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

Uh oh.

[pair-a-noyd]

"Ubuntu Founder Says Microsoft Not A Big Threat"

So he's conceding that MS is a threat though not a big threat.
Poor choice of words Mr. Shuttleworth. You could have worded that differently.
Is Ubuntu on the verge of a MicroNovell type deal now?

People grow into Microsoft devs after open source

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

Who says that Microsoft and open source developers are enemies?

I don't think they're enemies at all. Many open source developers train themselves on the basics through open source projects and then become closed system developers (using Microsoft, Flash, Apple, Sony, etc. systems) when they realize they prefer getting paid for their work.

Ubuntu type of distros are a real threat to Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

They dropped PowerPC official support claiming PowerPC is dead while Apple plans/releases Leopard and at least 10.6 supporting down to G4.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCReview

That type of distro is a first. I think Linux kernel still supports MIPS/Alpha CPUs ,when did last MIPS sell?

Don't be tricked, we really don't need another RDF type person and his fanboys.

For Linux, credible sources are: Linus, Debian people, Redhat Inc. and even RMS. Not some bored billionaire who will show very evil face soon.

I know Linus is not some "Wow, 8 Xeons, lets buy" type guy and I have reason to believe he still uses Dual G5 Mac as one of the posters mentioned on URL above.

Expect anything from that spoiled billionaire.

Re:Microsoft to Ubuntu

[Anonymous Coward]

It'd sure be nice if Ubuntu did this by default, or at least provided a n00b-friendly (ie, no command line) way of doing it.

But what would a n00b need a non "unusably slow" [sic] Java on his system instead of the one shipped with Ubuntu? To run Azureus?

I do sincerely hope that a Java programmer at least knows the basics when it comes to using the command line...

Re:come up with ideas, do initial work-patent pool

[hxnwix]

But, most importantly it would expand the pool of patents available for open source and remove additional ideas, concepts, and inventions further out of the reaches of the patent-only law firms. The evildoers only need one essential patent on, say, using electronic memory .... with a computer *.

Or, using non-electronic memory without a computer. Wait, that will not fly. OK, how about: using non-electronic memory ... with a computer*?? Ding ding ding! It doesn't matter if you are an antisocial greedhead with no friends and no brain, because you too invent old and once-original technology and bend the world over a barrel for already using it! And it doesn't matter how many patents others may have, because anti-social greedheads only want to make money, and they don't necessarily use their computers to do it. Yes, put away your making-money-...-with-a-computer patent, for it is useless against these vermin.

*If these are taken, you may need to resort to patenting real life actions + computer. Think: buying stuff... with a computer. Buying not-stuff... with a computer. Be creative.

Re:Lobbyists

[Max Littlemore]

Y'know what. We got along just fine without software patents for 20 years. I think we could do so again. I'd go further than that, and (carefully) dismantle the entire damn Patent system. It's pointless, doesn't -- so far as I can see -- encourage innovation, and doesn't even work very well. We've got enough problems with global warming, overpopulation, incompetent and mendacious leaders, corporations run amock, etc, etc, etc. Why go out of our way to create more?

Terrorist!