[ale] What do y'all think about Microsoft's new war?

[Mark Wright]

I think that Microsoft is really desperate.  The FSF lawyer they kept  
quoting was pretty optimistic that this could blow up on Microsoft.   
I think  the fact that what they are doing it is a sign of corporate  
hubris, stupidity and desperation.

What it boils down to is lots of companies hold lots of ridiculous  
patents of unpatentable ideas.  Microsoft being the most needy is  
trying to go in and broker detent with other large patent holders  
saying if you won't sue us we won't sue you.  (Windows infringes on  
many stupid patents held my the likes of IBM and Sun.  Most of these  
companies realize their patents won't stand up in court but it is the  
cost of litigation that makes the patent valuable to the holder.)   
The result though is calculated to leave no legal room for FOSS.

Worst case this could be mutually assured destruction for a lot of  
the computer industry.  For us though as individual users I don't see  
how this can hurt us much and benefit Microsoft any.  Nothing Ubuntu  
or Debian or OpenBSD or even Mandriva is going to change little if  
any because Microsoft can pressure large corporations into deals that  
cost Microsoft millions and violates the GPL.  It will just be tons  
of bad will and bad press for Microsoft.




On May 14, 2007, at 1:39 PM, Michael B. Trausch wrote:

> This is disturbing to me.  Microsoft has pretty much declared war  
> on all of us.  What happens if they succeed?  Do you think they will?
>
> I am sure that we all remember that back in November, Microsoft and  
> Novell entered into an agreement, stating that Microsoft was coming  
> to terms with Linux.  Interesting that now they are pretty much  
> saying that Free Software violates them and they are pretty much  
> threatening to take action against Free Software.  They want to  
> destroy freedom.
>
> They're claiming that "the Linux kernel ... violates 42 Microsoft  
> patents", "Linux [GUIs violate] another 65", "[OpenOffice.org] ...  
> infringes 45 more", "E-mail programs infringe 15", and "other  
> assorted FOSS programs allegedly transgress 68".
>
> Is anyone else getting really sick of this crap?
>
>     -- Mike
>
> --
> Michael B. Trausch	
> fd0man at gmail.com
> Phone: (404) 592-5746	
> Jabber IM:	fd0man at gmail.com
> fd0man at livejournal.com
> Demand Freedom!  Use open and free protocols, standards, and software!
> "What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed  
> without evidence." ?Christopher Hitchens
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