____/ BearItAll on Friday 24 August 2007 08:54 : \____
> On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:28:31 +0100, Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
>> Linspire: Doomed to failure
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | Linspire has an even bigger problem. The free software community has
>> | recently decided that Linspire was on their blacklist. Why? Most (if not
>> | all) of it is a backlash from the recent Linspire-Microsoft deal.
>> | Basically, Linspire agreed to help with Microsoft Office and
>> | OpenOffice.org compatibility, Pidgin and Windows Live Messenger
>> | compatibility, and Windows Media and TrueType font support in Linspire.
>> | Microsoft also promised not to sue Linspire users. But what is given in
>> | exchange? Freespire isn’t covered, major upgrades are invalidated (so you
>> | have to buy again to maintain protection against patents), and if you use
>> | free software, business software, software running on servers, or "clone"
>> | software, you could still be sued. After three years, this protection runs
>> | out. Plus, Microsoft can stop offering protection whenever they want. And
>> | to keep it, you can’t share the software, resell it, modify it, or use it
>> | for an unauthorized use. As you can guess, this didn’t go over well with
>> | the GNU/Linux community. Not only was a Linux company doing a deal with
>> | Microsoft, they were admitting that Linux was infringing on Microsoft’s
>> | patents.
>> `----
>>
>> http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/node/2473
>>
>
> Microsoft won that one then. It doesn't matter to MS if Linspire
> disapears, they are probably sipping champers as we speak and saying
> 'Thats another one gone, which distro shall we destroy next?'.
>
> We all know that the MS deal is a stupid thing to sign, and the reason for
> signing it can't have anything to do with protecting their users from
> being sued. Just someone received a bung.
>
> But Linux mustn't suffer because of these deals nor should it suffer at
> the loss of a distro vendor. Thank goodness we are not a single distro,
> because then MS could have wiped us out far too easily.
Linspire coders will probably help under a less proprietary umbrella (never
mind CNR going open source). We sent Carmony signs before he signed the deal.
He should have known that signing a deal would be the end, but Microsoft must
have pressured him for months. He was seeing them for a long time (it later
emerged).
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Othello for free: http://othellomaster.com
http://Schestowitz.com | Open Prospects | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Tasks: 112 total, 1 running, 111 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie
http://iuron.com - knowledge engine, not a search engine
|
|
