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IBM Opens Their Patent Portfolio to Open Source

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the leading-by-example dept.

kfiller writes "IBM announced that over 500 of their currently held software patents will be freely available to use for those who are working on open source projects (NY Times, free registration required), with the hope that more companies will do the same. More information is available at SourceLicense."

9 of 653 comments (clear)

  1. Wow! by MrRTFM · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wow - this is the first story that has made me get a subscription to New York Times.

    Good stuff, IBM!! *

    * Google - please retract this post from the archives in 12 years when IBM turns into the new evil corporation again

    --
    You can't expect to wield supreme executive power, just because some watery tart threw a sword at you
  2. Nice, now if only M$ would open their patents by ravenspear · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh wait! They don't need to because open source programmers are already using them, have been for decades, and don't really give a shit at this point.

    1. Re:Nice, now if only M$ would open their patents by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Funny

      Heck, open source programmers were even using the patents before Microsoft applied for them!

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  3. Re:Sweet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    How many of you remember when IBM were the bad guys?
    Weren't they the bad guys last week? I can never keep up.
  4. If Microsoft did this.. by yorkpaddy · · Score: 5, Funny

    If Microsoft did this or open up their sources it could set FOSS back years. Thank you MS for being selfish.

    --
    "brxref .k.p ,.by xprt. gbe.p.oycmaycbi yd. cby.nci.bj. ru yd. am.pcjab lgxlcj" don'
  5. Mmm... by DoChEx · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is this not like, you first hit is free???

  6. Re:Sweet! by bnenning · · Score: 4, Funny

    Besides do you really buy a stock in a company whose CEO calls you a communist?

    Well, I did buy some MSFT, but I used some of my profits to buy a Mac with IBM processors, so it all works out...

    --
    How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.
  7. Re:Sweet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like Windows XP Home Edition.

    It is the most powerful operating-system for Pee Cees. It looks not as gay as Mac OS X by Steve B10 Jobs and has 1,0000,0000 times more softwares that the Linus-operating-system.

    Plus, it comes with every Pee Cee for free. People who have grown acusstomt to paying RatHat 699 $$$ or more can hardly beleive this when I consult them with my proffesional Internet- and Network-Service-Center-Bureau.

    I always tell them:
    "Windows XP Home Edition is all you can empower to leverage the outcome-bottomlime of your stickholder ... plus even more!"

    My customers usually are like: "OMG!"

    You should really try it one day; it has a very nice light-reddish color theme to hit your tastes.

    Thank you!

  8. Re:Sweet! by geminidomino · · Score: 4, Funny

    Please, don't mix religion with economics.

    Yeah, that's the Republicans' job. <grins, ducks, and runs like hell>