Red Hat downplays Novell/Microsoft deal (ArsTechnica) [LWN.net]

Red Hat downplays Novell/Microsoft deal (ArsTechnica)

Posted Nov 7, 2006 18:35 UTC (Tue) by tetromino (subscriber, #33846)
In reply to: Red Hat downplays Novell/Microsoft deal (ArsTechnica) by jfj
Parent article: Red Hat downplays Novell/Microsoft deal (ArsTechnica)

Time for red hat to remove Mono

Fascinating! I just want to clarify one thing. Do you hate Mono because you hate free software that was inspired by non-free products? Or maybe you hate Mono because you hate free software that implements an existing standard? Or alternatively, do you hate Mono because you hate free software that violates software patents? Or perhaps, you hate Mono because you hate languages with C-style syntax? Because whatever your reason for hating Mono, it seems you ought to hate most of the code in a GNU/Linux system...

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Red Hat downplays Novell/Microsoft deal (ArsTechnica)

Posted Nov 7, 2006 19:07 UTC (Tue) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]

This is one of the weirdest comments yet. When did jfj say he "hated" Mono?

Can you spell "patent"?

Posted Nov 7, 2006 23:58 UTC (Tue) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link]

Mono has a big grey patent-shaped cloud hanging over it, always has. If
Microsoft is getting any value at all out of its patents, then it is
implementing them in the .NET framework. Mono implements the same
framework. If Mono is an implementation of any Microsoft patent -- and
it's only an 'if' because the stupid way the law works means it's better
not to ask in case you get caught "knowingly" infringing -- and if
Microsoft has not licenced the patent to all users of Mono, then Mono is
not free software and it would be safest for free software packagers not
to distribute it.

Now for all I know the Novell-Microsoft agreement involves a
no-strings-attached patent licence for all Mono users, in which case the
patent cloud over Mono has actually been *lifted* and it's good news for
all users.

Mono is a neat piece of software. Don't go listing features of Mono that
have nothing to do with the real, well-known patent problem as potential
reasons for commentators to "hate" it. There's a lot less hate around
here than some people seem to think :-)