[geeks] Microsoft responds to question about their IP used in Linux

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 @ 20:46 -0500, Patrick Giagnocavo said:

> On Dec 11, 2006, at 8:31 PM, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> >
> > Two things would happen even in the case where there really were
> > Microsoft patents in Linux code:
> >
> > 	- 99% of the users wouldn't give a damn and would keep running it
> > 	  and 0 percent of them would get in trouble unless they capitulated
> > 	  against a threat
> > 	- the offending code would be rewritten, and would probably end up
> > 	  better, in a matter of weeks, if not days or hours
> >
> 
> If MSFT were anything other than the greediest, scumbaggiest 
> corporation that ever existed inside the borders of the USA, you would 
> be right.
> 
> MSFT isn't talking about "code patents" they are talking about business 
> method patents and similar things.  You cannot "rewrite" them, because 
> the implementation is not what is patented, the idea is.

Where did you hear that?

When I read Balmer's words on the subject, he's clearly talking about
the kernel.

Then again, little is clear with Balmer, spin doctor extraordinaire.

-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- ["There are nowadays professors of
philosophy, but not philosophers." ]