,----[ Quote ]
| "We've moved past the ideology," said Sutor, in Salt Lake City
| Thursday to attend graduation ceremonies at Neumont University."
| Many people have figured out that there are a number of ways tom
| ake money from the 'open source' model."
|
| [...]
|
| The litigation has been characterized as part of a proxy war being
| waged by Microsoft against Linux, seen as a prime challenger to
| Windows. Microsoft has been a prime funding source for SCO, but
| earlier this month stunned open-sourcers by announcing a development
| pact for Novell's Suse-brand of Linux.
|
| IBM is watching the apparent about-face with interest - and
| skepticism. "I don't see [Microsoft] doing very much yet for open
| source that isn't at arm's length," Sutor said. "Possibly this is
| a way of perpetrating previous [anti-Linux] strategy while
| superficially looking better."
`----
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4679245?source=rss
Related:
Is IBM open source's little friend?
,----[ Quote ]
| ...That is because one of the big post-Linuxworld features is all about
| IBM, and how IBM is going to use open source to beat big, bad Microsoft.
|
| [...]
|
| The story, from Motley Fool, says IBM is going to get Linux running faster
| on its proprietary chips, go after smaller customers using the cost
| benefits of open source, and push an "open health care framework" to
| push computers into smaller medical offices.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=758
Ballmer rattles intellectual property saber at Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| You would have thought that by now Ballmer would have learned his
| lesson. After all, it was Microsoft that fueled up the SCO IP rocket,
| aimed it at Linux, and then watched as SCO's anti-Linux lawsuits have
| blown up.
|
| SCO's IP claims against Linux have been proven time and again to ben
| othing more than bad jokes. Is there any reason to think that Microsoft's
| IP claims wouldn't be more of the same?
|
| Yes, there is one key difference. Microsoft, if it actually had
| anything to show, would likely be relying on patents rather than
| copyrights, against Linux. However, there's just couple of wee
| little problems with that approach.
|
| First, let's assume that Microsoft isn't filled with morons. So,
| instead of threatening to sue customers -- and we all know how wellt
| hat worked out for SCO, don't we? -- they'll have to sue a big Linux
| vendor. Let's say, they decide to pick on Red Hat.
|
| Now, as it just so happens, Red Hat isn't the only company that
| distributed RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux). There's this other
| company named Oracle, which recently got into the RHEL business.
| Larry Ellison may call his version "Unbreakable Linux," but Oracle
| makes no bones about it: Unbreakable Linux is RHEL.
|
| Microsoft might think it could break Red Hat down with a long enough
| lawsuit, but Oracle? Do the boys in Redmond really want to spend the
| rest of the next decade locked in battle with Larry Ellison? I don't
| think so.
|
| Besides, does Microsoft think IBM will stay on the litigation sidelines,
| if it decides to play the patent card? IBM makes a lot of its billions
| from Linux, and I can't see Big Blue paying Microsoft off to continue
| using its favorite operating system.
|
| [...]
|
| So, from where I sit, if Microsoft really wants to try to slug it out with
| Linux in the courts, it will first have to deal with other industry
| heavyweights. It will also have to deal with all the negative PR that will
| result from taking on a much smaller company. And, after all that,
| Microsoft will still have the problem that trying to hit Linux on patents
| will be like trying to give the north wind a good punch in the jaw -- it
| simply can't be done.
`----
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS7228555922.html
If Novell and Microsoft Were in the Car Production and Sales Business...
,----[ Quote ]
|
| Look at it this way for a moment:
|
| * "If I, as an end-user, bought a car from Ford, that does
| indeed contain technology infringing some patent owned by
| DaimlerChrysler--would there by any likelihood that Ford would
| sue me, the end-user?
|
| * "However, if I, as an end-user, buy a SUSE Linux Enterprise Serv-
| er, that *may* contain (well, it doesn't, and never will, as
| Novell strongly reassures me) software patented technology owned
| by Microsoft--would there be any likelihood that Microsoft would
| sue me, the end-user?
`----
http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/2528
|
|
