Microsoft closes another deal, is redhat next?

[Skunk Worx]

Antonio Olivares wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
> In midst of the Microsoft Linux deals, Novell, Xandros, Linspire, ..., etc.  The question arises will Red Hat fall into Microsoft's deals?
> 
> http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070614/38396_id.html?.v=1
> 
> Inquiring minds want to know.  
> I hope that it does not fall into these kinds of pacts.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Antonio 
> 
>

Some have speculated that with the SCO copyright farce winding down MS 
has to try a new tactic against linux. It looks like software patents 
are the next big show.

Patent fights are nothing new, and a lot of case law and legal strategy 
is on the books. How and when to launch an IP/patent attack, when to 
fight or pull back, etc.

Kudos to RedHat for sticking to their guns. Unix predates MS-anything by 
decades so it's all kind of humorous.

I don't think s/w patents even existed when Unix, X-Window, MS-Windows, 
Mac, Dos, Apple I/II/Lisa, CP/M, etc. were originally written, let alone 
all the Sperry-Univac, DEC, IBM monolithic systems.

That's a lot of prior art. Useful in an IP battle.

---
John