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Open Source Guy Takes the Hardest Job At Microsoft
jbrodkin writes "Gianugo Rabellino, founder of the Italian Linux Society and a key member of the Apache Software Foundation, traded his Linux and Mac PCs in for a Windows 7 laptop and took on a newly created job at Microsoft designed to encourage collaboration between Redmond and open source communities. 'Developers nowadays are mostly to be found in the open source world,' the new Microsoft executive says. 'We need to go where they are.' With Rabellino's help, Microsoft is expanding its successful partnership with PHP developers , but Steve Ballmer and crew are a long way from completely erasing their poor reputation in Linux and open source circles."
It's a trap!
attempts to throw patent roadblocks in front of everything
I have to defend them on that one. As crazy as the patent system has gotten, if they don't defend their patents, they are essentially putting up a big sign for Apple, Sony et. al. saying "Come rape us!" In this crazy environment, if someone comes suing you over patents, you have to have some patents of your own to hit them back with. It's sad but true that the only way for a company like MS to stand is to have its own cache of patents to ward off other companies. Just ask Sony and LG.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Oh thank you very much, dammit! I'll send my next shrink bill to you!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
You don't have to sue to protect patents. That is trademarks you are thinking of. With patents you can sue those who only sue you first if you want.
That's not how patents work. See "Submarine patent".
I wouldn't say that is a good example, because MSFT offered them the standard RAND* licensing that they have been selling everyone else for years with regards to FAT32 and TomTom gave them the finger.
So I'd say that is a bad example as you're basically arguing against RAND which actually works quite well. With RAND a company can sink money into R&D and still get paid for their work without holding back innovation since the price is so low nearly anybody can use it without hurting the bottom line. Just look at all the BS we've had with regards to RAM thanks to Rambus deciding to secretly patent everything they heard at Jedec and ignore RAND. The industry ended up fighting lawsuits for over a decade, along with price fixing and a bunch of other messes, all in an attempt to deal with Rambus thanks to their trolling.
So if MSFT had said "Anyone that uses FOSS has to pay 300% more" I'd say that would be a good example, but just deciding RAND should be "free as in beer" just because you want it to be doesn't sound like a fair argument in light of how many years we've had RAND and seen that it works.
*-Oh and for those that don't know the lingo RAND stands for Reasonable And Non Discriminatory pricing. It has been SOP in the standardization process for decades now (and I think it would be easy to argue FAT32 is a standard considering how many manufacturers use it) and works quite well. Here is the Wiki Article for those that want to read up on it and see some examples, such as the submarine patents on GIF and JPEG as to why RAND is needed.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.