Microsoft takes on the free world | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft takes on the free world

money.cnn.com

7 pointsfar33d6 comments

At least it's down from 283 mentioned in 2004: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/02/1459211&tid=155

With IBM backing Linux, all Microsoft can do is start a nuclear war that will not end well for it.

"I'll see your 235 and raise you 6,000."

cliff notes: But he does break down the total number allegedly violated - 235 - into categories. He says that the Linux kernel - the deepest layer of the free operating system, which interacts most directly with the computer hardware - violates 42 Microsoft patents. The Linux graphical user interfaces - essentially, the way design elements like menus and toolbars are set up - run afoul of another 65, he claims. The Open Office suite of programs, which is analogous to Microsoft Office, infringes 45 more. E-mail programs infringe 15, while other assorted FOSS programs allegedly transgress 68.

That reminds me. What ever happened to SCO?

"It's a tinderbox. Patent law's going to be the terrain on which a big piece of the war's going to be fought. Waterloo is here some where." --Eben Moglen, Executive director, Software Freedom Law Center

This is a very sobering article - MS's way to cripple the Open Source software movement now that MS's products are beginning to loose steam. Let's hope Richard Stallman will be able to slay the Goliath.

David vs. Goliath is a nice story, but it's always better to have someone bigger on your side. MSFT has a huge warchest, and therefor a big advantage going against the FSF. I'd look for support for the cause of free software from the likes of GOOG, IBM, and YHOO (assuming the latter isn't bought by MSFT); companies that make a lot of money by not paying the MSFT tax.

Now, could MSFT acquire/bribe all its deep-pocketed natural adversaries in a patent fight? My opinion is not; they don't have _that_ much money, and the GPL limits their ability to engage in cross-licensing maneuvers.

Still, this story makes me want to chant: "Hey, hey, ho, ho, software patents have got to go." I can't think of a damn thing s/w or business process patents have ever contributed to innovation. (Counterexamples welcome.)

Hopefully, this time the dispute will go all the way to the supreme court, and we will get a ruling that makes the whole IP environment more predictable. At least for startups and smaller players without huge legal resources, as well as for those who would like to invest in them, the current uncertainty is worse than any probable ruling.

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