Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Blesses LGPL, Joins Apache Foundation
Penguinisto writes "According to a somewhat jaw-dropping story in The Register, it appears that Microsoft has performed a trifecta of geek-scaring feats: They have joined the Apache Software Foundation as a Platinum member(at $100K USD a year), submitted LGPL-licensed patches for ADOdb, and have pledged to expand their Open Specifications Promise by adding to the list more than 100 protocols for interoperability between its Windows Server and the Windows client. While I sincerely doubt they'll release Vista under a GPL license anytime soon, this is certainly an unexpected series of moves on their part, and could possibly lead to more OSS (as opposed to 'Shared Source') interactivity between what is arguably Linux' greatest adversary and the Open Source community." (We mentioned the announced support for the Apache Foundation earlier today, as well.)
Actually from my point of view IBM is no longer relevant. If that's the path Microsoft is now following, then by all means, let them go there.
Is nothing.
Its a cheap 'feel good' advertisement for them, nothing more.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
I said "my point of view". I don't care if IBM are the biggest Linux vendors of the universe, I don't see anything labeled "IBM" in my computer room.
Regular people don't use IBM products, even if companies do. And that's my point. One day, Microsoft might become as irrelevant to home users as IBM.
So what? That's got nothing to do with what I said: home users.
Of course we're going to "use" IBM hardware, but we don't own it, we don't have to buy it, we don't have to wonder how it works. companies are using IBM hardware/software, not home users (unless you run OS/2 on an IBM-branded PC, which is probably even less likely, as a home setup, as an Irix workstation).
If I were the one accepting the donations for the Apache Software Foundation, I'd return the donation with a politely-worded letter explaining that it would not be in the best long-term interest of the open-source community to accept the participation of someone whose adversarial nature has been well established.
It's more than obvious that home users do NOT have IBM-branded hardware or software in their homes.
Just because I say "IBM is irrelevant to home users" doesn't mean "IBM is useless and nobody uses IBM anymore at the corporate level".
IBM is as irrelevant to home users as Nintendo is irrelevant at the corporate level. How difficult is that to understand?!
To all the morons who think I'm trolling: get a clue.
Yes, "From my point of view" wasn't the best way to describe my position. But I did rectify my position in replies below, which also got modded "troll".
I should have said "from the point of view of home users".
IBM is as irrelevant to home users as Komatsu motors or Caterpillar. That doesn't mean that these companies are useless, it means that home users don't have their products in their homes.