Microsoft says “Hold On” to open source software
Microsoft seems to be gearing up for a legal battle with open source software developers. Citing over 230 patent violations, Microsoft lawyer Brad Smith cited both the Linux kernel and Open Office as two of the biggest offenders. The he former is responsible for 42 patent violations, and the latter racking up a solid 45 such breaches. As of right now it seems unclear as to whether or not the company plans on proceeding with legal action, but it certainly seems to be keeping its options open. Steve "I’m the man" Ballmer also goes on the record as saying that open source software should be forced to "play by the same rules as everyone else." The fact that "everyone else" is motivated by profit margins didn’t seem to cross his mind. Ah nuance…such a nasty thing. Whatever the outcome, you can be sure that this isn’t the last time we’ll hear from Microsoft on the issue.
[Via ZDNet]
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