Michael Tiemann - Subject: Torvald's is not the guy to follow here...
,----[ Quote ]
| In my opinion, anything that Microsoft does that falls short of the published
| open source minimums is...sub-minimal. Torvalds is happy because his
| standards are lower--he cares more about himself than his community. But
| other people have higher standards--we also care about the community at least
| as much as we care for ourselves.
`----
http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2008-02-25-019-26-IN-KN-MS-0000
Wow! Maybe Tiemann (OSI) is more like Stallman (GNU/FSF) _after all_...
Microsoft’s Open Premise: Divide and Conquer?
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| here is a lot of discussion around the new Microsoft premise to offer freely
| documentation about its protocols and interfaces, and to not sue developers
| who use it to create code for non-commercial goals, even if they violate
| Microsoft patents. Some people think that this is done to avoid further
| pressure from the European Commission. It could be so - but there could be
| also a different rationale for it.
|
| [...]
|
| I would. Fair is fair… If only it wasn’t for one small detail: this way, they
| destroy the FOSS essence. Every FOSS license gives you the right to use and
| distribute the software in any way you like, commercial or not. If you are
| limited to non-commercial distribution only, this is not freedom anymore. And
| this is going to damage the positions of FOSS not only among the freedom
| pundits, but also (and maybe even more) among the ordinary users. That is -
| to marginalize FOSS.
`----
http://www.gatchev.info/blog/?p=601
Related:
Red Hat was right, Novell was wrong
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's pledge to truly interoperate with the rest of the planet,
| including open-source developers (both commercial and community), leaves two
| clear victors in the Linux camp: Red Hat and Ubuntu. While Novell capitulated
| to Microsoft's early demands for a patent stooge, Red Hat and Ubuntu stood
| firm.
|
| [...]
|
| Well, Novell gained a few quarters of "coupon cash" from the deal (though my
| sources at Novell say that customers aren't renewing their subscriptions at a
| rate that Novell would like), but I hope it recognizes the value in standing
| firm for openness. What little wind it got puffed into its sails from its
| interoperability lock-up with Microsoft just dissipated.
`----
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9876061-16.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheOpenRoad
Microsoft tries to appease EU by sharing secrets
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| Microsoft, reacting to the rejection of its antitrust appeal in Europe last
| year, said this morning that it's giving outside software developers new
| levels of access to its biggest programs.
|
| [...]
|
| Antitrust regulators in Europe were emboldened by last September's ruling
| against the company by the European Court of First Instance, opening two new
| antitrust investigations into Microsoft's activities last month.
`----
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/132369.asp?source=rss
EU skeptical on Microsoft sharing plan
,----[ Quote ]
| European Union regulators are expressing skepticism over Microsoft's latest
| offer to share more information about its products and technology.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080221/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_sharing
What Microsoft’s open APIs mean for open source
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| It is worth noting that the new strategy will see Microsoft providing a list
| of the patents and patent applications that relate to the protocols and
| formats it uses for the named products. This should mean that open source
| developers are able to identify some of the 235 patents Microsoft previously
| claimed were infringed by free and open source software and will be able to
| license them (on RAND terms), attempt to develop around them, or challenge
| their legitimacy.
`----
http://blogs.the451group.com/opensource/2008/02/21/what-microsofts-open-apis-mean-for-open-source/
|
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