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

[Vernard Martin]

Michael B. Trausch wrote:
> This is disturbing to me. 
> <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/05/28/100033867/index.htm>  
> 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 
> <http://www.microsoft.com/interop/msnovellcollab/open_letter.mspx>, 
> 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".
>
I can't remember where I read the info but I seem to recall that 50% of 
all patent violations that proceed into lawsuits end up the two parties 
involved entering into a mutual cross-licensing of technology. I 
actually have no doubt that at least some of Microsoft's claims are 
true. However, having a patent doesn't mean that you invented it. It 
means you have a patent for it.  It would cost a fortune to prove prior 
on that many patents. Notice that while they claim this has happened, 
they haven't actually filed suit. just threatened. That is about 
tactics, not about right and wrong :-)

I personally would LOVE for them to start a war that would pit them 
against IBM and other big compaies. MS might be the biggest dog on the 
block but they are not more powerful than all the OTHER dogs on the 
block put together.  They had better play this very very carefully.

V