Nothing to see here, move along

Posted Nov 16, 2006 1:14 UTC (Thu) by moxfyre (guest, #13847)
Parent article: Microsoft seeks input on promise not to sue individuals

Microsoft's software competes with FLOSS software. As we all know, the people running Microsoft aren't communists... they're obviously not going to agree to cripple their ability to compete with open-source software in any way--whether through technological innovation, legal maneuvers, or marketing.

Patent lawsuits and threats are one of the many ways that Microsoft can gain an advantage over the open-source competition. So they're obviously not going to deny themselves this option.

As expected, their "promise to individual developers" fits completely in this vein. It gives open-source developers no legal protection at all, and thereby keeps all of Microsoft's competitive advantages on the table.