I bet the big bad wolfie Microsoft paid everyone off and is conspirating, or perhaps threatening to assassinate their political officials! You guys and your story-telling...its like I'm next to a campfire! boo!
I recently considered designing a method of doing business into a pilot phase, but before I did so I ran a patent search, then filed myself. Its part of responsible business to ensure you don't infringe, although I'm not saying mistakes don't happen or can't happen. Most times it boils down to a broad claim on Company A's patent, and Company A seeing lost revenue from Company B's patent or deployment...so company A sues company B for infringement, or collects a nice chunk of change for "compensation" although some would consider it blackmail to stay out of an expensive court battle.
Believe it or not, while searching through "relatively similar" patents there were about 850 patents and applications matching "Microsoft" + "". Because linux will never get any bigger, they're going to sit and watch Microsoft swallow the industry...and why can't they do anything about it? Because MS has a superior product, awesome support and excellent public perception (other than on/.). So MS is going to get massive, and the 850 patents that came up in my search will turn into 1600 patents. Is it antitrust? No. Its Darwinism. If you don't have a product, how will you survive in business? What ever happened to "what you pay for is what you get" saying...I know its true when I install Kubuntu or any linux dirivitive, and would NEVER put my mission critical data in the hands of anyone other than MS. Not because I hate linux, but I don't understand it enough, and linux admins differ in skillset all throughout the industry. I'm pretty confident if I hire a MCSE, a MCSD and a MCDBA I can get just about anything done.
Microsoft gives plenty of opportunity for other companies to do business with them, so they're not quite as evil as we may like to think. Yes they're playing hardball and your Novell people sold out. I think it was the best thing that could happen to Novell and MS, and its not about FUD, its about REALITY (something some/.ers have difficulty accepting). Patent Infringement is a pretty serious allegation, and I seriously doubt Ballmer would accuse an entity of it were it not true. Either case, I'm sure there is SOMETHING gnu/linux has done that has infringed on a MS patent (or several for that matter), considering the millions of patents MS must have.
IF Gnu/linux and the open-source community wants to survive, they're going to have to start collecting revenue and getting more abundant great talent (which would prob exclude most of you, becuase if you were that good you'd be writing code instead of/.ing) Putting a massive quantity of money into their resources and some luck is what is going to be required for them to do anything. Sitting on/. and whining and comforting each other isn't quite productive for the community. So Ballmer goes crazy and says its a communist theory, that's ok whatever...its just like namecalling when you're a kid, but Patent Infringement is a big-boy word.
I'm sorry I totally missed this topic yesterday. Don't we all love fairy tales and David & Goliath stories? Ooh, I remember one when I was a kid I think it was the "little train that could".
I'm not even going to begin to question the source here, because those numbers seem waaaaay out of proportion, instead give the linux developers credit (if the numbers are correct).
Funny how I didn't notice a "the war is won" about Microsoft's client domination? Bias...perhaps? I also remember countless people slinging mud in GWB's face for having a banner saying "Mission Accomplished" before...I think you people are a bit too excited, too biased, and counting your chickens before they're hatched...on false information nonetheless.
Ok...if gates and friends didn't exist, there wouldn't be a power grab for the most robust and powerful OS on the market. I think they all complement each other. Who is to say anyone else would have thought outside the box? That last statement was kind of speculative, except I understand the theory of opportunity cost.
In a boxing match you're not going to go hug your opponent...you're gonna punch him in the face. That may seem ferocious to bystanders, but its a day-to-day thing for you. That's what businesses do...they put each other out of business. Survival of the fittest.
If that's all the "Bad things" we can really say Gates/Ballmer have done then what about all the other "bad" businessmen? What about the mayor that uses city funds to buy his wife some clothes on the taxpayer's dollar? What about people in our government that leak Secret level information to the press? What about the people at HP wiretapping scandal? Enron? Those businesses have hurt people way beyond what Mr.Gates or Ballmer have or will do, the only difference is, in the other situations someone has lost their career. You guys won't rest until MS is bankrupt...I think that's the similarity here.
Good points, although I don't really agree with you on a few.
"Ballmer not only does everything for personal gain, he actively suppresses those who do things for the greater good, because they cut into his profits. That is what makes him a bad guy." I call that being a businessman/woman. He is looking in the best interest of the company that pays him, and his employees.
Trickle-down economics...Microsoft is debt-free and employs over 50,0000 people, gives billions of dollars away, and not to mention has helped us evolve as humans.
Yes all 3 are great individuals, but just because Ballmer/Gates play hardball (or you assume so) doesn't mean they are bad people. They put their pants on the same way you and I do every day and have families.
I'm just saying there doesn't need to be so much obvious bias here on/., and instead of the common internet elitism we should all respect each other...like Linus would want us to:)
hmm...Gates and Ballmer are giving away VS2005, SQL2005, IE7, WSUS, and a ton of other goodies. Several BILLION to foreign countries, Time Magazine Man of the year...but nope, on/. he's the enemy.
Gates = bad person
Ballmer = bad person
Torvalds = hero?
Is there a bias here? please clarify.
I respect all 3 as brilliant an unique individuals, but remember like 2 hrs ago reading an article about how the devil (Steve Ballmer) wouldn't say the words "free" or "open" while in India or something...and how that made him a bad guy.
lmao @ workplace productivity comment!
Since myspace was just sold for $500M+, do you think Tom had to take his machine down to move from his parents attic into his new place?
