[Sussex] Five Reasons Why Microsoft Will Not Sue Linux {Was: It had to happen]

[Steven Dobson]

Andrew

On Sat, 2006-11-04 at 20:17 +0000, Andrew Guard wrote:
> Steven Dobson wrote:
> > 4). Counter patient claims could be crippling.
> > 
<snip>
> Do not forget it would turn out to be a all out war.  So people will 
> start suing them for anything and everything.

I'm not so sure I would call it `all out war' but it could become a very
big bun fight.  :-)

<snip>

> Microsoft has a problem, how many times can you reinvent the wheel. 
> What real feature is missing in there products?  If you have office 2003 
> why upgrade, what is missing?

I agree here 100%.  Microsoft's big money makers have now reached a
level of maturity that there is no need to upgrade for the vast number
of clients.  Microsoft needs to find a new set of cach cows:  Vista
anyone?

> Vista is basically an locked down version of XP, with some visual 
> effects toys.  Microsoft will say it more secure and more reliable but 
> they have been say that with each new version of windows since 95.

Vista may well have the ability to become more secure and reliable but
if there is as much new code in Vista as the press have been reporting
then it will take time to get it there.  This is ground Linux has
already travelled.

To me the Microsoft/Novell partnership indicates only one thing:
Microsoft now acknowledges that Windows is not going to win the OS wars.
Linux is here and here to stay.

I expect Novell to release a new version of SuSE in 6 - 12 months time
that is littered with proprity, non-free addons that allow SuSE Linux to
better interoperate with Windows.  I don't doubt that some will accept
this kind of interoperability - interoperability using a dominate
proprity format.

But as we've seen with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts there are some
that want interoperability and sovranty over thier documents.  And you
can only get this with open formats.

Steve