Black List

Here is a list of companies whom I refuse to buy from or to have any dealings with, and an explanation of why they are listed here:

LG

LG signed a patent deal with microsoft to protect its use of Linux in embedded devices. Too bad, because I really liked LG devices, in fact my 1000W sound system is from LG, hey I also have a cell phone from them too! However don't expect any further purchases from me LG!

Linspire

OMFG! - yet another spineless Linux vendor, Linspire, has signed a patent deal with microsoft. So the list of evil spawn of Satan Linux distributors I will never support now includes Linspire, Xandros and Novell!

Xandros

Following on the footsteps on Novell, Xandros made the same patent deal with microsoft. Yay! Another Linux company that I will never buy from!

Samsung

Samsung followed Fuji Xerox and also signed a patent deal with microsoft for patent protection of its Linux based products. This is getting ridiculous! I am going home and smashing my Samsung DVD player (just kidding - yet don't expect any further purchases from me!).

Fuji Xerox

Fuji Xerox, mimicking Novell, has signed a patent deal with microsoft for patent protection of its Linux based products. Holly shit - who is next? I do have a Fuji camera, yet don't expect my next to be anything from your pathetic company!

Novell

In 2006 Novell made a patent protection deal with the devil (a.k.a. microsoft). This deal is widely seen as violating the GPL. At minimum it has seriously damaged the open-source movement since it gives further support to microsoft in its belief that the Linux kernel violates microsoft patents. Expect another SCO style lawsuit against Linux users, with microsoft getting their ass kicked by IBM, or another open-source heavyweight (possibly Google?). Novell is now off my list of companies that I will every purchase from.

EV1Servers.net

In 2004 EV1Servers.net purchased a SCO license for $1 million US. SCO, as many of you know (or if you read below) is suing Linux developers and users claiming that Linux violates SCO's UNIX copyright, which is total baloney. This license was in fact protection money. For not having the backbone to stand up to the SCO scare tactics, and for helping fund the SCO legal machine, I moved my dedicated servers away from EV1Servers.net. They will never get another cent from me.

SCO

In 2003 SCO sued IBM claiming it violated their UNIX copyright. SCO then started to sue other Linux developers, including users (some of whom are/were SCO customers!). SCO claimed that IBM, a UNIX licensee, violated the license by also developing for Linux. This is total nonsense, of course, since Linux is not a derived work just because the same company developed for both Linux and the original UNIX. SCO simply was trying to increase the price of their stock, or possibly get bought out by IBM. Luckily, IBM decided not to go the easy route, and is instead fighting SCO in court. In fact, most of the companies being sued by SCO have counter-sued SCO. I can't wait to see IBM and the others companies stomp SCO into the ground!

microsoft

I don't have the disk space (nor the time!) to document the nearly infinite number of reasons why microsoft is on my black list.