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Linus Responds To Microsoft Patent Claims
An anonymous reader writes "Linus Torvalds has a sharp retort to Microsoft executives' statements in a Fortune article that Linux violates 235 Microsoft patents. In an emailed response to InformationWeek's Charlie Babcock, Torvalds writes: 'It's certainly a lot more likely that Microsoft violates patents than Linux does.' He added: 'Basic operating system theory was pretty much done by the end of the 1960s. IBM probably owned thousand of really "fundamental" patents... The fundamental stuff... has long, long since lost any patent protection.'" Torvalds also commented on Microsoft's stated intention not to sue Linux users: "They'd have to name the patents then, and they're probably happier with the FUD than with any lawsuit."
Well wasn't there an article the other day about how Linux was dead and Linus had to take a day job ? So he needs the work.
Please note that this article violates 207 Microsoft patents. Anyone commenting on it will be violating a further 703 patents. Except me.
"Don't you think that if Microsoft actually had some really foolproof patent, they'd just tell us and go, 'nyaah, nyaah, nyaah!'"
Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
It looks like Linus has been reading Slashdot the past couple of days.
Oh! And we should keep the list secret!
Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
Just remember kids that you can't spell Microsoft without SCO (and MIROFT).
Just for clarity's sake, it is probably about the time to start using the GNU/Linux nomenclature, not to mention actually differentiating between Linux as an operating system, and X Window running on top of it, with its various window managers.
.. they might actually have those patents. Whether they are enforcable may be a different matter. Especially considering the plethora of prior art. Except for Clippy and Bob, I'm not sure what they've done that is original.
I doubt M$ can claim that GNU is breaking any patents. As Linus as stated, its hard to imagine what internals of Linux that could intruding on a M$ technology, except maybe the Fat32 and NTFS compatability layers.
I remember reading one of the previous reports on this issue, and one of the claims was that user interface designs for things like the web browser and email clients were guilty. I was under the impression, when M$ stole from Apple (or when Apple stole from Xerox) all of this got settled.. It certainly strikes me funny M$ suing another company for stealing the UI. Besides the fact that the original IE looks a lot like Netscape's browser, and I'm pretty sure there were email clients before Outlook. Or the fact that Word looks pretty simlar to that of Wordperfect.
M$ might be right about the infringement
that Microsoft actually has a patent on computerized retorts
Better yet... put Microsoft on double secret probation!
I hold the patent on article comments and am going to sue slashdot users unless they all give me their lunch money!
Actually, from MICROSOFT you can spell:
SCO TO FIRM
SCO FROM IT
SCO OF TRIM
and permutations thereof.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
wasn't there an article recently about a guy who wrote drivers supporting 235 webcams? ;)
or was it 325 - the article (and summary) was unclear.
still, coincidence, no
No, you misread the article completely. What it said is that Linus is dead and you should get a day job.
09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
Jesus loves you, I think you suck
I'M FOR COST
I had hoped Linus would have said this, but I guess it's up to me:
Hey Microsoft! BRING IT ON, BITCH!
-- Will program for bandwidth
i prefer "of scrotim"
+2, Hilarious
how to invest, a novice's guide
My dog would like to withdraw his patent application for a method of peeing on a fire hydrant. After properly smelling the fire hydrant he discovered that some other dogs had apparently already discovered the method. We will also withdraw all tort against users of the peeing on the fire hydrant method. Our lawyers had previously counseled my dog on the probably illegitimacy of the application. But for whatever reason, he was unable to comprehend the advice of his attorneys when they said that the method may not qualify as non-obvious to those skilled in the art of peeing. I thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Dog Owner
"Hi, my name is Linus Torvalds, and I pronounce the 'Microsoft IP violations' in Linux as bullshit!"
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
No need, I've already made the list. And damn Microsoft violates a lot of patents; 312 to be precise.
// MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
US patent #8324251 : From time to time the currently operating application shall cease working for no apparent reason. The typical means of exit shall be a crash; at this time nothing useful is to be written to the event log. A crash dump may be offered as if to taunt the user 'if you had the source you could fix this yourself, nyaah'.
"It doesn't cost enough, and it makes too much sense."
Actually, they violate an infinite number of patents. Haven't you heard of Schrödinger's Code?
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2