On Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:50:56 +1000, Ben Finney wrote: > Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.pyt...@pearwood.info> writes: > >> Mono is free, open source software that is compatible with .NET > […] > > It's difficult to take a claim of “free” seriously for a technology > (Mono) that knowingly implements techniques (the “C#” language, the > “.NET” platform, etc.) covered by specific idea patents held by an > entity that demonstrates every intention of wielding them to restrict > the freedom of software recipients.
It's astonishing how anti-Mono FUD just won't die. (Something can be true, and still FUD. "Oh no, people might *choke* on a peanut, or have an allergic reaction, we must label every piece of food May Contain Nuts just in case, because you never know!!!") Let's reword your concern slightly: It's difficult to take a claim of “free” seriously for technologies (including, but not limited to, HTML, CSS, C++, XML, Public Key Cryptography, packet-based multimedia, IPv6) that knowingly or unknowingly [the later not being a defence against infringement] implement techniques covered by specific idea patents held by an entity that allegedly demonstrates every intention, or at least some intention, of wielding them to restrict the freedom of software recipients. Perhaps every piece of software should be labeled May Infringe Patents. I've seen a lot of FUD about Mono, but nothing to suggest that it is at more risk than any other piece of non-trivial software. As far as I know, there is only one major piece of FOSS that *has* actually been sued for patent infringement, and it's not Mono. > Software idea patents are incompatible with free software. Every > non-trivial program likely violates countless such patents, but most of > those patents are not yet enforced even in the unlucky jurisdictions > where they are recognised by law. Right. So why single out Mono? Python likely violates "countless" such patents, so obviously we can't take the idea of Python being free seriously either. Same with Perl, and the Linux kernel, and the entire Gnu tool set. As you say, quite probably every piece of non-trivial software you have used, or ever will use, or write, infringes. By this logic, we can't take the idea of FOSS software seriously at all, since no software can be expected to be free from infringing some patent somewhere. But of course, the conclusion does not follow from the premise. Yes, Mono is at risk from patents, *possibly even from Microsoft*. So is everything else. So why single out Mono as non-serious? (Although it is in Microsoft's best interest to tolerate Mono. It's in their best interests to tolerate FOSS. And as their recent actions show: http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft-cozies-up-to-open-source-donates-100000-to-Apache/1217018107 http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/24/linus-torvalds-speaks-out-on-the-microsoft-gpl-code-contribution/ at least parts of Microsoft have finally come to recognise this.) More here: http://www.jprl.com/Blog/archive/development/mono/2009/Jan-19.html > Microsoft, though, is clearly a vigorous enforcer of software idea > patents they hold. They have been very cagey about stating what they > will and won't enforce about patents they hold on .NET – and none of > those statements are binding. This is complete FUD. I suggest you start with this: http://www.microsoft.com/interop/cp/default.mspx Perhaps what you mean is, none of the licences granted are *irrevocable*. But the same applies to the GPL -- break the GPL's (generous) terms, and you too could find that your licence is revoked. Is it possible that there could be portions of .NET or Mono which are unclear patent-wise? Of course it is possible, it's even likely. Software patents are truly a mess. But there is zero evidence I have seen that Mono is more of a mess patent-wise, or more of a risk, than any other non-trivial piece of software. With large portions of Mono protected by the Microsoft Community Promise licence, it may even be that Mono is *safer* than most FOSS software. Microsoft is far less vigorous at enforcing patents than many other companies. (This is possibly a bad thing, when they darkly drop hints that there are secret patent infringements in Linux and some day there will be a reckoning...) Given the tens, or is it hundreds, of thousands of patents they hold, they've barely used them. Do you want to know who scares me? Google and Apple. Google, because they're turning software from something you run on your own computer to something you use on a distant server you have no control over. And Apple, because they're turning the computer from a general purpose computing device you control, to a locked-down, restricted, controlled specialist machine that only runs what they permit you to run. But I digress. > The freedom of a software work isn't a matter of the copyright license > alone; it's a matter of the freedoms each recipient has in the work. > What the copyright license grants, the applicable patents held by > demonstrably litigious parties can take away. > >> http://ubuntu-tutorials.com/2007/03/13/squashing-a-few-myths-about-mono-development/ > > It squashes some myths, but does not address the restrictions imposed by > the .NET software idea patents at all AFAICT. > > Here are some links that do address this: > > <URL:http://nocturn.vsbnet.be/content/get-facts-mono> > <URL:http://www.fsf.org/news/dont-depend-on-mono> The first URL is by Guy Van Sanden, who wrote: "I will not watch and stand by while we expose the Free Software desktop to MS extortion racket." http://nocturn.vsbnet.be/content/cleaning-mono-your-system#comment-2665 Extortion racket, huh? He also describes Microsoft as "one of the biggest patent trolls on the planet". That's palpably untrue: one might not approve of Microsoft's behaviour, or of software patents in general, but they certainly don't meet any of the characteristics of patent trolling: http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/05/is_microsoft_a.html Judging by his posts, I don't believe that gvansanden is a reliable, unbiased source for "facts about Mono". And for the second, Richard Stallman's post merely takes as a given that "Microsoft is probably planning to force all free C# implementations underground some day". Planning, he says. Does he have any evidence for this? How sure is he about that "probably"? Is that 99.999% sure, or 50.001% sure? Microsoft can *plan* to build their corporate headquarters on the Sun, for all I care, what are their chances of succeeding? Stallman even says that it's a good thing that there are free implementations of C#, and points out that there's a GNU version of C# too. He doesn't call for the removal of Mono, but merely that we should avoid encouraging people to use C# *just in case*. Look, patent threats are real, but we don't gain anything by exaggerating the threat, and we *especially* don't gain anything by treating one patent holder as the Devil Incarnate while ignoring threats from others. -- Steven -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list