On Mon, 06 Nov 2006 12:05, Christopher Sawtell wrote: > On Monday 06 November 2006 11:31, Zane Gilmore wrote: > > This seems rather ominous to me. > > Does this mean that MS is saying that as long as any developer or user > > is not operating in any serious commercial space or they are in any way > > organised then we feel OK with FLOSS?
They took a few minor do-si-do steps with releasing the Visual [Programming Language] Express with minimal conditions, to appeal to the hobbyist programmer - only they took the additional step of not restricting the hobbyist to purely hobbyist use of the Visual [PL] Express. FWLIW, I've advised several MS blogs that they should really look at releasing the Visual [PL] Express series source code trees under the boilerplate MS Community License, otherwise they'll wind up being completely snowed by the F/LOSS alternatives. ;) A little bit of badgering, a wee bit of tweaking their collective nose ... ;) > > That is how I interpret it too. Also, realistically, they appreciate that > they can't control what individuals and small groups of people do in the > privacy of their own homes. > > It would seem to me that this is the start of the separation of the IT/CS > world into two distinct camps - the USA and the rest of the world. > Microsoft have realised that if they don't start interoperating better, the > rest of the world will simply cut them off sooner rather than later, > whereas if they start playing nicer they can delay the inevitable for a > while. The patent nonsense makes that agreement only of historical interest. All South Africa - for example - needs to do now, is launch a delaying strike against the patent idiocy in the WTO, and Africa will start leading the world for the first time since the late palaeolithic. > > On the other hand the Novell-Microsoft agreement also gives Linux a real > boost in credibility. Yes, it does say something that Microsoft ends up supporting its arch-rival. What's probably more important though, is the fact, most probably intolerably unpleasant to the 'Softie Boys, eg, Ballmer, at the top of the MSFT pyramid, most of the embedded consumer electronics hardware is using Linux if they're not using their own embedded RT executive. It seems to be the first port of call in that software-hardware area. Wesley Parish > > -- > CS -- Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish ------------- Mau ki ana, he aha te mea nui? You ask, "What is the most important thing?" Maku ki ana, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people." ------------- notcatweazle.wordpress.com - Some unmagical musings
