And thus you have microsoft, the evil corporation, akin to the big bully...or giant monster...and they wonder why people hate them.

#57, True, they essentially bought MS-DOS and sold it to IBM and the genius was using a licensing model instead of outright selling the code in the way they got it. If anything they are staying true to their roots.

Actually, they "stole" Gary Kildall's innovation. When Gary Kildall's wife sent IBM packing, Microsoft bought a reverse engineered version of Gary Kildall's CP/M from another company and renamed it DOS. They sold it to IBM as their own, shiny, new OS and the rest is history.

Sounds like Microsoft started their OS enterprise by stealing OS innovation in a worse way than they allege Linux has done.

Microsoft wouldn't dare sue a linux vendor. It would open their own code for audit under discovery, and I would bet you there is Linux code in Windows that they are not GPL compliant with.

say what you will. I look forward to the next round of MS v Linux (IBM) lawsuits.

sounds like microsoft have gone full circle: they copy everything from apple (lol @ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4134446112378047444 ) and a lot of apple stuff is and is derived from opensource code ;)

edit: oh yes, i forgot:

> "And of course, Ballmer's age-old strategy ..."

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1274983729713522403

you mean that old-age strategy?

Microsoft founders are forgetting their roots and making it nearly impossible for entrepreneurial innovation without fear of obscure patent violations.

My take is Vista & it's New & Imporved DRM(tm). Imagine a world where just about every thing is locked down, but joe user is vaguely aware of this "other" thing. He/she asks the office geek & before you know it, joe user is running debian.

Vista will only be vulnerable for say, the first 18 months of widespread rollout. If *nix is going to get some kind of significant majority minority, it will be in that brief window.

After that, well I for one, will welcome our new DRM overlords.

I was so proud of Microsoft when I first read that they were working together with Novell. I actually gave them some credit until I read this article. Somehow it figures that they would do something like this.

The funniest part of it all is where Ballmer accuses others of "taking advantage of Microsoft innovation". He should become a comedian with a line like that one.

Well, this only makes me wonder how long they've been sleeping on this IP; Not so much with the M$blows line of thought.

Of course, that'll be prolonged into a 2 year case, as Linux people try to explain to a 95 year old judge who was confounded by electric typewriters why it's not an infringement.

Which pretty much gets back to my point.

WINE and Saba seem like decent targets in Linux for having Microsoft IP.

As far as I know they are bundled in pretty much every major distro as well.

Of course the WINE and Saba team process of reverse engineering is probably totally on the up and up, but that doesn't preclude them from getting sued and having to prove it.

Microsoft's Incessant Pilfering should not be infringed upon.

Steve Ballmer is a blithering idiot, why would anybody listen to the drivel that spews from that morons mouth.

Any lawsuit against WINE and Samba is doomed. There are provisions defending exactly what they're doing.

For copyright sure.

For patents though? Could get messy.

Linux fans UNITE!!!

So lemme get this straight...

Microsoft accuses Linux, an open source kernel and it's associated open source operating system components, of stealing from a closed source operating system?

Remind me how you do that again?

At least my beloved FreeBSD is safe (for now)

Who is this 'Saba'?

My bad. Samba.

MIcrosoft should be quiet on accusing others of stealing their ideas.

They are one of the largest avocates of stealing other companies, people's ideas then market the bejesus out of it.

No one mentioned that Oracle has threatened Red Hat's turf......

Say Oracle does what it says and is hugely popular...that runs Red Hat to the ground. Either Red Hat has to agree to merge or be bought out by Oracle, or stay competitive and do what Novell has done....partner with the Devil....i mean microsoft...

I think it will happen.

To A_Pickle:

#17, "Do you remember slimy bundling deals to kill competition?"

All I can think of there is how people are able to include vast, powerful software libraries in operating systems like Ubuntu Linux (OpenOffice, the GIMP) or Mac OS X (iLife), while if Microsoft tries to do it with Windows, they get sued for "antitrust" by the same dolts who bundle stuff with their operating systems. Hell, Microsoft would've been sued by PowerDVD or InterVideo if they'd tried to include built-in DVD playback.

"Slimy?" Poor word choice, considering Microsoft's competitors do it.

You conveniently forgot two salient facts: First, Microsoft is a monopoly and bundling has been ruled by both the American and EU governments as anti-competitive behavior for a monopoly. Second, with Linux, the OS and its bundled software are FREE, whereas Microsoft charges large amounts of money for the combination.

Wow, this sure was a suprise....not. Anyone else expect this after hearing about the Novell deal?

While I can understand a company trying to protect its interests, this is just draconian. I'm willing to bet that enough detailed programming information is traded in dinner table chats among software gurus to start lawsuits fit to put a dent in even Microsoft's gargantuan coffer. I have a very hard time feeling sorry for the largest software company in the world, especially given their history. Crimping widespread innovations like all of the flavors of Linux out there is contrary to the whole philosophy of engineering and constructive design.

I'd be shocked if Linux didn't infringe on any of Microsoft's IP (heck, I'm certain that without cross-licensing deals, OS X would infringe on tons of Microsoft IP, and Windows would infringe on tons of Apple IP); they must have hundreds or even thousands of patents relevant to pretty much any modern OS (and which the other big commercial OS vendors deal with via cross-licensing or simply have enough IP of their own that a cross-licensing deal would be the inevitable result of any lawsuit).

never ending bollocks, where is SCO now?

I think it's funny, to be honest. It's irritating of Ballmer to threaten Linux for infringing on "Intellectual Property," because, while it does, so too does Windows. It's the nature of the industry, and whining about copying this or that feature isn't going to stop it, and shouldn't stop it. Ballmer, shut up and steal some of that plainly available code.

stay away from my ubuntu

I'd like to know what exactly Linux is infringing on.

Funny, do I hear the song of SCO in the background?

what IP would this be, Sounds like the price of not having to deal w/ endless litigation w/ a 500lb gorilla is only 40 million, what a bargain.

Uh-oh.