Microsoft (Probably) Didn't Just Buy Unix 289
jfruhlinger writes "Word came down this morning that when Attachmate bought Novell, certain intellectual property rights were sold to a Microsoft-led consortium as part of the deal. Since Unix is the most valuable piece of IP Novell owns, there was a certain amount of panic that suddenly Redmond is in charge of this foundational technology for Linux and a number of other open source projects. But, while MS is being cagey, Brian Proffitt doubts that Unix was part of the IP package that was sold — and believes that Linux would be safe even if it were."
FUD parade continues on... (Score:5, Insightful)
After the revelations years ago that Microsoft had funded SCO during the Darl era, and has been on the attack against Linux for a good 10 years now at least, I would not just put my feet up and rest easy following this news. At this point nobody even knows what MS bought, so it's a little too early to be going down for a nap.
Microsoft knows that there are several threats to its existence, but most of them can just be bought off, paid off, or partnered with. Linux is not really susceptible to any of those vectors. If indeed MS has come away with the Unix intellectual property rights we can expect a renewed set of attacks. Specifically, Microsoft would probably avoid dirtying its hands directly, and instead use some sort of nominally separate entity (which would probably end up being the holder of the Unix IP) to attack Linux through a confusing and expensive court case.
I know it is nice to hope for the best, but while one does that, they should also prepare for the worst.
Anyone else... (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean, come on. Not only do people have to worry about what patents their newest idea is stepping on, but now when companies are bought, they may have large ramnifications which ripple around?
I'm pretty tired of this rubbish. They should just throw away software patents - then we could still have good companies which actually develop stuff instead of simply being bought for their patents. Alas poor Sun.
wow, "someone believes..." (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Anyone else... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Anyone else... (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Move away from America
2. Develop whilst simultaneously not caring about software patents.
3. Sales and profit.
4. Get sued in America
5. Don't turn up
6. Don't go to America (or South Korea) ever again.
Lawyers & PR take time (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Linux Is Not UniX (Score:2, Insightful)
Linux Is Not UniX
so what is the big deal?
Because the FUD is that Linux somehow "contains" UNIX intellectual property.
But since Novell/SuSE has a pass on UNIX IP, why can't everybody just fork OpenSuSE back into their own distros and continue on?
Re:Microsoft being cagey (Score:5, Insightful)
Enough! (Score:5, Insightful)
Bill Gates Jr. retired from Microsoft some time ago. Couldn't you Slashdot guys at least update the silly icon so it shows Ballmer as a Borg?
You could even make him the Borg queen...
What really happened - OIN Emasculated (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a threat here, but it has nothing to do with the Unix copyrights. We have already established really, really well that the Unix copyrights are irrelevant at this late date. They can't be used like patents to enforce against other similar works. They were released under an unterminating BSD license and covered by a government standard. Forget them.
What they got was 481 patents that were part of a portfolio that Open Invention Network had previously used to defend Linux against patent suits. So, this is escalation in the patent war they are running against Linux, because they just removed one of our defensive weapons.
Re:FUD parade continues on... (Score:2, Insightful)
Why can't the Linux community just develop a new operating system?
They did. It's called Linux. The SCO trial was, in part, about convincing the court that, yes, Linux really, really, really isn't Unix.
Re:What if.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What if? (Score:1, Insightful)
Miguel must be ecstatic (Score:3, Insightful)
Miguel must be ecstatic. Seems like he always wanted to work for Microsoft, and now he will, albeit indirectly.
Re:FUD parade continues on... (Score:5, Insightful)
Linux is not using Unix.
Yes and SCO did not own Unix and had no case against IBM. We all knew this. However, a litigious CEO bent on extracting extortion payments for IP that his company did not own as well as financial backing from the likes of MS, the case went on for seven years before it was resolved. Based on the history of MS, it's not that they need to ultimately win any legal battles, they just need to create enough FUD so that customers won't consider alternatives.
Won't always work v2.0 ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Won't always work. Sometimes a system will have a filesystem that is not supported by the live CD. Having a clue, knowing Linux, and starting with the most simple and quick method, and then trying progressively more complex and time consuming ways is probably the most bullet proof way to do it.
;-)
See, I can be a know it all naysayer too
Re:What really happened - OIN Emasculated (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:and why would MS even bother going half the way (Score:1, Insightful)
Microsoft will not attack OSX, they need a "competitor" that is not a real competitor.
Right, and Linux is not also exactly that.
Microsoft is still in a good overall position and is the only company even wanting the open PC OS market, and Linux is still hostile to commercial ISVs with no end in sight. Apple knows its current strategy makes it hard/impossible to retain a majority share of PC or smartphone markets, and they don't care to with their margins.
Microsoft has displaced UNIX in the past, and now it's back with... what GNU utilities? Get real. They only need to win back hearts & minds, they have the technology already.
I like quality open source software, but I don't like software "because it's open source."
Re:FUD parade continues on... (Score:4, Insightful)
In those seven years, knowledge and usage of Linux is now more widespread than ever before. Even in certain banks, Linux is now being used or researched, they now have pretty good alternatives to Sun OS (Linux, BSD) and Oracle (Postgres), if not DB/2 and core systems.
It may never be the year of the Linux Desktop, but SCO did more for Linux than any Microsoft smear campaign could.
First they laugh at you. Then they ridicule you. Then they attack you. Then you win.
Re:What if.. (Score:5, Insightful)
The first soldiers storming the beach on D-day had slim chances, but they formed the beachhead for the rest of the invasion. In many cases when risking being surrounded or to cover a retreat soldiers will be asked to fight battles they can not hope to win or even survive. Overall sure, you'd better make sure the enemy dies more than you do but on the microlevel commanders can and do send people to almost certain death. If soliders wouldn't obey orders that involved great risk or sacrifice, the army would collapse under pressure. So on the grand strategic level you want the enemy to die, but on the operational level you need soldiers who accept the risk of dying.
Re:FUD parade continues on... (Score:3, Insightful)
Is it so difficult for you to believe that in 2010 we couldn't design and implement a better architected OS than something that was made in 1969 and has been duct-taped with add-ons ever since?
Yes it is, actually.
Linux/Unix/Posix is the product of 40 years of design work, thought and planning by some of the smartest people in the world.