Microsoft/Novell Partnership

[Peter P.]

Ian Petersen <ispeters at ...> writes:

> Well, I _think_ the main point was about patents.  I think Microsoft
> is asserting that "Linux" (which probably means more than just the
> kernel) contains code that infringes upon Microsoft's patents.  If

Using the Linux word as you and he uses the word is actually frowned upon. It's
supposed to be called GNU/Linux. So Linux is mostly the kernel, although the
aggregate is called Linux by users. And the GPL which covers most of the
aggregate does not permit 'limitations' of the kind Ballmer assumes. I think
that he sees Novell/Linux as a foot in the legal door into GPL land, using
contributed non-open IP embracing and extending existing things. He is going to
have to find out for himself what the US Government and AT&T found out when they
made the original Unix source non-free 20 years ago. History tends to repeat
itself when the patterns are sufficiently similar and the players suffciently
ignorant or arrogant of relevant precedents.

It is extremely unlikely that any part of 'Linux' contains any Microsoft IP
since it has BSD Unix and U.C.Berkeley etc ancestry. Also anything GPL embraced
and extended and republished with another license is going to place the GNU
legal wing into battle position.

Peter P.

--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists