Recently, we reported on
LibreOffice, accusing Microsoft of intentionally using complex file formats as a tactic to lock in users to Microsoft Office, hindering open source alternatives like LibreOffice.
Now, Microsoft has banned LibreOffice developer, Mike Kaganski, from using its services, citing an "activity that violates [its] Services Agreement".
According to Mike, this happened last Monday when he tried to send a technical email to the LibreOffice dev mailing list, which is a normal part of his routine, but Thunderbird returned an error saying the message couldn't be sent. His account was blocked upon retry, and he found himself completely logged out of his Microsoft account.
Kaganski guessed that his mail and account were getting flagged by a bot or something, since he was quite sure that nothing in the mail violated Microsoft's terms of service.
So he decided to file an appeal, a process which later made him call Redmond "miserably incompetent in IT." The automated system asked for his phone number, which he provided, only to be greeted by a "Try another method" error message.
A LibreOffice developer has shared his experience of having his Microsoft account banned, and how the company has been uncooperative in helping him recover it.
www.neowin.net
