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Microsoft Promises Not To Sue Moonlight 2.0 Users
darthcamaro writes "Moonlight 2.0, Novell's open source implementation of the Microsoft media framework, is now available and comes with a new patent promise from Microsoft. Any Linux user can use it now without worrying about being sued: '"A really important change in how the community and individuals will see and use Moonlight is a change and extension to the patent covenant that Microsoft provides to Novell and its end users," Brian Goldfarb, director of Web and user experience platforms at Microsoft, told InternetNews.com. "We're now increasing the reach of the agreement — Microsoft's commitment not to sue Novell or Novell's customers now extends to redistributors."'"
>> What if I already wasn't worried about being sued because my country doesn't recognise software patents
Then you can add extradition, police acting in extralegal ways and WIPO to the list of things you don't worry about.
-- I was raised on the command line, bitch
Sun tried this with Java. Then it was Flash and Adobe's latest RIA junk. Now it's Silverlight. All this cross platform crap is ever used for is mindless little games and controls on movie players, and a few applications by developers who don't know any better and who end up producing horrid interfaces.
Give it up, guys. AJAX is as cross-platform as it's gonna get, and AJAX works because the browser isn't trying to be a desktop UI and because people invest a lot of time in making HTML work right across platform. Nothing that Java, Flash, or Moonlight are going to do are even going to come remotely close in terms of usability.
I'm sure that it has nothing to do with militant FOSS advocates spreading rumors about how Microsoft is always about to sue everyone over Mono and Moonlight.
Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.