RSSBallmer: Linux May Violate 228 Patents
By Nate Mook | Published November 18, 2004, 5:06 PM
At Microsoft's Asian Government Leaders Forum in Singapore, CEO Steve Ballmer told attendees that Linux violates over 228 patents, and "somebody will come and look for money owing to the rights for that intellectual property," according to Reuters. Company representatives later toned down the statement to Microsoft Watch, but not before uproar from the open source community claimed Microsoft is using scare tactics to sell its products. Microsoft says Ballmer was simply citing a recent Open Source Risk Management report.
whenever ballmer talks you need to use a special mental filter. he likes to make grandiose all encompassing statements that have at their core a basis in truth. the statements are meant to ruffle the feathers of certain people. the ipod/piracy statement is an example of this. the linux patents are another example.
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|Even if Linux would be broking a billion patents MS just cant do a thing about it :P
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|He forgot to mention that by using Linux people become blind, and hair grows on their palms.
They are more and more scared. Even Windows users can be happy: maybe they will feel like making their software better.
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|Couple of Problems with that:
Im quite sure microsoft violates many patents, they just have enough patents themselves to take the mutally assured destruction path.
The ironic thing is many countries asia have little respect for US patents. So who cares?
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|I like Microsoft. I support them. That said, I love when Ballmer talks lol. The guy says some of the craziest things and gets everyone up in arms.
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|Yeah. I get a kick out of him myself. He's not the most helpful person for positive MS PR, but he gets attention. Ballmer is kind of the Dennis Rodman of the computer world. lol
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|Linux, no matter how many patents with it, is based on open-source so it should have no merit to sue. Of course, it is really the boso who said microsoft is using scare tactics to sell their OS who should be sued--it should be outlawed for someone to make public comments that show their willing to say and do anything for their cause (I'm joking, of course). Seriously, anyone who is so angry with microsoft that they can't think rationally, I don't give a rat's butt what he thinks. Balmer this isn't exactly the case--he just talks too much...
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|Balmer is a big fat dumb used cars salesmen and we all love him because of that!!
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|I know he was for the prison labor haha
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|He got it wrong of course. He took his fact from a study saying Linux might not that it did.
http://www.eweek.com/art...2/0,1759,1729908,00.asp
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