Bonum Certa Men Certa

Breaking Down 'Patent Fronts' Against Linux

A shallow glance in the news yesterday brought up a set of interesting articles. They very well show that the patent-fueled fight against Linux comes not from a single front, but from several. In order to understand the threat better, here is an explanation about 3 such fronts (among more), accompanies by short fragments of text from the news.

OOXML/Mono (Document Exchange, Programming)



Yesterday we mentioned Mono again. We raised some concerns about GNOME's stance on OOXML and we continue to be worried about the direction taken with Mono, which we were told is not as tightly-integrated with GNOME as we had feared. An open letter that addressed GNOME's policies reached the front page of Slashdot and stimulated the following new article.

What is Miguel de Icaza's latest game? His obsession with tailgating everything that Microsoft develops - and trying to impress the company by producing Linux equivalents - now seems to be spreading to others as well.


"There is another way and we have covered the alternative routes many times before."The article takes somewhat of an ad hominem approach, but the fact remains that one person's vision will guide the project's direction as long as there is no vocal and practical resistance. There are two issues to consider here.

First, putting aside the impracticality of incorporating OOXML support into GNOME and forgetting about the GNOME Foundation's controversial stance on OOXML, there is a serious patent issue that is being ignored. A territory of software patents is being approached and since GNOME has become a de facto desktop in Novell's products, there are reasons to pause and think.

Secondly, Mono, among other pieces of the stack that mimic Microsoft's technology, bring great patent issues to mind. There is another way and we have covered the alternative routes many times before.

Europe/Samba (Communication Protocols)



In Europe, an agreement made with Microsoft contained some Samba/GPL 'poison'. This is likely to have been no coincidence or an accident. The main conflict lies within the fact that software patents are part of the agreement (yes, software patents... in Europe!). This puts in jeopardy the role of Linux in the server room.

European businesses that have thus far shied away from Linux might not be more inclined to go open source as a result of the restrictions imposed by the commission.


"Out Portfolio is Bigger Than Your Portfolio"



Another development worth mentioning is the news about Microsoft buying assets from a Thai company.

Microsoft, the Redmond, Wash., software giant, said it agreed to acquire software, intellectual property and other assets from Global Care Solutions, a closely held Bangkok developer of health-information systems.


Mind the bits about intellectual property and by all means remember that Microsoft likes to boast its large collection of patents. Rarely does it list specific infringement though. Patents are merely a tool to gain awe and then terrorise using the power scale, not the power of an actual bite.

Microsoft is likely to continue to praise "intellectual property" and mock everyone which it claims does not honour it. It's a fight which is based on perceived moral grounds.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Adoption of Gemini Protocol Still Growing
Gemini Protocol is being obscured by the media - it doesn't help that Google 'hijacked' the word "Gemini" - but people still manage to find out about it, download a client, and use it
Brett Wilson LLP "Takes it Personal" (Character Assassination, Not Professionalism). Everybody Can See That.
On behalf of violent men
Pissing Contests and Pissing Off Everyone
people who came from Microsoft are trying to vex and divide the community
Microsoft Repeats the Mistakes Made by the EPO After We Exposed a Major Microsoft/EPO Scandal 10 Years Ago
That scandal was all over the media, not just in English
Turns Out LLMs for Code Don't Save Time and Don't Improve Quality
Neither legal nor useful
 
Slashdot Media Turned Linux Journal Into a Slopfarm and Now Slashdot Actively Promotes Anti-Linux Slopfarms
Yes, "no-nonsense" apparently means actual nonsense
Links 14/07/2025: Arresting Photographers, Threats to Revoke US Citizenship Over Criticism
Links for the day
More EPO Leaks on the Way
We hope that Mr. Rowan will actually try to refute what we say and show, not merely point the finger at the messengers
Decommodification is a Corporate Strategy Against Communities
systemd is led by Microsoft and hosted by Microsoft
People Who Assault Women Are Not Victims of "Distress"
It seems like an American tradition. In a country with almost 50 presidents, not even one was a female.
copyleft.org 'Hijacked' by the People Who Attack the Person Who Created Copyleft
So far there's nothing "tasteless" in copyleft.org, but that can change at any time in the future
Asking People to Take Down Articles and Videos Only Makes These More Popular and "Viral"
If you do something bad, one of the worst things you can possibly do it try to silence those who speak about it
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 13, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, July 13, 2025
Two-Thirds Towards FSF Goal, Richard Stallman to Give Talks in Europe
There are 67 left before reaching the target
Gemini Links 14/07/2025: Politicised Tech and "Leaving GitHub"
Links for the day
The Demise of LLMs
We've just checked BetaNews again. They've dropped all the slop and went back to human authors.
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Sonpo Museum of Art and FCEUX
Links for the day
Links 13/07/2025: UnitedHealth's Censorship Campaign, Australia Wary of China
Links for the day
Firing Away With Nonsense
Or fighting fire with fire
Links 13/07/2025: Climate Crisis, GAFAM Poisoning the Water
Links for the day
The Microsofters Will Have an Obligation to Compensate Us
This story isn't just about Microsoft. It's also about corruption, there are many women victims, there is abject "abuse of process", and many more scandals to be illuminated in years to come.
Reproducing at the EPO Instead of Producing Monopolies for Foreign Monopolies With Their Price-Fixing Cartels
Does the EPO recognise the need of well-educated Europeans to bear kids?
Valnet Inc. Dominates Real (Not LLM Slop) GNU/Linux Coverage in 2025
And likely in prior years, too
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Fund Raiser Goes on
Later this month we'll expose another OSI scandal
EPO Staff Representatives Issue a Warning About Staff's Health and Inadequate Care
Even the EPO's own stakeholders (money sources) are openly protesting against what the EPO became
Links 13/07/2025: Partly Assorted News From Deutsche Welle and CBC
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Board Games and Battle Styles
Gemini Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
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IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 12, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 12, 2025
Plunder at the Second-Largest Institution in Europe
cuts, neglect, health problems, even early deaths
Links 12/07/2025: Political Developments, Attack on Opposition, Climate Actions
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/07/2025: Melodic Musings and Small Web July
Links for the day
Links 12/07/2025: Jail in China for Homoerotica, South Korea Discriminates Against Old Workers
Links for the day
If Only Everything Was Rewritten in Rust, We'd Have No More Security Issues?
Nope.
Links 12/07/2025: Birdwatching and Fake/Misleading Wall Street 'Valuation' Figures
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/07/2025: How to Avoid Writing, Apps for Android
Links for the day
Using SLAPPs to Cover Up Sexual Abuse and Strangulation
The exact same legal team of the Serial Strangler from Microsoft and Garrett already has a history fighting against "metoo"
EPO Staff Committee on Harassment in the Workplace
slides
Adding the Voice of Writers to UK SLAPP Reform
The journey to repair antiquated (monarchy era) laws will likely be long
EPO Takes More Money From Staff for Speculation (Pensions), Actuarial Study Explains the Impact
"The key change in this year’s Actuarial Study, due to cascading the new “risk appetite” from the financial study, is a significant increase of the total pension contribution rate of 5.7 percentage points, up to a total of 37.8%. This is driven by an unprecedented decrease in the discount rate of 105 bps down to 2.2%."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 11, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 11, 2025