ex-officials is a sign the government is finally revving up its the anti-corruption drive.
        ``What we have done about corruption has started to yield results,'' Obasanjo said Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
        Akwanga was the only one of the five officials still in office at the time the SAGEM scandal broke. He was fired just before his arrest.
        The former officials are accused of taking from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars each, allegedly payoffs from SAGEM to secure a $214 million contract with the Nigerian national identity card program in 2001.
        Charged Dec. 30 with 16 counts of graft each, the five are due back in court Friday.
        Authorities also are holding civil servant Chris Agidi, arrested at Heathrow as he allegedly took the payoffs abroad for deposit in foreign banks. They have not charged him.
        In Paris, SAGEM spokeswoman Veronique Faivre declined comment.
        In Nigeria, Information Minister Chukwuemeka Chikelu told The Associated Press that the case ``demonstrates the resolve of the government that there is no hiding place for corruption in Nigeria.''
        Nigeria also is following the French probe into allegations that a consortium involving Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root paid about $180 million to win a contract to build the $4 billion-plus Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas plant in the mid-1990s.
        Cheney was head of Halliburton for five of the seven years during which the secret payments were allegedly made.
        French daily Le Figaro reported last month that Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke had warned the Justice Ministry in a confidential memo that embezzlement charges ultimately could be filed against Cheney. But he added that it was too early to say whether this was likely, Le Figaro said.
        Other allegations are abundant:
        - Nigerian prosecutors also have been investigating a disclosure by Halliburton that an official of Kellogg Brown & Root allegedly paid $2.4 million to a Nigerian official in 2001 in return for lower taxes.
        - In October, U.S. oil and gas drilling company Baker Hughes agreed to an out-of-court settlement with a former British employee, Alan Ferguson, who claimed he was fired because he failed to bribe a Nigerian official in 1999 to win a drilling contract.
        Nigeria is consistently ranked by Transparency International as the second-most corrupt nation in the world after Bangladesh. Payoffs are nearly mandatory for everything from traffic violations to getting phone connections.
        Nigerian officials, however, prickle at their negative image abroad - accusing favor-seeking foreign firms of fostering a culture of graft.
        Some foreign firms have served as both ``sponsors and perpetrators of corruption,'' Chikelu said.
        But Williams of Transparency International insists that despite foreign connections, Nigerian graft is homegrown.
        ``If Nigerians are not bribe-takers, then nobody can bribe them,'' Williams said.
    • oobuntu, on 11/01/2007, -0/+1Or you could install adblock plus. MS only made a deal with facebook to get advertising rights.
  • TheZorch, on 11/01/2007, -3/+4I'm not shocked by this at all. Do I looked shocked? Nothing Steve Balmer or Microsoft does nowadays really shocks me anymore. Crooked dealings is per for the court when it comes to them.
  • SourceClosed, on 11/02/2007, -11/+0The open source community should take pride in the fact that, despite serving an inferior operating system, they have managed to help a poor country secure a great licensing deal for their country. If nothing else this proves you're helping to create some competition in the marketplace that benefits consumers.
    Let's be honest for a moment. If you were given the choice of driving away in a brand new Ferrari or some rusty old Ford, you'd pick the Ferrari everytime. And that's exactly what's happened here. Neither the Nigerian government or Microsoft have done anything wrong here. The consumers will benefit from running the defacto operating system for both consumers and business. And this deal will only help their economy in the long run.
    • grg183, on 11/12/2007, -1/+4inferior OS ??!!
      rusty old Ford ? ...that's windows XP
      repainted rusty old Ford ...thats windows vista

      I'm sorry to say that you don't know what your talking about :)
      • SourceClosed, on 11/12/2007, -5/+0Linux is still based on technology that is 20+ years old.
        The user interface is inconsistent and ugly.
        No half-decent productivity software works on the desktop.

        A rusty old Ford might have been a compliment. A more accurate description may have been a rusty Ford with no wheels, engine or steering wheel.
        • andycr512, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2"Linux is still based on technology that is 20+ years old."

          Vista is still based on technology that is nearly that old. Your point is? If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as they say. Kernel design changes little over time. That holds for both NT (Vista) and Linux (Linux). You would instead recommend we throw out millions of lines of code and start over, ending up with a buggier and less secure OS? Oh, right, that's what they did with Vista, resulting in a broken network stack and a buggy UI. Yeah, that's the ticket.

          "The user interface is inconsistent and ugly."

          Funny, I would say the same about Vista and XP. Actually, the Gnome UI is the most consistent UI in existence. In Windows, there isn't even a central set of icons to theme apps with, so you end up theming the Windows icons (which are, ugly as it is, embedded into the DLL's) but not the applications! What the heck?!

          "No half-decent productivity software works on the desktop."

          Bull.
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