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."
They bought 882 Novell patents; Whither OIN? (Score:5, Interesting)
Novell's 8-K filing says that Microsoft's "CNPT" bought 882 patents.
* What important patents did Novell have?
* What happens now to Novell's contribution to OIN?
Novell contributed some big patent sets to OIN, like the Commerce One e-commerce patents. What's their status now? Did Novell "give/transfer" them to OIN, or did OIN just have a transferable assurance of access to these patents via Novell?
* http://en.swpat.org/wiki/CPTN_Holdings_LLC [swpat.org]
* http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Novell [swpat.org]
* http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Open_Invention_Network [swpat.org]
Microsoft being cagey (Score:5, Interesting)
which is exactly what you don't want - if they said "we own it", no-one would believe them until it got to court. If they said "we don't own it", no-one would care.
But, because they say "maybe", everyone starts to panic and worry, and think the problem is far worse that it ever could be.
Re:FUD parade continues on... (Score:2, Interesting)
Oh good.
Then why all the fear, uncertainty, and doubt?
Re:Linux IS classified as a form of UNIX though... (Score:4, Interesting)
1. AT&T UNIX or Bell Labs UNIX. The operating system developed by AT&T/Bell Labs (SysV, Version 7 UNIX)
2. Genetic UNIX. Any operating system that can trace it's history to AT&T UNIX.
3. Branded UNIX or SUS. Any operating system that meets the Single Unix Specification and pays the necessary fees.
4. Unix-like, functional Unix, or *nix. Any operating system that is designed to be have the same functionality and overall design as AT&T UNIX.
GNU/Linux only meets the terms of functional Unix, but being functional Unix is more important than being branded or genetic Unix in most usage, so it's not uncommon to use Unix just to describe functional Unix.
That Russian guy (Score:3, Interesting)
Perhaps that Russian guy who a few days ago commented that Linux was near the end of its release cycle knew something!
In all seriousness, given the FUD Microsoft spreads about Linux to their customers, I wonder if this purchase has been working its way into their propaganda engine for a while.
Re:What really happened - OIN Emasculated (Score:2, Interesting)
Surely, pledging the patents to the portfolio in the first place has to mean _something_ other than just "use them for now, but we might change our minds!"?
They bought mono (Score:2, Interesting)
Anyone who can't work that one out is daft.
If Microsoft bought the Unix patents and tried to actually do anything with them, they they'd either lose and have worthless patents or win and have the government invalidate their patents to prevent a 100% monopoly. There's no upside for them in that game. Microsoft may have been rooting for SCO, but that's a war they need fought by proxy, they can't fight that themselves.
Re:What really happened - OIN Emasculated (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Anyone else... (Score:2, Interesting)
That sure would be nice, but... (Score:1, Interesting)
this patent nonsense is being forced down the collective throats of all of the rest of the world, in the name of "harmonization of trade rules" and of "combatting counterfeitors". ACTA anyone? Or watch those assholes in the EU patent office, handing out patents which *effectively* are software patents, although the letter of the law states in the EU that "sofftware as such is not patentable". And the courts actually follow the money (in Germany, a patent related to XML held up in court).
When the big corps don't manage to buy the legislative (which doesn't happen often, mind you) they just buy the bureaucracy.
Moving away won't help, alas. We've got to fight.