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● 03.27.08

●● Microsoft Monopoly and OSBC: The Before/After

Posted in Bill Gates, Deception, Free/Libre Software, GNU/Linux, GPL, Microsoft at 12:08 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Yesterday we commented on Microsoft's attendance at OSBC, which was tactless and unnecessary. It gave Microsoft a lot of positive press, despite its real intentions. This really ought to stop, but this has got to start somewhere. Groklaw response to Microsoft’s talk at OSBC was interesting. PJ says:

=> Microsoft's attendance at OSBC | tactless and unnecessary | real intentions | ought to stop

Now that they built a monopoly before there were software patents to hinder them, they believe in a well-functioning — for them — patent system that excludes GPL software. Nice doubletalk.

Remember this old quote:

“If people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today’s ideas were invented, and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today… some large company will patent some obvious thing… take as much of our profits as they want.”

–Bill Gates

Bill is not quite the same guy anymore. Secured in the comfort of the fort (or Cathedral), Microsoft has other things on its agenda.

“Other than Bill Gates, I don’t know of any high tech CEO that sits down to review the company’s IP portfolio.”

–Marshall Phelps

“If seems unfortunate if we do this work and get our partners to do the work and the result is that Linux works great without having to do the work. Maybe there is no way Io avoid this problem but it does bother me. Maybe we can define the APIs so that they work well with NT and not the others even if they are open. Or maybe we could patent something related to this.”

–Bill Gates [PDF]

Well, yeah. It figures. It was last acknowledged by Microsoft only weeks ago that GNU/Linux is the company’s #1 competitor. Can’t Microsoft compete like a gentleman? █

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