thelinuxlink.net

Microsoft denies $400,000 anti-Linux bribe

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/17566


p2pnet news | Open Source:- Microsoft says it didn’t pay a Nigerian contractor US$400,000 to, “battle Linux’s movement into the government sector,” according to the IDG News Service.

Microsoft proposed paying a government contractor under a joint marketing agreement, last year, to, “persuade him to replace Linux OS with Windows OS on thousands of school laptops,” says the story, quoting media reports.

A joint marketing agreement was drafted, but never executed, it has Thomas Hansen, regional manager for Microsoft West, East and Central Africa, stating, going on:

“It became clear, he added, that one customer wanted a Linux OS.

” ‘As such, the joint marketing agreement became irrelevant; no such marketing agreement was ever agreed to, and no money was ever spent,’ he said.”

Governments in Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa have, “deployed Linux in departments and schools, but Hansen said that Microsoft has strong relationships with the governments in these countries,” the story adds.

I read it as an admission by Microsoft that "yes we offered the bribe, but we never intended to actually pay the money, so what's the problem". So they're not only corrupt bribers, but welchers as well.

Looks like it didn't work in this case, and was only drafted. But this does provide proof that they do use bribes in the guise of a "marketing agreement" to get Microsoft software into these developing countries and stop Linux adoption. And that they are willing to take money from developing countries through guile and deceit regardless of the impact to further their market dominance. Just shows that this company is evil and greedy, and that they do not care about computer users or their customers.

Consequently, I think the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is just an attempt to make up for all the evil Microsoft does all over the world. Someone should tell Bill that it won't save him from the lake of fire though.

Bugz