Re: Patent issues highlighted by Linux kernel audit

[Abdullah Ramazanoglu]

begin  Yazid dedi ki:

> I just read an article from Linux Format UK magazine, October 2004 issue, to
> be share with others.
> 
> Open Source Risk Management (OSRM), an organisation set up to provide
> indemnity to Linux users in the wake of the SCO affair says that an
> extensive audit of the Linux kernel has discovered 283 potential patent
> infringements. Of these, the reports says, only 98 are held by
> 'Linux-friendly' organisations, and Microsoft owns 27.

And open source initiatives own zero, in spite of the huge mine of
patentable ideas which should exist today in OSS projects.

> ..one third of the patents identified are owned by corporations or
> organisations with an interest in Linux: including IBM, Oracle, Intel, Red
> Hat, Novell and Cisco, though none of these have yet to offer any form of
> indemnification against litigation for developers who may, wittingly or
> not, infringe on their ideas. Gary Campbell, HP's vice president of
> strategic architecture, wrote: "Microsoft could attack Open Source software
> for patent infringements against (computer makers), Linux distributors,
> and, least likely, Open Source developers".

So we need to seek refugee of some wolves against the others. What a great
deal! Let's pray "good wolves" will always stay good, even if/when it's
against their own financial interests. And let's also pray elephants will
fly someday. Wasn't open source all about freedom?

> Interoreability threatened? Campbell said Microsoft was particularly worried
> about Samba, which gave Linux systems access to Windows networks; Apache,
> the webserver that has come to dominate the Internet; and Sendmail, the
> email routing software.

OpenOffice is at top of the list, because it's both (technically) very
easy to switch to OpenOffice from MS-Office, which happens to be the
primary revenue source of Microsoft. OpenOffice directly and very
effectively targets right at the aorta of Microsoft.

> hmm, when the barn is open and the sheeps eat freely on the grassfield, the
> wolf won't be far away. This is not good.

Exactly. I think we have a serious leadership problem.

-- 
Abdullah        | aramazan@ |
Ramazanoglu     | myrealbox |
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