Verily I say unto thee, that Geico Caveman spake thusly:
> Only a moron would bet his company's life on Mono. Its very likely
> patent encumbered (that is probably the idea behind Microsoft
> tolerating/encouraging its use anyways - compromise the legal
> standing of systems while making it indispensable, and then milk them
> for whatever it is worth - old, familiar modus operandi).
The infestation of GNU/Linux with Mono is an issue that is far more
serious than just patents. Do we really want to adopt Microsoft's
principles and methodologies? How convenient for Microsoft if we did.
Then, not only would they have easily verifiable grounds to claim
"infringement" in later years, but they'd also have perverted GNU/Linux
at the most fundamental level - at the source. How long before some of
those Windows-esque design flaws started to manifest in GNU/Linux, and
turn it into a bloated, bug-infested, encumbered, mess of Slopware? It's
the ultimate sabotage strategy - destroy thine enemy from within.
And just to be clear, no I don't think Microsoft has any intention of
ever actually litigating. It's about control, and the power to extract
revenue - even from a competitor. They rattle their sabres and the
weak-minded cowards jump, sign papers, and give away their rights. As
far as Microsoft is concerned GNU/Linux is just another revenue stream,
ripe for exploitation. They wouldn't dare to damage that, but they'll
certainly crack the whip when their pet monkeys step out of line, just
like they do with their non-Linux partners.
Microsoft probably anticipates that particular revenue stream drying up
somewhere down the line, at which point they'll dump it like a sack of
rotten potatoes. Some of us in the community would like to rescue those
goods, /before/ they go rotten. Others, like Torvalds, seem naively
unconcerned, perhaps even disingenuously so.
> I am surprised that you would be promoting its use in *any* way, Roy.
>
AFAICT Roy is merely warning us of an increased rate of Mono adoption,
so we may be better prepared to defend against it.
> Anything with Miguel de Icaza's handprints on it should be avoided
> like plague. The man is not much more than a stool pigeon.
De Icaza is one of the principle saboteurs. Our very own Judas.
--
K.
http://slated.org
.----
| "Proprietary licenses, the crack cocaine of software finance."
| - Matt Asay, CNET
`----
Fedora release 7 (Moonshine) on sky, running kernel 2.6.22.1-41.fc7
22:15:54 up 26 days, 21:10, 2 users, load average: 0.77, 0.82, 0.59
|
|
