03.11.08
New Articles and the FOSS Solution to Software Patents
BoycottNovell was cited by the Washington Post, PCWorld, Yahoo News and other respectable sources over the weekend, which is probably a sign of maturity and acknowledgment of credibility. Thanks to all the readers who have stayed with us. We do manage to get the word out and influence people’s understanding of the Microsoft/Novell deal, which is hard given the scale of Microsoft’s and Novell’s ‘public relations armies’, not to mention the natural biases of the press.
Yesterday I published the following article about the way standards and patents affect GNU/Linux. It’s cautiously optimistic.
Looking ahead, GNU/Linux will continue to evolve very fast. No other highly-distributed programming project thrives in development by a group so large and so highly motivated. It has become apparent, however, that some of the challenges to address along the way are more than just technical.
I’ve already received one important correction to the text (from zoobab) in reference to:
One could reach the point of discussing another logical possibility. Might we be seeing the whole patent system implode, primarily due to self-inflicted damage and serious deficiencies? Familiarize yourself with the work of the open invention network for example. It is one possible solution, but it is worth considering ways of working around patents also.
“OIN is no solution against proxy-trolls,” he says, pointing to:
GM: Typically, patent trolls don’t have any products, so they are unlikely to be infringing on any of your patents. Isn’t that a problem for the OIN approach? JR: Very clearly there’s not much we can do with regard to patent trolls.”
Further, he adds: “The typical strategy is that a company who wants to annoy a competitor pays a troll to do the dirt job. A bit like the mafia.”
In this context, mind the Acacia story [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. █
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.