Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> __/ [ John Locke ] on Wednesday 06 June 2007 10:23 \__
>
>> On Wed, 06 Jun 2007 03:06:58 +0100, Roy Schestowitz
>> <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>>Microsoft/Xandros patent-pact deja vu
>>>
>>>| Once more we have Microsoft pledging that it won't sue Novell -- excuse
>>>| me, Xandros -- Linux customers for violating its IP, specifically
>>>| patents. What patents? Determined how? Violated in what way? We don't
>>>| know, and Microsoft still isn't telling.
>>
>> They don't need to tell anybody anything. All Microsoft has to do is
>> blow a little smoke and everyone runs scared. They're sitting on a
>> mountain of money and they can field the bogus patent thing
>> from now until the second coming. Noone has the funds to face
>> Microsoft in a legal battle. Its one helluva a lot cheaper to sell
>> your soul.
>
> The turning point is reached when enough people realise what it going on.
> Bell did the same type of thing before it was broken to pieces. Many people
> whom I know that are moving to Linux do this because they understand the
> situation, not just because Linux is better.
>
It's about avoiding lock-in, having an exit-strategy from technology.
Linux and open-source offer an exit strategy, because the exit barrier
is low, nothing is hidden, data and source are visible, structures are
visible. Proprietary products, on the other hand, are highly prone to
lock-in problems, especially where you get tight vertical integration,
such as IE and Microsoft Office running on Windows; all kinds of
features are tied in to the operating system in order to make exiting
from windows as difficult as exiting from Iraq. And as expensive.
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ |
| Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ |
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