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Turbolinux Is Latest To Sign Microsoft Pact

Posted by kdawson on from the protection-at-what-price dept.

mytrip sends word that Turbolinux has followed Novell, Linspire, and Xandros in signing a patent and technology agreement with Microsoft. Microsoft pledged not to sue Turbolinux's users for patent infringement. Turbolinux, headquartered in Japan, sells Linux systems mostly in emerging markets such as China and India. The Betanews story speculates on some of the technology benefits Turbolinux might get out of the deal.

16 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. Technology benefits? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Could it be? Could Turbolinux users be getting transparent title bars on their windows? That would be FANTASTIC!

  2. huh? by Lord+Ender · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft pledged not to sue Turbolinux's users
    Turbolinux has users?
    --
    A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    1. Re:huh? by muyuubyou · · Score: 3, Informative

      They have some, mostly in Japan. I've bought Turbolinux in the past, but I swear I never will after this move.

    2. Re:huh? by pluther · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Turbolinux has users?

      had

      --
      If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
    3. Re:huh? by awrowe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Problem is, the more small players who sign up to this sort of thing, the harder it is to refute claims made in court. If you add up all the users of these 'small'distro's' what sort of percentage are we looking at of total linux users? Even more pertinent perhaps, is that if lots of these tiddlers signed up and a Microsoft sock puppet decided to go to the courts citing '359 distributions have signed our agreement but these five or six recalcitrant organisations think they are too big to worry about the law', what happens then? The courts they are going to aren't necessarily tech savvy. The sock puppet will try very hard to obfuscate the number of users in the non-signing distros and will instead try to highlight the number of organisations who do sign. At that point, it doesn't come down to users, but to distributors and when that happens, the sock puppet wins on numbers. This is more dangerous than it looks. Microsoft wouldn't be going after the tiddlers if they didn't have a strategy like this.

      --
      A.I. Research. The peculiar science in which we know the question and we know the answer, but can't show the working
  3. Protection or mutual technology sharing? by starseeker · · Score: 3, Informative

    The article refers to a cross-licensing agreement with intent to use some technology - it doesn't say anything about not suing customers, although presumably that could be part of the deal and not mentioned here.

    --
    "I object to doing things that computers can do." -- Olin Shivers, lispers.org
  4. The good old days by Dice · · Score: 5, Funny

    And here I was thinking that Turbolinux died years ago. Last time I remember hearing about them is back in '99 or '00.

    Maybe they just died on the inside.

  5. Queen by businessnerd · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's a Queen song that comes to mind...

    --
    "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get." -- H. J. Simpson
    1. Re:Queen by DrSkwid · · Score: 4, Funny
      Which one ?
      • You Don't Fool Me
      • Stone Cold Crazy
      • The Show Must Go On
      • I'm Going Slightly Mad
      • Scandal
      • I Can't Live With You
      • Headlong
      • Too Much Love Will Kill You
      • These Are The Days Of Our Lives
      • No One But You
      • I Want It All
      • Pain Is So Close To Pleasure
      • Who Wants To Live Forever
      • Man On The Prowl
      • I Want To Break Free
      • Under Pressure
      • Save Me
      • Don't Stop Me Now
      • Jealousy
      • Liar


      that'll do :)

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  6. who?? by dartmongrel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    yup, yet another insignificant distro took some bucks to be the latest FUD. Well done M$FT, I'm so scared that I'm formatting my drive right now to reinstall XP. /sarcasm Wake me up if a real distro like Red Hat Debian or Slackware SELL OUT, at which point I will simply start using OpenBSD on my desktop in addition to my server. This is FUD FUD FUD FUD FUD!

    1. Re:who?? by Tarlus · · Score: 3, Funny

      ...a real distro like Red Hat Debian... God, I hope that never happens.
      --
      /* No Comment */
  7. Don Ballmer Strikes again by MrSteveSD · · Score: 4, Funny

    [Capo di tutti capi, Steve Ballmer] - "That's a nice set of users ya got there. Shame if anything were to happen to 'em. I'm a reasonable Mafia don though, I just want to 'Wet my beak' as they say."

  8. Re:Money ? by jbengt · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ACtually, the way I heard it, MS gave wads of cash to Novell for patents.
    Because MS sells so much more than Novell, in balance they owed more to Novell for the use of Novell's IP than Novell owed to MS for the use of MS's IP.

  9. Re:Dammit. by h4rm0ny · · Score: 5, Funny


    Frustration is understandable, but targeted disgust can be more therapeutic. Instead of "dammit" try saying "treacherous judases who have just signed their own death warrant and thank fuck they're just a pissant little distro that nobody really gave a shit and whose only notable achievement is this sudden managing to replace the Linux world's apathy toward them in one stroke, albeit with dislike."

    Yep, saying that is much more therapeutic. Especially at the top of a thread on an international tech news forum. ;)

    "Traitors - we piss on you!"

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  10. Pat by turgid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When Pat sells out, the fat lady will be singing. Not before.

    Until then, get busy living.

    --
    Stick Men
  11. Re:Turbolinux? by trolltalk.com · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... and that's why they did the deal - attention. The article say's they're big in Asia, but they're not, and their other forays into things like "appliances" didn't work.

    Just another linux company slowly sliding into obscurity as other linux distros make get larger and more capable by the day. This market rationalization will end up with a few major distros ready to take on Redmond head-to-head - and win.

    Small distros will still continue to exist, to serve their market niches where warranted, and not as "me to" linux.

    --
    Kevin Smith on Prince