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Xandros signs up with Microsoft
Xandros and Microsoft have announced
a deal involving systems management interoperability, sharing office
documents, joint sales, and, inevitably, patents. "Through the
agreement, Microsoft will make available patent covenants for Xandros
customers. These covenants will provide customers with confidence that the
Xandros technologies they use and deploy in their environments are
compliant with Microsoft's intellectual property. By putting a framework in
place to share intellectual property, Xandros and Microsoft can speed the
development of interoperable solutions."
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Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 15:27 UTC (Mon) by TehNamless (guest, #45584) [Link] Xandros? Pshaw.
They obviously have no idea the bad PR they're going to get from Ballmer and scoundrels.
Novell, Xandros -- Back out while you have some pride left.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 16:57 UTC (Mon) by leomilano (guest, #32220) [Link] Looks to me like Xandros trying to get some media attention ... what's the user base of this distro these days ?
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 17:16 UTC (Mon) by TehNamless (guest, #45584) [Link] It's for extreme n00bs, and apparently it comes with an AV... Any home user who is using Xandros will probably not being using Samba, so I don't see the point.
Not to mention the versions vary from 40-80 dollars last time I checked. They're killing what we all love about Linux, too.
Not the last, certainly. Posted Jun 4, 2007 16:58 UTC (Mon) by dmarti (subscriber, #11625) [Link] There will be a lot more of these deals. Here's a way to get a piece of the pie -- just get them to pay you not to bring the declaratory judgment suit that would end up revealing what the patents are.You will need to have standing to bring that suit, though, so it's probably limited to investors who can snap up Linux companies on their way out.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 9:19 UTC (Tue) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link] Xandros users already seems to be leaving in droves: http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=31422 (complete with apoll: Time To Switch Distros - What's Your Next Distro?).
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 15:29 UTC (Mon) by pr1268 (subscriber, #24648) [Link] This article seemed to avoid the specifics of the deal (kind of expected given it was a Microsoft press release). Was there money involved? How does this compare/contrast to the infamous Novell deal? What does this mean for other distributions, the GPLv3, and the average Joe Linux User? What exactly is a "...broad collaboration agreement based on a set of technical, business, marketing and intellectual property commitments..."? Or, is this just another attempt by Microsoft to pump sunshine up our skirts?
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 15:33 UTC (Mon) by TehNamless (guest, #45584) [Link] GPLv3's latest draft doesn't condemn deals like Novell's. Most likely will be the same with Xandros.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 15:56 UTC (Mon) by cjb (guest, #40354) [Link] > GPLv3's latest draft doesn't condemn deals like Novell's. Most likely will be the same with Xandros.
I think it condemns them pretty strongly -- Microsoft wanted to create an aura of patent fear, but the GPLv3 has the effect of them granting a free patent license to everyone. It only fails to condemn the deal directly because there's something even more aggressive we can do in response.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 16:24 UTC (Mon) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link] It doesn't condem as in it does not have any thing which would make a Novell-Microsoft-style patent agreement illegal or against the license.
What Novell and Microsoft did would still be perfectly legal under GPLv3. The difference is that the 'covenant-not-to-sue' would eventually extend to non-customers.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 19:03 UTC (Mon) by dmantione (guest, #4640) [Link] Note that Microsoft is only required to share patents if they arerequired to accept the GPL, which is not that obvious. Copyright law requires you to have permission from the copyright holder in case you multiply a work, or make it public (European definition). In the case of Novell/Microsoft, Novell creates SLES boxes, Microsoft buys them from Novell and gives them to customers. This is not an action you require permission from the copyrigth holder from, and therefore Microsoft would not need to accept the GPL.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 19:27 UTC (Mon) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link] In the case of Novell/Microsoft, Novell creates SLES boxes, Microsoft buys them from Novell and gives them to customers. This is not an action you require permission from the copyrigth holder from, and therefore Microsoft would not need to accept the GPL. It may be true, but it does not matter: to claim this will be suicide for Microsoft. It'll mean that it can not stop transfer of OEM licenses and that means it forced millions of people to buy Windows licenses by illegal means. Backlash will be total disaster.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 4, 2007 20:52 UTC (Mon) by dmantione (guest, #4640) [Link] It is widely believed this requirement void:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/08/selling_oem_windo... Microsoft also lost a court case about this in Germany. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/07/11/german_ruling_loo... Instead of changing their license they tell people that they never allowed selling OEM licenses and that "the view of a German" is not binding in other countries. Further, in addition to their license, Microsoft has a contract with their OEM dealers, which also probits reselling OEM licenses, and this is legally valid.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 6:01 UTC (Tue) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link] It's one thing to have court decision in Germany (mostly irrelevant to the discussion anyway: Microsoft don't need to accept terms of GPLv3 there but 235 patents do not apply to Germany as well - Microsoft itself helped to establish it), it's completely different to raise this issue in U.S. Of course if Microsoft is willing to accept transferability of OEM licenses in U.S. then the plot thickens...
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 6:26 UTC (Tue) by dmantione (guest, #4640) [Link] Well, the question still is, what action Microsoft does perform thatrequires accepting the GPL3 (by US law, if you wish so)? What is the legal base behind the inability to sell OEM licenses in the US?
precure the distribution of Posted Jun 6, 2007 12:02 UTC (Wed) by coriordan (guest, #7544) [Link] According to USA lawyer Richard Fontana, MS are "procuring the distribution of" GPL'd software. (From this article)
precure the distribution of Posted Jun 7, 2007 15:31 UTC (Thu) by sepreece (subscriber, #19270) [Link] Whether Microsoft is "procuring distribution" is something that could only be determined in court. Fontana's opinion has to be taken in the understanding that he might be a party to such a case and is presumably stating his client's position in such a case. So, I wouldn't consider it any more useful than an opinion from one of Microsoft's attorneys...
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 7:32 UTC (Tue) by dulles (guest, #45450) [Link] XANDROS IS A MICROSOFT FRONT COMPANY?
This Microsoft press release is a classic. It appears Microsoft is now executing its strategy to infiltrate and control Linux. Not too long ago, Xandros had a Seattle address, but now they claim to be from New York.
Wake up Linux users, because Microsoft has a $50 billion cash reserve. I repeat, Microsoft has a $50 billion cash reserve. That's not $50 million, but $50 billion. A monopoly this powerful will create front companies.
Is Xandros a Microsoft front company? Who knows. Is CNN a government propaganda front? Who knows. Is Fox News a CIA front? Who knows. And how many Red Chinese agents have crossed the Mexican border? Who knows.
But, we can be certain that Microsoft is executing their strategy to infiltrate and control Linux. If Xandros is not a Microsoft front company, that's OK, because Linux users will boycott them anyways.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 19:53 UTC (Tue) by wlach (subscriber, #23397) [Link] I can assure you that Xandros is a real company. I've seen their development office in Ottawa.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 23:01 UTC (Tue) by leoc (subscriber, #39773) [Link] Yeah, but what if Canada is just a front for the global bags-of-ice-you-buy-at-the-gas-station conspiracy?
/canadian
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 11:10 UTC (Tue) by smitty_one_each (subscriber, #28989) [Link] So, after MS has deals with companies using a decent portfolio of package management systems, and MSOffice is ported to C#, so that it runs on Mono, I predict a nice binary release of MSOffice that works (well) only with distros that Redmond has on their leash. Say, 2010 or so.
Xandros signs up with Microsoft Posted Jun 5, 2007 13:17 UTC (Tue) by pointwood (subscriber, #2814) [Link] I seem to remember that part of the Novell agreement was that it wasexclusive?
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