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Linus Defends Proprietary File Formats [Updated]
Simon (S2) writes "Torvalds launched a blast against OpenOffice.org, and defended Microsoft's right to keep its binary Office formats proprietary. 'I'm happy with somebody writing a free replacement for Microsoft Office. But I'm not fine with them writing a free replacement just by reverse engineering the proprietary formats,' said the Linux founder. 'Microsoft has its own reasons for keeping them proprietary, and I can't argue with that.'
At the heart of Torvalds' decision to refrain from using Bitmover's BitKeeper source code management tool last week, a day after BitKeeper decided to drop its limited functionality free client, is a dispute between BitKeeper developer Larry McVoy and Samba developer Andrew 'Tridge' Tridgell. It has subsequently emerged that Tridgell was working on a clean room reverse engineered implementation of McVoy's proprietary software, and Torvalds has come down on the side of his friend McVoy." Update: 04/13 17:24 GMT by T : As reader Daniel Callahan points out, this is a goof. "The Register article made up the Torvalds quote. The article offers the quote
and then continues: 'Actually he didn't - we just made that quote up. But what Torvalds really
did say this weekend is only slightly less bizarre.'"
Slashdot banned my IP like 5-6 months ago, just because I posted a few comments which gained negative mods. I hope this one goes through, and please, don't mod me down... at least mod me funny or something.
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Well, I'll guess I'll continue chatting in Paila Chat.
C'mon, /. .. I rely on you people!
You must be new here.
You probably shouldn't click this.
So what's happned to Linux lately?
I'm waiting for the abduction story in the National Enquirer.
Maybe Microsoft has kidnapped him and replaced him with his evil twin, the moustachioed Winus?
#include <sig.h>