Re: Tom Tom and Microsofts Linux patent lock-down ..

[Alexander Terekhov]

Rahul Dhesi wrote:
[...]
> a summary with references in the Wikipedia. You can read the opinion at
> http://www.internetlibrary.com/pdf/Wallace-IBM-7th-Cir.pdf .

Wikipedia side, here's the summary:

1. [FOSS contributors can't charge] "Thus the GPL propagates from 
user to user and revision to revision: neither the original author, 
nor any creator of a revised or improved version, may charge for the 
software or allow any successor to charge. ... Linux and other 
open-source projects have been able to cover their fixed costs 
through donations of time" 

and 

2. [FOSS is junk] "People willingly pay for quality software even 
when they can get free (but imperfect) substitutes. Open Office is 
a free, open-source suite of word processor, spreadsheet and 
presentation software, but the proprietary Microsoft Office has 
many more users. Gimp is a free, open-source image editor, but the 
proprietary Adobe Photoshop enjoys the lion's share of the market." 

and 

3. [FOSS is doomed] "The number of proprietary operating systems 
is growing, not shrinking, so competition in this market continues 
quite apart from the fact that the GPL ensures the future 
availability of Linux and other Unix offshoots." 

EASTERBROOK, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th
Circuit. 

regards,
alexander.

--
http://gng.z505.com/index.htm
(GNG is a derecursive recursive derecursion which pwns GNU since it can
be infinitely looped as GNGNGNGNG...NGNGNG... and can be said backwards
too, whereas GNU cannot.)