Sun to MS: Customers Can Leave You

Sun Microsystems Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz has some advice for Microsoft following its claim that open source software violates 235 patents held by the Redmond company. "You would be wise to listen to the customers you're threatening to sue - they can leave you, especially if you give them motivation," he says.

"No amount of fear can stop the rise of free media, or free software (they are the same, after all). The community is vastly more innovative and powerful than a single company," Schwartz added. "Open standards and open source software are literally changing the face of the planet - creating opportunity wherever the network can reach. That's not a genie any litigator I know can put back in a bottle."