Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft (Probably) Didn't Just Buy Unix

Posted by Soulskill on from the how's-that-for-definitive dept.

jfruhlinger writes "Word came down this morning that when Attachmate bought Novell, certain intellectual property rights were sold to a Microsoft-led consortium as part of the deal. Since Unix is the most valuable piece of IP Novell owns, there was a certain amount of panic that suddenly Redmond is in charge of this foundational technology for Linux and a number of other open source projects. But, while MS is being cagey, Brian Proffitt doubts that Unix was part of the IP package that was sold — and believes that Linux would be safe even if it were."

21 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. What if.. by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if Novell sold them Unix, but didn't give them the root password?

    --
    Evil people are out to get you.
    1. Re:What if.. by theY4Kman · · Score: 5, Funny

      Microsoft would still sell it to customers.

    2. Re:What if.. by Kraftwerk · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm sure Microsoft can afford a $5 wrench.

    3. Re:What if.. by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 5, Funny

      While that would work on the average Crypto Nerd - I think you underestimate the die-harded-ness of Linux users who would fight to the death to defend the freedom of Open Source. Why do you think Stallman sleeps with swords?

    4. Re:What if.. by ae1294 · · Score: 2, Funny

      You'll do what stallman says, or else...

    5. Re:What if.. by dAzED1 · · Score: 4, Funny

      would you fight...to the pain? Because that would probably be redundant, as linux nerds have been a PITA to MS for years already

    6. Re:What if.. by postbigbang · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nah. Maybe he'd finally finish hurd (http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html).

      --
      ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
    7. Re:What if.. by ae1294 · · Score: 4, Funny

      ~# kill -9 268025

    8. Re:What if.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      They could call it Ubuntu.

  2. I certainly hope so by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Funny

    A Microsoft Unix 2013 Professional Edition doesn't exactly give me pleasant imagery.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    1. Re:I certainly hope so by Locke2005 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Premature fanboigasm?

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  3. Re:Linux Is Not UniX by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Funny

    A spoon may not be a fork, but a spork is a fork of a spoon.

    Pun intended.

  4. Re:What if? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if you sucked 10,000 cocks per second?

    .. then you would have a 10KHz CPU (cock processing unit).

    --
    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  5. Re:Enough! by king+neckbeard · · Score: 3, Funny

    Some things are just TOO scary

    --
    This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  6. Re:We are Microsoft of Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's going to be one nasty diff...

  7. Re:What? by SilverHatHacker · · Score: 2, Funny

    I would think BSD would be more at risk than Linux. I don't claim to understand what exactly was patented, but BSD is Berkeley Unix, while Linux is not considered an operating system without the GNU project - which, as we all know, is Not Unix.

    --
    Funny may not give karma, but +5 Informative never made anyone snort coffee out their nose.
  8. Think different by Locke2005 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Just use an icon depicting a chair flying through the air...

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  9. To the pain by Weaselmancer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ballmer: And next will be my kernel I suppose, let's get on with it.

    Stallman: WRONG! Your kernel you keep and I'll tell you why. It's so that every missed IRQ, every dropped packet, every sysadmin who wanders by and says "My God what is that abomination" will fall upon your unused IO buffers unserviced.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
  10. Re:FUD parade continues on... by camperdave · · Score: 3, Funny

    Linux really, really, really isn't Unix.

    So... its now lrrrinux?

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  11. Re:Enough! by painandgreed · · Score: 2, Funny

    You could even make him the Borg queen...

    Ahhhhhh!... Brainbleach. Stat!

  12. Re:Microsoft being cagey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Remember, they already own the codebase of Windoze...

    That's a billion dollars worth of FAIL, not FUD.