Tracking the war on Android/Linux

Summary: Bits and pieces from the news about the state of Android in a world of proprietary aggressors

IN the previous post we showed that Microsoft was still active in the area of patents, which the monopolistic company views as essential to its future as a patent parasite. Under the rather silly headline "Patents: an intellectual war" (it is a war of government-granted monopolies, not wisdom or ingenuity), we find some of the usual Apple apologism and Microsoft talking points, including:

“Yes, Apple is doing a lot to protect its rights, but in terms of Apple being more aggressive than others, I’m not sure that is entirely fair.”

They quote patent lawyers and Microsoft Florian. Job poorly done. Frankly, the author does not quite raise the possibility of just abolishing software patents, which is what makes the article so superficial and silly but not the exception.

According to this IDG report, patents are preventing good phones and platforms from coming to the market. To quote:

A Russian blogger has asserted that the Samsung Nexus Prime smartphone and Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, are "under question" over patent disputes with no timeline for an outcome.

Groklaw covers Oracle vs. Google pre-trial filings (part 1 and part 2), which are going to determine the cost of Android (Oracle wants patent royalties). While Microsoft-friendly sources have been taking Oracle's side ideologically, Open Source proponents explained that Oracle had no compelling case. Microsoft Florian even injected some lies to interfere with or misrepresent the case. To him, anything except Linux and Android has merit. To his credit, he has been consistent. He has done nothing but attack Linux since the get-go (a year and a half ago).

"It wasn't too long ago that Google's CEO still had a chair at Apple."According to Muktware, Apple carries on with its patents lust. "Apple Wants To Patent In-App Payment System," writes Neil Richards, adding that this "covers every method including in-app display of advertisement, which will directly affect Google. Google never bothered to patent the system. There are many prior art examples of in-app purchases and there are chances that this patent will not be granted. But, looking at the messy record of USPTO, anything is possible."

It is quite surprising how quickly Apple became a Google-hostile company. It wasn't too long ago that Google's CEO still had a chair at Apple. But with wealth and power Apple lost its ethics. It also lost its CEO, which means that an even worse patent aggressor (based on history) took over the helm. Google now openly complains about Apple's behaviour. ⬆