You may recall, Mark Shuttleworth's argument that Microsoft is not the real enemy here; It's our friend, he argues. Well, this argument (however 'cute' it may seem), motivated by the need to eliminate patent trolls, no longer seems easy to embrace, let alone accept.

Microsoft is attacking Free software. It doesn't do this in the courtroom, but protection rackets are effective nonetheless. And that's just what the Xandros deal is about (as well as a punch at the GPL).

The following item contrasts Mark's views and explains why Microsoft will continue to fight Free software, rather than sidle with it.

Mark Shuttleworth recently wrote that "Microsoft is not the real threat".

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Today, right now, the software industry is divided and it is at war. The battle lines are drawn, almost every firm in the industry is clearly on one side or the other. The fight is over a simple thing - how to survive in a changing world.

Linux vendors and Open Source companies absolutely must stop pretending that Microsoft likes them. This is nothing but an attempt to embrace and eliminate. That's what Microsoft's Linux Lab (Port 25) is all about. It's a door to negotiating deals that are harmful to the threat as a whole.