RE: Open Source Security Comes Under Fire

Okay, since I provided the original remark that provoked this line of discussion, let me clarify. The organization I was asking whether they were a shill for Microsoft is the Aberdeen Group, the people that did the report that made Microsoft look great and Linux look bad. I don't think it matters which news organization reports the findings, since Aberdeen is a fairly prominent organization. I did a search and found the name of the organizations that Oracle had investigated. Here is the news excerpt:

Oracle hired Investigative Group International to probe two research organizations, the Independence Institute and the National Taxpayers Union. The company sought to verify links between Microsoft and the organizations during its antitrust trial--and even tried to buy trash from another research group with close ties to Microsoft. Oracle told Bloomberg News today it discovered that the two organizations were misrepresenting themselves as independent advocacy groups when they were in fact funded by Microsoft. Oracle said the company hired the detective agency because the organizations were releasing studies supporting Microsoft during the antitrust trial. The financial ties between the organizations were reported by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

Dennis Williams
DBA, 40%OCP
Lifetouch, Inc.
dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 8:04 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Rodd,

Where do you see evidence that Ziff-Davis is owned by Microsoft?

The links seem to lead to a UK publishing firm.

www.ziffdavis.com --> http://www.willisstein.com/ --> www.emac.com

Regards,
Patrice Boivin
Systems Analyst (Oracle Certified DBA)

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 3:27 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Go figure. This was published on a ZiffDavis news site. ZD is either majority or wholly owned by Microsoft. Do you suppose there might be a bit of a slant there?????

Rodd Holman

On Wed, 2002-11-27 at 10:23, DENNIS WILLIAMS wrote:
> Patrice - Amazing how these things happen. A few weeks ago a report listed
> Microsoft products as among the worst security risks. Microsoft
immediately
> attacked the report. Then by an amazing coincidence, an "impartial"
> organization releases a report stating that Microsoft's greatest
competitor,
> the "free" people, are actually the greatest security risk.
> Somebody refresh my memory -- wasn't it the Aberdeen Group that Larry
> hired the private eye to get some proof that they were just shills for
> Microsoft, and the guy was caught dumpster diving?
>
>
>
> Dennis Williams
> DBA
> Lifetouch, Inc.
> dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 8:24 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
>
>
> FYI.
>
> <http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,720533,00.asp>
> http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,720533,00.asp
>
> Regards,
>
> Patrice Boivin
> Systems Analyst (Oracle Certified DBA)
>
> Systems Admin & Operations | Admin. et Exploit. des syst?mes
> Technology Services | Services technologiques
> Informatics Branch | Direction de l'informatique
> Maritimes Region, DFO | R?gion des Maritimes, MPO
>
> E-Mail: boivinp_at_mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
>
> --
> Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com

-- 
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