Ballmer: Linux users owe Microsoft

[mail2and]

Source- Computer World

- In comments confirming the open-source community's suspicions, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer today declared his belief that the Linux operating system infringes on Microsoft's intellectual property.

In a question-and-answer session after his keynote speech at the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) conference in Seattle, Ballmer said Microsoft was motivated to sign a deal with SUSE Linux distributor Novell Inc. earlier this month because Linux "uses our intellectual property" and Microsoft wanted to "get the appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation."

The Nov. 2 deal involves an agreement by Novell and Microsoft to boost the interoperability of their competing software products. It also calls for Microsoft to pay Novell $440 million for coupons entitling users to a year's worth of maintenance and support on SUSE Linux to its customers. In addition, Microsoft agreed to recommend SUSE software for Windows users looking to use Linux as well.

A key element of the agreement now appears to be Novell's $40 million payment to Microsoft in exchange for the latter company's pledge not to sue SUSE Linux users over possible patent violations. Also protected are individuals and noncommercial open-source developers who create code and contribute to the SUSE Linux distribution, as well as developers who are paid to create code that goes into the distribution.

Many open-source advocates criticized the deal, nevertheless. They argued that it was tantamount to an admission of patent violations by a key Linux supporter that bolstered Microsoft's case if it decided press its patent claims.

At the time, Microsoft officials, including Ballmer, were mum on whether the Linux kernel, which is governed by the General Public License and takes contributions from programmers all around the world, violated Microsoft's patents.

Ballmer was more open today.

"Novell pays us some money for the right to tell customers that anybody who uses SUSE Linux is appropriately covered," Ballmer said. This "is important to us, because [otherwise] we believe every Linux customer basically has an undisclosed balance-sheet liability."

"My reaction is that so far, what he [Ballmer] said is just more FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt]," said Pamela Jones, editor of the Groklaw.net blog, which tracks legal issues in the open-source community. "Let him sue if he thinks he has a valid claim, and we'll see how well his customers like it."

Officials at Red Hat Inc., the leading Linux distributor, also dismissed Ballmer's comments. "We do not believe there is a need for or basis for the type of relationship defined in the Microsoft/Novell announcement," said Mark Webbink, deputy general counsel.

Red Hat has called Microsoft's legal threat a looming "innovation tax." It also said that it can protect its customers against patent claims.

Jones noted that after the Nov. 2 deal was announced, Novell said on its Web site that "the agreement had nothing to do with any known infringement. So which is true?"

Jones also challenged Ballmer to "put his money where his mouth is" and detail exactly what part of the Linux kernel source code allegedly infringes upon Microsoft patents, so that "folks will strip out the code and work around it or prove his patent invalid."

Ballmer did not provide details during his comments today. But he was adamant that Linux users, apart from those using SUSE, are taking advantage of Microsoft innovation, and that someone -- either Linux vendors or users -- would eventually have to pay up.

"Only customers that use SUSE have paid properly for intellectual property from Microsoft," he said. "We are willing to do a deal with Red Hat and other Linux distributors." The deal with SUSE Linux "is not exclusive," Ballmer added.

Robert McMillan, of the IDG News Service, contributed to this report.

Who listens to this monkeyboy?

If there was any truth in his argument, then he would have presented proof of the so called 'infringement'. Till then I'd say this is all BS.

[drsethi]

This is a dirty game of Microsoft to divide the Linux community.
Good video of Monkey boy!

[amitava82]

GREATEST joke in the history... LOL. i think microsoft can see the end of windows era is comin. Linux is about to grasp windows. so they are desperate to survive.. very weak move though. why dont they prove which part of windows we are using in linux???

[subratabera]

Microsoft itself uses BSD liscenced code:

You can check it out also. Just open a terminal and use the following command. Change the path of your system32 folder accordingly...

$ strings /mnt/C:/windows/system32/ftp.exe | grep Calif

This will give something like this...

@(#) Copyright (c) 1983 The Regents of the University of California.

Found somewhere from the Internet.

[JGuru]

M$'s talks always change with the times & current trends. It's never constant!!
First they said RedHat Linux is not fit for the Enterprise, they also hosted their
website on RHEL after several attacks on Windows NT Server by hackers!!
M$ copied lot of stuff from UNIX & Mac!! What does Ballmer say about that??

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by mail2and

Did I read that right? Did he actually use the word 'innovation'? C'mon, get over it, Ballmer - when has Microsoft ever innovated!

Here's a joke on Microsoft:

THE USUAL APPROACH...
Consumer analyst: Customers say this product stinks and they won't buy it!
Company CEO: Well, we better find a better way to make it!

THE MICROSOFT APPROACH...
Consumer analyst: Customers say this product stinks and they won't buy it!
Company CEO: Well, we better find a better way to market it!!

[kumarmohit]

There was a video of Ballmer jumping around like a crazy chimp. Seeing it I was convinced that Ballmer was a chimp, now I am convinced that he is crazy too.

[praka123]

Resistance is futile?now see Bill&Steve Ball^mer,Linux is reaching inside ur Den itself eh?

[QwertyManiac]

Money Monkeyboy drinks a lot, he mixed up Windows and Linux

[eddie]

Ballmer's comments made me remember the fight that I saw between two kids in our apartments. There was this fight happening between a little kid and a bigger kid (This little kid is a serious PITA btw). So this big kid was like hitting the sh!t out of the little one and you know what the little one was saying? "Saale itne maarunga ki yaad rakhega" (i will hit you so bad...you will remember it for long)...the big kid would hit him again and the little one would say "Saale maar kha lega" (you are going to get it from me this time). At last the big kid got tired of hitting him and went to his home...guess what the little one said..."darr ke bhaag raha hai?" (you got so scared of me that you are running?)

Ballmer knows Linux is kicking sh!t out of his of company but he just keeps acting like the little kid... He wants everyone to believe that they are winning...

[~Phenom~]

^^ haha , really funny.

[aryayush]

What does 'PITA' stand for?

[Vyasram]

he's so sure that no one is gonna buy vista and that ppl are gonna shift to linux, he ' s just desparate to make ppl buy windows, poor guyz

they should have reduced vista prices instead

[eddie]

Originally Posted by aryayush

What does 'PITA' stand for?

Pain in the a$$

Then me what did microsoft make?. They made nothing. Microsoft is only like publisher. They did nothing on their own or made anything on their own. Atleast bill gates kept everything secrets now that secrets are getting revealed.

M$ sucks. Only wish Linux get directx know-how.

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by eddie

Pain in the a$$

Oh, thanks! I usually figure out such acronyms myself but I have been hearing this one for quite a while now and couldn't understand what it was.

[sonusahu]

ballmer:-" blah..blah...blah..blah"

[eddie]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Oh, thanks! I usually figure out such acronyms myself but I have been hearing this one for quite a while now and couldn't understand what it was.

No probs
Here is something if u ever get stuck again
http://www.netlingo.com/

[JGuru]

@Eddie, That's a very big list of Text Messaging Shorthand!!!
Anyway thanks for the link.

[aryayush]

Thanks, eddie!

"If it's not on the internet, it's either extinct or never existed in the first place." -Aayush Arya