HackFUD

And it’s back to business for me, after my trials and tribulations getting this site performing the way I want it to. Almost…

This time, here’s Bill Hilf, Microsoft’s…well, let’s let InformationWeek introduce him…

Microsoft’s leading light on open source issues. Since coming to Microsoft from IBM in 2003, Hilf has been inextricably involved with Microsoft’s strategy for dealing with Linux. He’s recently been appointed general manager of Windows Server marketing and platform strategy, which means he’s taking on an expanded role, but open source is still one of his core issues.

One of his core issues. Indeed. InformationWeek asks him:

InformationWeek: Are there any specific areas where you would see Microsoft placing things in an open source development environment as a way to further its own products or to better interoperate with things?

He replies with :

Hilf: When people buy commercial software, really what they’re buying is a guarantee. You’re buying a guarantee that what you have will perform, and has been tested and there’s someone you can call up, and if things go really bad someone’s liable if something doesn’t work. You’re buying this ecosystem of accountability. One of the challenges of open source and really the challenge with the open source business model is: it’s hard to replicate that ecosystem of accountability and that guarantee.

What he seems to be implying here is that if you use FOSS products, there’s no one to phone up and complain to if something with that product goes wrong. There’s no accountability. You can’t hold someone liable for something going wrong. What he’s also saying is that buying commercial (read : proprietary) software, then all these negatives Go Away. Not only that, but with the purchase of the commercial software, you’re getting a “guarantee that what you have will perform, and has been tested”, that you can hold the publishers of that software liable if something doesn’t work.

Oh, really? Yeah. Right.

Let’s deal with the issue of a piece of commercial software having a guarantee it’s going to work/perform, first. Read the rest of this entry »

Heh, see what happens when I go away to visit my folks for a few days…

OK, so a company by the name of IP Innovation has basically sued Red Hat and Novell over a patent they own which they say something in those companies’ Linux distributions infringes.

The patent in question is : “User interface with multiple workspaces for sharing display system objects“, patent #5,072,412 .

PJ at Groklaw once again has written a great entry on her website about this.

She’s also since then written up a Call To Arms, for looking for Prior Art against the patent lawsuit, so anyone reading this and can help, please do so!

Yes. For this to occur almost right after Steve Ballmer’s FUD-ridden talk, of which I opined about earlier on this site, strikes me as an astounding coincidence. No doubt certain people and companies will make a meal of this situation in the coming weeks and months. I’m hoping the FOSS community will - once again - pool together and destroy these claims. And I’ll be keeping a look out for the ensuing FUD attacks that are surely to come.