Linux leaders plot counterattack on Microsoft

counter attack to what

these deals are meaningless - they protect nothing and they give the customers nothing.

oh ya - interoperability - I forgot - couldn't have that without these deals

just glad redhat hasn't caved and here is to hoping ubuntu doesn't.

> counter attack to what?

Would imagine that the "what" is the combination of MS's patent threats against FOSS and its pressure to induce more and more Linux vendors to undertake MS's patent deal "offer$$".

In another LXer discussion thread, here are some of the Linux distros that are variably considered to be targets of such patent deal "offer$$": Canonical/Ubuntu Mandriva MEPIS PCLinuxOS

Besides Ubuntu/Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth, one would also think that the FSF (re:GPLv3) would have something to say at the Googleplex about the "what" mentioned here .

Methinks the headline and the story didn't have a whole lot to do with each other.

Sounds more like FOSS folk trying to get past battle lines between each other.

Sigh.

When everything is the most critical priority on earth, nothing is. When every whiff of the beast converts you to the enemy, there can be few friends.

Quoting: When every whiff of the beast converts you to the enemy, there can be few friends.

I like

>I like

Thanks.

I'm beginning to wonder if, as an unintended consequence, Microsoft is actually doing the free software community (communities?) a favor.

It seems that one inevitable result -- especially if Ubuntu climbs into the "on board" column, is a more grown-up and subtle perspective on the relationships between people and organizations in the free software ecology. A move away from black/white good guy/bad guy thinking to asking whether actions are making more software more free.

Just a thought here, but a possibility just percolated to the top of the swamp thats located above my shoulders. Is it possible that we will see a closed binary ala nVidia come from microsoft that will allow full network interoperability?

Just plug in the binary and poof all the Active Directory and what ever else they dream up works seamlessly with linux systems? Then they have the blackbox magic that they control and can do whatever they want with? They have already proved that they are fans of call home functions that the end user has no control of.

Its just a thought, but it does seem reasonable that they could take that approach. Just think of all the horrors that something like that could create.

I'm really hoping I'm wrong here, but time will tell I guess.

azerthoth -

Heck, it wouldn't even have to do anything nefarious.

Think about it -- a nice clean Pollyanna implementation with not funny tricks would earn Microsoft interoperability points with regulators around the world while taking some wind out of Samba's sails. Good deal all around, especially if samba starts to evaporate when the obvious need goes away.