Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> | It's
> | going to send us back to the bad old days of technology when
> | different pieces of software couldn't talk to each other.
No no no MS, a licence is a piece of paper, it isn't actually used in
communications on a computer, unless you tear it up and stuff it inside a
capacitor, though I have to say that in my experience hand made capacitors
are not always successfull.
But you are absolutely right, Gpl3 runs the risk of taking us back to the
bad old days, when any tom dick or harry who had the skill could without
risk add ideas and software to current systems and applications. Goodness,
there is a serious risk that some smart arse kid will come up with the next
super-app and there will be nothing we can do to stop him. We'll have to
watch his smug grin on the Horizon program as he looks to camera with a
face that seems to say 'Why didn't you lot think of that then?'.
I hope there is a smug grin clause in the final draft of Gpl3,
"Section 45:2 - Thou shalt receive a slap ....."
>
> Emphasised is the part which shows why we must not stop mentioning
> Microsoft in this newsgroup. The company hates Linux and the GPL with
> passion. It would spend $billions attempting to destroy Free software
> because there is too much at stake. Microsoft is losing its dominance.
>
It's like the Yanks V Brits war. We would have beat them if only we could
have found them. They come out, throw a few stones, then go off back to
their farms. How are you supposed to know which are soldiers and therefore
shootable and which are civilians and therefore rape and pillage them. It's
not cricket I tell you.
There isn't really a particularly good target for MS to go for in the MS V
Linux wars. If MS bought Redhat today, Linux will carry on. If they stab
Novell in the back as they are bending over the coffee machine, Linux will
carry on. Probably the real impact would come if MS simmultaniously bought
Novell
Redhat
IBM
Sun
The Ubuntu name
Debian
Yellow
... add a few of your own.
How much does that shopping list come to?
But Linux didn't enter the arena as a huge monolithic one eyed multiclawed
fighting machine taking on the might of UNIX and MS, no, Linux was small
and crept in like a desease in war of the worlds and even if MS could buy
those on the list, they can not stop Linux continuing it's relentless
creeping into people lives, for their own good whether they will or nil.
(sorry, bit dramatic, just practicing for when I have to do an Oscar
speech).
|
|
