On Wed, Jun 20, 2007, Robert Millan wrote: > Since every GNU/Linux distributor seems to be positioning with regards to > possible patent deals with Microsoft, I thought we could do the same. > > Actually, it's totally unthinkable that a non-profit organization could do > this kind of deal, in which Microsoft pays you to perform hara-kiri by > losing the right to distribute GPLv3 software. This is exactly what a > positioning statement would reflect: that our community model is > invulnerable to this kind of threats (and also to going out of bussiness, > etc).
For the time being, I have no intention of issuing such a statement or supporting it. If whatever deal prevents us from distributing GPLv3 software, then let's just never enter such a deal. No need for a statement, and certainly not a statement specifically about Microsoft: IBM has far more patents. And companies with smaller but more focused patent portfolios are being far more aggressive than Microsoft at suing everyone around, so regarding patents, *they* are the immediate threat. Also, large corporations such as Microsoft are highly schizophrenic entities, and I would not want to jeopardise possible collaborations with other parts of it (such as Microsoft Research) because of a direct PR attack. It's unlikely to see it go the Sun way, but I am certain that there are people within Microsoft wishing to push free software forward, too. Regards, -- Sam. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
