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Microsoft Fracturing the Open-Source Community

Posted by kdawson on from the old-divide-and-conquer dept.

TechGeek sends us to eWeek, where Mark Shuttleworth is quoted to the effect that Microsoft has succeeded in fracturing the Linux and open-source community with its patent indemnity agreements. Quoting: "Microsoft's strategy was to drive a wedge into the open-source community and unsettle the marketplace, Shuttleworth said. He also took issue with the Redmond, Wash., software maker for not disclosing the 235 of its patents it claims are being violated by Linux and other open-source software. 'That's extortion and we should call it what it is,' he said." Shuttleworth added, "I don't think this will end well for the companies that slipped up and went down that road."

14 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Letter to Mr. Gates by obergfellja · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Mr. Gates: Bring it. Your Loving - OSS Community

    1. Re:Letter to Mr. Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      oh, a worlds of warcraft reference. yeah, you were being stupid. thanks for the input though.

    2. Re:Letter to Mr. Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dear Mr. Goatse: Bring it. Your Loving - OSS Community


      No. Don't bring that anywhere near here.

      Oh, GATES. Whew! Nevermind.
  2. In other words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft forked the Open Source Community. Motherforkers.

    1. Re:In other words by BytePusher · · Score: 2, Funny

      Microforkers!

  3. Re:Much ado about nothing by mulvane · · Score: 4, Funny

    What about SCO?

  4. Re:Capitolism by muellerr1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Welcome to capitolism.

    Where everybody is forced to live in the city containing the main government buildings.

    --
    steampunk web design
  5. Re:Fractured, schmatured... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Haven't you ever read debian-legal? I've heard of it, but I've never read it because rumour has it they all use EMACS.
    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  6. Re:Like they needed help by ChefInnocent · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's because people are idiots. Here's the correct choices:

    KDE
    emacs
    BSD
    gtk
    O(1) scheduler
    BSD license
    potatoes ;)

  7. Re:Much ado about nothing by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ubuntu will go on. SuSE will go on. Redhat will go on. Microsoft will go on. And my heart will go on.
    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  8. Re:Like they needed help by sjaskow · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd really like links to your version of KDE that uses GTK instead of the QT libraries.

  9. Re:Much ado about nothing by Minwee · · Score: 3, Funny

    They will go on the carpet, and somebody is going to have to clean up their little messes.

  10. Re:Capitolism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    RIGHT. NEXT YOU'LL BE TELLING ME CAPITALISM ISN'T WHAT I'VE BEEN SUPPORTING ALL THESE YEARS EITHER!

    [/. has a serious anti-capitalism bias, which is euphemistically called a "lameness filter". Hence the need for this forum-imposed non-capitalist addendum. ]

  11. Re:The Blame is Not MS by everphilski · · Score: 2, Funny

    We need some Martin Luthers and John Calvins! Fork away!

    I am an everphilskiian! I do not believe in the divinity of RMS! Repent, relicense, or burn in hell! :)