Is Open Source Still Free? Micosoft Disagree.
Microsoft hits the open source community again, this time the software giant claims that Linux infringes 235 of their software patents. Making this the argument of choice for Microsoft, this is not the first time we have had this conversation. With the popularity raising with Linux operating systems, and company’s like Dell selling their hardware with Linux pre-installed, I was wondering when the argument was going to start.
Personally, I find myself with split opinion in regards to this situation, on the one hand you have a company defending their patents like they should. In the other hand, you have an open source community and barely monetize from their efforts to have a different platform of computing which shouldn’t be a problem at all. So I have been reading all over the Internet and found a letter from Kevin Carmony from Linspire at www.linspire.com/linspireletter where he discussed the options the open source community have.
What are the options, Kevin writes that option number one is to fight or ignore the issue. Well, tell that to Microsoft lawyer Horacio E. Gutierrez that uses all the words in a dictionary to state that Microsoft will be protecting their patents. Is Microsoft afraid of the market share Linux could take away? I think the problem is that as a company they would like a cut of any money that moves around Linux. After all, they will be loosing the opportunity to sell “three” licenses of Windows on Dell computers. Yes, I’m being sarcastic.
A couple months ego, Novell and Microsoft released a joint letter to the Open Source Community where they explained the joint collaborations to make Microsoft and Linux application more compatible. The collaboration letter stated various bullet points with details and the first one was about patents. So Novell can get around it why would Microsoft be pushing the rest of the industry.
Neosmart at www.neosmart.net point at how Microsoft won’t point what the violations are. So they want the Linux guys to stop whatever is patented inside the applications without telling exactly what it is. So what’s in the future for Linux? Legal battles takes long time, especially when they haven’t even started. Not all flavors of Linux are involved, leaving an open door for you to search the Internet and make sure you are clean. Microsoft may be only scaring people away, maybe fear that OpenOffice will to better than MS Office, which I don’t think so.
Lastly, a lot is yet to say and if Microsoft can get to sell Windows XP for three dollars to some countries I know they can settle this dispute with some licensing terms that favors them economically. Hopefully those of us who really believe in Open Source and Linux will see more Linux to come in the future, and those who are monetizing it get to pay the fair licensing they need to continue with the business structures. Find more around the web, leave a comment on this post. Which flavor of Linux you use the most? I use Freespire and Ubuntu, both of them great software. Thanks.
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