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On Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:24:08 +0000 T Brownen <trevatxtal@xxxxxxx> wrote: > Microsoft is suing TomTom for Linux infringments. > > http://www.out-law.com/page-9832 "The fall out from this case threatens to have a chilling effect on Microsoft’s dealings with the community — hurting its own technology expansion — and hurt the vendors, end users and developers that must work with both open source and Windows." http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/26/microsoft_tomtom/page2.html A line is being drawn in the sand. Those who use Microsoft's OSI-approved licences are feeling the chill, whilst Microsoft is taking aim at it's own [clay] feet with a howitzer. “The [Microsoft] goal is to fight open source and free software, and I’ve never seen a change in that goal despite what Sam Ramji [director of Microsoft’s open-source development lab] and others have said,” Just in case anyone was in any doubt about how Microsoft views the community. http://stopsoftwarepatents.eu/ http://www.fsfeurope.org/projects/swpat/swpat.en.html Inter-operability has just become a whole lot harder - makes me wonder what the EU will do if the fallout from the TomTom case starts to bring a new phase to their case against MS. The more things change, the more things stay the same. Vive la difference. I wonder where this leaves Mono and Moonlight? One final thought - TomTom use some of the same code as IBM who are still in court with what is left of SCO. This case could go on for decades. Even if TomTom are forced to back down, the only result of this is going to be a weakening of any links between MS and the free software community and a strengthening of anti-MS feeling amongst the many, many pragmatists who want a mixed environment to "JustWork". -- Neil Williams ============= http://www.data-freedom.org/ http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/ http://e-mail.is-not-s.ms/
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