Hi-Tech Bigamy: Novell, Microsoft and Open Source
Last month's announcement that Microsoft and Novell will cooperate to promote harmonious interconnection between the Windows and Linux operating systems used on servers has produced a spate of commentary, much of it along the lines of "what are they really up to?"
From Microsoft's point of view, an old Yogi Barra-ism applies: Deep down, the motives are shallow. Or, if you prefer Sigmund Freud, sometimes a cigar is only a cigar.
In terms of the number of servers shipped, Windows has about 65% of the market, Linux about 20%, various Unixes about 10%, with the rest spread among several specialized systems. The Unix machines are mostly high-end; measured by dollar value, Windows and Unix have 37% and 30% of the server market, respectively, while Linux has 12%. (Thanks to the helpful analysts at IDC for these numbers.)
So Windows and Linux occupy the same commercial space, and, as Microsoft's Steve Ballmer has said, customers want to be able to use both and they want the systems to interoperate.
But the General Public License that governs Linux says that any code that interacts too intimately with code that is governed by the GPL itself becomes subject to the openness requirements of the GPL. This, along with some other GPL provisions, together with some rather murky concerns about possible patent problems on both sides, makes achieving interoperability complicated legally.
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clueless article...
"The Free Software Foundation (FSF) and its followers believe that all software should be open to unrestricted modification and redistribution. They vehemently oppose software copyrights, patents, and secrecy. In a sort of ju-jitsu move, they think property rights in software should be recognized (via the GPL), but only to ensure that no one can claim profit-making property rights in software. They also oppose computerized Digital Rights Management, which means that oppose property rights in any other forms of creative content as well."
Wonder if the writer has ever read the GPL. Does he know RMS used to sell Emacs tapes for $150? Besides the article is written as if the patent pact only got attacked by the Free Software fanatics, when infact it came under attack overwhelmingly by those who dont specifically buy the FSF agenda.