Re: [Pan-users] VDQ Re: Policy discussion: GNKSA

[Steven D'Aprano]

Rhialto wrote:
> On Sat 09 Jul 2011 at 10:33:22 +1000, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> > Microsoft now is not the same
> > as Microsoft of 1998, or even of 2005. Thanks in part to the
> > European Union (who did what the US Justice Department refused to do
> > and actually put MS over their knee and gave them a sound spanking)
> > and in part due to commercial realities (Microsoft's customers said
> > "Ballmer, we're using Linux and we want Windows to interoperate with
> > it, get over it"), MS has developed an uneasy and reluctant but
> > nevertheless genuine attitude that they have to Play Nice With
> > Others.
>
> Ha ha. They show that so nicely by threatening Android phone makers
> with patents, and demanding money for every Android phone sold. Yes, the
> Android which is not from MICROS~1 and which contains not a line of
> MICROS~1 code.

That's not how patents work. There's no requirement for actual lines of 
code written by Microsoft to appear in the product to be a patent 
infringement.

Please don't use childish terms like "MICROS~1" here, we're supposed to 
be adults, and Windows systems haven't defaulted to 8.3 filenames for 
many, many years. That's as silly as claiming that Apple Mac only has 
black and white screens, or that Linux makes you do everything from the 
command line.

If Google or other Android phone manufacturers are paying licence fees 
to Microsoft, then presumably they must be using Microsoft's patents. 
That's just business as usual... all major companies, and most minor 
ones, either cross-licence patents or pay licence fees.



> Today, it is said that MS earns more money from Android phones than from
> its own Windows phones.

So what?


> > Consequently, we now have entire departments of MS that publicly
> > contribute to Open Source projects, the whole "Linux is a cancer"
> > thing has been toned down, and there's hardly even any more talk
> > about patent threats.
>
> Nonsense. See above references. Patent threats are on the rise.
> "The official announcement also contains a none-too-subtle message for
> the other Android device makers that Microsoft is negotiating with
> and/or taking to court over the issue." from the geekwire link.

Yes, and? That's not a patent attack on *Linux*, but on Google, which is 
a major competitor of Microsoft's. As I said, business as usual. Sorry 
if I didn't make it clear -- Microsoft seems to pretty much has accepted 
that Linux is hear to stay, and that they have to accept it's existence 
rather than making blow-hard threats against it. That doesn't mean they 
aren't willing to attack business competitors who may happen to be using 
Linux -- I never suggested that MS have turned into a bunch of pussies.

Google and Microsoft will end up cross-licencing each other, if they 
haven't already, and things will continue as normal.



--
Steven