Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on July 20, 2004 10:13 AM
Even if the big players (HP, Dell, IBM, etc) wanted to drop Free & Open Source Software (FOSS), they'd have to drop large portions of their customer bases. It's not just GNU/Linux but also apache and samba on HP-UX, AIX, etc.
And IBM has a lot at stake here while at the same time holding the worlds largest technology patent portfolio. That fact might hold Microsoft at bay. But maybe only partially as Microsoft is currently on a patent frenzy over long-horn.
My best guess is that their patent war will begin perhaps six months to a year prior to the release of long-horn. And it will focus on desktop functionality one by one, as opposed to a massive onslaught. I think so because they will want a competitive edge in the desktop market without prevoking a huge and costly war.
On each case won by Microsoft, they will at best get those features dropped out of GNU/Linux systems and perhaps collect a settlement on past distribution.
Hitting samba or apache would force the hand of IBM. Or, would this end as a game of chicken in which IBM folds and gives into Microsoft by allowing the lawsuites to destroy GNU/Linux on condition of an easy path to conversion back to a Micrsoft-centric market?
We should bare in mind that each party must make sound business decisions and a large-scale war isn't good for anyone.
What are our best options? We need to build a huge repository of prior-art. We need to both collect prior art examples (already being done somewhere, I believe) and create a large repository of new ideas.. Most of these things are silly--but so is the concept of patenting software. We must or the whole world will suffer dearly for it.
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The Patent War
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on July 20, 2004 10:13 AMAnd IBM has a lot at stake here while at the same time holding the worlds largest technology patent portfolio. That fact might hold Microsoft at bay. But maybe only partially as Microsoft is currently on a patent frenzy over long-horn.
My best guess is that their patent war will begin perhaps six months to a year prior to the release of long-horn. And it will focus on desktop functionality one by one, as opposed to a massive onslaught. I think so because they will want a competitive edge in the desktop market without prevoking a huge and costly war.
On each case won by Microsoft, they will at best get those features dropped out of GNU/Linux systems and perhaps collect a settlement on past distribution.
Hitting samba or apache would force the hand of IBM. Or, would this end as a game of chicken in which IBM folds and gives into Microsoft by allowing the lawsuites to destroy GNU/Linux on condition of an easy path to conversion back to a Micrsoft-centric market?
We should bare in mind that each party must make sound business decisions and a large-scale war isn't good for anyone.
What are our best options? We need to build a huge repository of prior-art. We need to both collect prior art examples (already being done somewhere, I believe) and create a large repository of new ideas.. Most of these things are silly--but so is the concept of patenting software. We must or the whole world will suffer dearly for it.
Matthew
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