The Community Comments
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2007-05-16 04:29:53 UTC
- Modified: 2007-05-16 04:29:53 UTC
On Microsoft's plan:
'
They [Microsoft] are blabbering their FUD that’s all. They want people to have doubts about Linux’es legality so they can get people to switch to SUSE Linux which is “patent-infringement free” (look up recent relationship of MS w/ Novel). They will never sue because their claims have no grounds. How come they haven’t pointed out specifically which 235 patents Linux has violated yet? Any person would think that’s the first thing Microsoft will do. Well, the answer is - because such infringement doesn’t exist.'
Source:
Wall Street Journal blogs
On patenting software:
'A computer is a general-purpose machine. A computer's purpose is to process an organized collection of instructions to do a specific thing. These instructions are called "software". A computer without software is a doorstop. Patenting a particular collection of instructions (even if they do something really, really interesting) is, in effect, patenting the use of a thing for its intended purpose. It would be akin to patenting "a method for dialing my phone number" and then going after royalties every time my phone rings. Or "a method for using an automobile to get to work" and suing everyone in rush-hour traffic.'
Source:
Slashdot (Groklaw identified and hand-picked this one)
