Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

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spot
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by spot »

The fight for Microsoft's dominant position seems to have finally been announced. Their good name is about to commit SCO suicide.

"Microsoft's claims that the Linux kernel violates 42 of its patents, that the graphical user interface such as the Gnome and KDE projects fall foul of another 65 and that OpenOffice infringes 45".

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/21898 ... ents-linux
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
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gmc
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by gmc »

spot;613987 wrote: The fight for Microsoft's dominant position seems to have finally been announced. Their good name is about to commit SCO suicide.

"Microsoft's claims that the Linux kernel violates 42 of its patents, that the graphical user interface such as the Gnome and KDE projects fall foul of another 65 and that OpenOffice infringes 45".

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/21898 ... ents-linux


Stupid idiots. they would do better in business if they spend as much effort improving their products as they do pinching other peoples ideas and trying to force out competition. I hope the EU stands firm and tells the US to **** off when it comes to patents.

Always amazes me that manufacturers let Microsoft dictate to them what operating system they put in their computers. How long before the Chinese manufacturers start installing their own version of Linux in conjunction with European developers.

I use windows out of necessity because they have such a stranglehold.

Which linux version do you use spot?
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spot
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by spot »

gmc;614067 wrote: Which linux version do you use spot?When I got back to Bristol last month I put 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) Ubuntu on here, so I could see what they were doing with it. There's some good tools emerging over the last year or so there for Debian derivatives. The Automatix installer is neat and complements the Synaptic one. Open Office is reliable. If I weren't just being curious I'd stick with Slackware, I'll probably drop back to that in a few weeks.

Support for running programs written for Microsoft operating systems is getting reliable too. I clicked "WINE" on Automatix and from then on .exe files just run as on Microsoft operating systems, though I've not tried many applications - just the ones which were only ever written as .exe and which are specific to a particular obscure field.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
koan
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by koan »

I think that, ultimately, this will open up a lot of doorways when they lose.
Carl44
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by Carl44 »

koan;614256 wrote: I think that, ultimately, this will open up a lot of doorways when they lose.




good koanie :)





sorry yours was the only post i could follow:D
gmc
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by gmc »

koan;614256 wrote: I think that, ultimately, this will open up a lot of doorways when they lose.


:yh_rotfl
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JacksDad
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by JacksDad »

Just installed Fawn last night. Can't wait to get home and see what it's all about.

As far as Microsoft goes, it's just Bill Gates last ditch, desperate effort to save his own ass.

I, for one, am really going to enjoy watching the mighty Microsoft crumble.

If it wasn't for Novell kissing his butt this would never even have come about.

Bye,bye Billy.

:D
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Chookie
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by Chookie »

As far as I am concerned, Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ.
An ye harm none, do what ye will....
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zinkyusa
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by zinkyusa »

Chookie;614329 wrote: As far as I am concerned, Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ.


Steve Ballmer is the real Anti-Christ. Bill is more into his philanthropy these days.:guitarist
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spot
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by spot »

This is all really unkind. Bill Gates is one of the great benefactors of humanity and I'm talking about his software, not his charities. His breaking the PC out from under IBM's paternal control was the moment the world entered the computer age and nothing's ever been the same since.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by Bryn Mawr »

spot;614585 wrote: This is all really unkind. Bill Gates is one of the great benefactors of humanity and I'm talking about his software, not his charities. His breaking the PC out from under IBM's paternal control was the moment the world entered the computer age and nothing's ever been the same since.


Before the "IBM DOS" PC running at a Godawful 4.77MHz there were a plethora of manufacturers using a variety of chips and operating systems.

Whilst development continued for a short while on these alternative platforms the "political" clout of the IBM / Intel / Microsoft axis very quickly became the de facto standard within the corporate world. This was based totally on their marketing clout rather than the quality of their collective product.

The result of this stifling of alternative platforms was to put back the development of PCs by decades. It's fair enough to point out that Micro$oft has developed almost all that's big in the PC world but that overlooks the fact that they've done it on the back of buying what inovative technology there is and suppressing that which they couldn't buy.

If the early diversity had been allowed to continue until natural evolution had been given a chance to find the best architecture then all of the more recent development would have been so much easier.

As it is, we're stuck with an overblown calculator chip, using a totally unsuitable instruction set and running an OS designed for a maximum of 640KB of memory (because Bill Gates decreed that no-one would ever possibly require more than that).

Hardly the act of a benefactor!
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spot
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by spot »

Bryn Mawr;614618 wrote: As it is, we're stuck with an overblown calculator chip, using a totally unsuitable instruction set and running an OS designed for a maximum of 640KB of memory (because Bill Gates decreed that no-one would ever possibly require more than that).I'm told that Izaac Walton wrote in the Compleat Angler that if you choose the right thread, select the right fly and throw it under the right bit of shadow you might hook the exact fish and drag him protesting into the daylight. Gosh, I thought as I was reading VNU, Bryn'll bristle when he sees that story.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by spot »

If you try to run the PC you bought ten years ago it can't go on the Internet any longer with a Microsoft operating system. Microsoft only produces one current operating system[1], refusing to keep previous ones updated with security patches beyond a short period.

Is that ten year old computer still any good? Of course it is, it's just as good as the day you spent $3000 on it. Can it go onto the Internet today? Yes, happily, if you load Linux onto it. More to the point, the PC you buy this year is going to be Microsoft-obsoleted well within ten years if you stick with Vista.

Once you buy a computer with a Microsoft licence attached, you've paid them their licence fee. Once they stop supporting that operating system, that licence is valueless.

Linux is now good enough, finally, to go onto family computers and need no more familiarisation to computer illiterates than a Microsoft product. Suppliers are selling computers from shops with Linux installed and no Microsoft licence. We're back to a competitive market.

[1]PDAs excepted.
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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Bill Sikes
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by Bill Sikes »

magenta flame;614917 wrote: I know we are talking tech but after all the tech that has entered the world don't Brits still pay a TV license?D


What's paying for a TV licence got to do with "tech"?
koan
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by koan »

gmc;614317 wrote: :yh_rotfl


:-3

Dude, I'm serious.
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Bryn Mawr
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Microsoft patent enforcement on Open Source begins

Post by Bryn Mawr »

spot;614932 wrote: If you try to run the PC you bought ten years ago it can't go on the Internet any longer with a Microsoft operating system. Microsoft only produces one current operating system[1], refusing to keep previous ones updated with security patches beyond a short period.

Is that ten year old computer still any good? Of course it is, it's just as good as the day you spent $3000 on it. Can it go onto the Internet today? Yes, happily, if you load Linux onto it. More to the point, the PC you buy this year is going to be Microsoft-obsoleted well within ten years if you stick with Vista.

Once you buy a computer with a Microsoft licence attached, you've paid them their licence fee. Once they stop supporting that operating system, that licence is valueless.

Linux is now good enough, finally, to go onto family computers and need no more familiarisation to computer illiterates than a Microsoft product. Suppliers are selling computers from shops with Linux installed and no Microsoft licence. We're back to a competitive market.

[1]PDAs excepted.


I finally retired my RiscOS machine last year having bought it in 1989 and updated the chip once in the intrim. Built in obsolecence is not a necessary condition of the world - it's a marketing ploy by WinTel to extract more money from mugs like us.

(the only reason I retired it is having to be able to work from home - the accuracy of formatting of the latest Wrrd documents wasn't good enough on big documents with lots of tables.)
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