Microsoft patent peace--or patent war?

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This is a good thing ... it is NOT a SCO redux ...

This is a good thing because in the end, it will make the world safe for BOTH MS and Linux. MS has no valid patent claims against any crucial Linux technologies. But there are some vulnerabilities and NTFS was brought up as one of them. Microsoft is basically saying here that if you want to use things like NTFS, you need to buy it from us. And in fact, full NTFS support, fully licensed by MS is currently available at a reasonable price for those who need it. So I really don't think we are looking at SCO type arm twisting here, but I do think some distributors will be getting some friendly letters from MS legal staff requesting that they remove a few obviously infringing packages. For example, if, in fact, MS has a valid patent on NTFS, the existing NTFS support in Linux infringes on that patent. This is NOT a big deal. That support is all modular and can be easily removed. Those who need NTFS to interact with Windows will have to pay MS for it and chalk it up to Windows expenses. As for the song and dance Ballmer is doing, that is just marketing jive. If they actually sue end users, it likely be corporate or government users and MS will have to specify what technology is infringing. MS will also be likely to offer a legit replacement for a price. I simply don't believe this is going to be the big 'the sky is falling' scenario some are making it out to be. And I am convinced that distributors will have the crucial option to continue to offer MS IP free, free downloads as they have in the past. But they will also have the option of paying MS royalties and offering vastly enhanced non-free versions as a value added option. Quite honestly, I see nothing wrong with that equation.

Posted by: George Mitchell   Posted on: 11/04/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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