-Bunny
Slashdot Mirror
I bet the big bad wolfie Microsoft paid everyone off and is conspirating, or perhaps threatening to assassinate their political officials! You guys and your story-telling...its like I'm next to a campfire! boo!
I recently considered designing a method of doing business into a pilot phase, but before I did so I ran a patent search, then filed myself. Its part of responsible business to ensure you don't infringe, although I'm not saying mistakes don't happen or can't happen. Most times it boils down to a broad claim on Company A's patent, and Company A seeing lost revenue from Company B's patent or deployment...so company A sues company B for infringement, or collects a nice chunk of change for "compensation" although some would consider it blackmail to stay out of an expensive court battle. Believe it or not, while searching through "relatively similar" patents there were about 850 patents and applications matching "Microsoft" + "". Because linux will never get any bigger, they're going to sit and watch Microsoft swallow the industry...and why can't they do anything about it? Because MS has a superior product, awesome support and excellent public perception (other than on /.). So MS is going to get massive, and the 850 patents that came up in my search will turn into 1600 patents. Is it antitrust? No. Its Darwinism. If you don't have a product, how will you survive in business? What ever happened to "what you pay for is what you get" saying...I know its true when I install Kubuntu or any linux dirivitive, and would NEVER put my mission critical data in the hands of anyone other than MS. Not because I hate linux, but I don't understand it enough, and linux admins differ in skillset all throughout the industry. I'm pretty confident if I hire a MCSE, a MCSD and a MCDBA I can get just about anything done.
Microsoft gives plenty of opportunity for other companies to do business with them, so they're not quite as evil as we may like to think. Yes they're playing hardball and your Novell people sold out. I think it was the best thing that could happen to Novell and MS, and its not about FUD, its about REALITY (something some /.ers have difficulty accepting). Patent Infringement is a pretty serious allegation, and I seriously doubt Ballmer would accuse an entity of it were it not true. Either case, I'm sure there is SOMETHING gnu/linux has done that has infringed on a MS patent (or several for that matter), considering the millions of patents MS must have.
IF Gnu/linux and the open-source community wants to survive, they're going to have to start collecting revenue and getting more abundant great talent (which would prob exclude most of you, becuase if you were that good you'd be writing code instead of /.ing) Putting a massive quantity of money into their resources and some luck is what is going to be required for them to do anything. Sitting on /. and whining and comforting each other isn't quite productive for the community. So Ballmer goes crazy and says its a communist theory, that's ok whatever...its just like namecalling when you're a kid, but Patent Infringement is a big-boy word.
I'm sorry I totally missed this topic yesterday. Don't we all love fairy tales and David & Goliath stories? Ooh, I remember one when I was a kid I think it was the "little train that could". I'm not even going to begin to question the source here, because those numbers seem waaaaay out of proportion, instead give the linux developers credit (if the numbers are correct). Funny how I didn't notice a "the war is won" about Microsoft's client domination? Bias...perhaps? I also remember countless people slinging mud in GWB's face for having a banner saying "Mission Accomplished" before...I think you people are a bit too excited, too biased, and counting your chickens before they're hatched...on false information nonetheless.
Ok...if gates and friends didn't exist, there wouldn't be a power grab for the most robust and powerful OS on the market. I think they all complement each other. Who is to say anyone else would have thought outside the box? That last statement was kind of speculative, except I understand the theory of opportunity cost. In a boxing match you're not going to go hug your opponent...you're gonna punch him in the face. That may seem ferocious to bystanders, but its a day-to-day thing for you. That's what businesses do...they put each other out of business. Survival of the fittest. If that's all the "Bad things" we can really say Gates/Ballmer have done then what about all the other "bad" businessmen? What about the mayor that uses city funds to buy his wife some clothes on the taxpayer's dollar? What about people in our government that leak Secret level information to the press? What about the people at HP wiretapping scandal? Enron? Those businesses have hurt people way beyond what Mr.Gates or Ballmer have or will do, the only difference is, in the other situations someone has lost their career. You guys won't rest until MS is bankrupt...I think that's the similarity here.
He worked hard, built a business, and released a superior product at a reasonable price that consumers paid for.
I'd like to see their employers release "free" solutions/products and see how good of an idea FOSS is while collecting unemployment.
Good points, although I don't really agree with you on a few. "Ballmer not only does everything for personal gain, he actively suppresses those who do things for the greater good, because they cut into his profits. That is what makes him a bad guy." I call that being a businessman/woman. He is looking in the best interest of the company that pays him, and his employees. Trickle-down economics...Microsoft is debt-free and employs over 50,0000 people, gives billions of dollars away, and not to mention has helped us evolve as humans. Yes all 3 are great individuals, but just because Ballmer/Gates play hardball (or you assume so) doesn't mean they are bad people. They put their pants on the same way you and I do every day and have families. I'm just saying there doesn't need to be so much obvious bias here on /., and instead of the common internet elitism we should all respect each other...like Linus would want us to :)
hmm...Gates and Ballmer are giving away VS2005, SQL2005, IE7, WSUS, and a ton of other goodies. Several BILLION to foreign countries, Time Magazine Man of the year...but nope, on /. he's the enemy.
Gates = bad person Ballmer = bad person Torvalds = hero? Is there a bias here? please clarify. I respect all 3 as brilliant an unique individuals, but remember like 2 hrs ago reading an article about how the devil (Steve Ballmer) wouldn't say the words "free" or "open" while in India or something...and how that made him a bad guy.
lmao @ workplace productivity comment! Since myspace was just sold for $500M+, do you think Tom had to take his machine down to move from his parents attic into his new place? -Bunny