Ubuntu Founder Says Microsoft Not A Big Threat

Golygydd Max writes "Who says that Microsoft and open source developers are enemies? It's not Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth. He says that Microsoft is not the patent threat Linux and open source developers should be worried about, and that the software giant will itself be fighting against the software patents system within a few years. 'He said the most dangerous litigants are companies not themselves in the software business, small ventures or holding companies that get their principal revenue from patent licensing. He singled out former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold and his company Intellectual Ventures, which is stockpiling patents at a rate that alarms large companies such as IBM and HP, as an example of such a potentially dangerous company.'"

Comments

Reform the System

[teknopurge]

Why not just (common sense)reform the patent system, thus crushing this holding companies?

Re:Reform the System

[amber_of_luxor]

>Less Work for them.

Then the following will give them even less work:
Prior to qualifying for the Bar, one has to demonstrate that one has memorized the following texts, in their _original_ language, by reciting them to an audience:
* The Q'ran;
* The Mahabharata;
* The Tanakh;
* The YiJing;
* The Dao De Jing;

Then the audience gets to select a text for the person to translate into the original language of another text that the audience also gets to select. That translation is to be done in front of the audience. [No reference books allowed.]

After that hurdle, then the individual can apply for the bar exam.

Amber

Re:Chances of Microsoft using other's patents

[dedazo]

What you say?

Not

[zr-rifle]

> "Microsoft is not the patent threat Linux and open source developers should be worried about"

Of course! SCO is the REAL threat!

Those godless, marauding mancubi will feel no remorse prying your $699 from your cold, dead, chips/pretzel/pizza/popcorn/nacho/cheetos/Neal mix stained hands...

Re:Not

[StringBlade]

Those godless, marauding mancubi will feel no remorse prying your $699 from your cold, dead, chips/pretzel/pizza/popcorn/nacho/cheetos/Neal mix stained hands...

"Neal mix"?

*shudder*

I don't think I what to know what goes into that, but I'm sure a very large blender must be involved.

Re:Microsoft to Ubuntu

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know what everyone thinks it means, but to me, UBUNTU means:

"For the tenth time, you can't install Sun's JAVA and expect it to work!"

Not A Big Threat?

[phalse phace]

Not a big threat? Billg responds, "That's the dumbest fucking idea I've heard since I've been at Microsoft."

Re:Microsoft to Ubuntu

[dcam]

I thought it means "I can't configure debian".