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Remember when AOL thought it was doing the world's researchers a big favor and made a boatload of online user behavior data openly available? Remember the unintended consequences? It became fairly easy to link up user preference data with some actual identifiable users. Users were upset, AOL looked pretty goofy, and they apologized and back-tracked. The biggest consequence was that many, many more people became aware of the trove of metadata generated by their actions online. AOL did the global Web-use community a favor by educating the world on the issues of metadata use.
Re: Microsoft, Novell and Unintended Consequences
Posted by: stg 2007-01-08 21:12:14 In reply to: Dana Gardner
I think there's a better option than trying to make special arrangements to pay protection money to Microsoft.
Recognize that Microsoft is blowing smoke, and refuse to be scammed.
Linux has been making Microsoft nervous for a very long time. Granted, they're not in danger of going out of business anytime soon. But Linux doesn't have to put Microsoft out of business to make them nervous. Linux just has to cost them revenue ... and it already is.
If Microsoft had real grounds to threaten Linux users, they would long since have done so. Since all they're doing is __suggesting__ that maybe they might go something, we can be certain they have no real threats up their sleeves.
That's not to say that Microsoft might not have some patents they could claim Linux violates. But patents can be invalidated if prior art is found, and a number of the corporate champions of Linux -- e.g. IBM -- have much bigger patent portfolios that Microsoft is probably violating.
Frankly, this insinuation of lawsuits to come is one of the sleazier tactics Microsoft has engaged in recently.
They should not be rewarded for it.
And if a company wants real insurance against Microsoft potentially suing them, buy a real insurance policy. Cheaper, and the money doesn't wind up rewarding the sleazebags using the sleazeball tactics.
After all, if Microsoft makes money with these tactics, they'll keep using these tactics. The "insurance" money never stops that way....
Recognize that Microsoft is blowing smoke, and refuse to be scammed.
Linux has been making Microsoft nervous for a very long time. Granted, they're not in danger of going out of business anytime soon. But Linux doesn't have to put Microsoft out of business to make them nervous. Linux just has to cost them revenue ... and it already is.
If Microsoft had real grounds to threaten Linux users, they would long since have done so. Since all they're doing is __suggesting__ that maybe they might go something, we can be certain they have no real threats up their sleeves.
That's not to say that Microsoft might not have some patents they could claim Linux violates. But patents can be invalidated if prior art is found, and a number of the corporate champions of Linux -- e.g. IBM -- have much bigger patent portfolios that Microsoft is probably violating.
Frankly, this insinuation of lawsuits to come is one of the sleazier tactics Microsoft has engaged in recently.
They should not be rewarded for it.
And if a company wants real insurance against Microsoft potentially suing them, buy a real insurance policy. Cheaper, and the money doesn't wind up rewarding the sleazebags using the sleazeball tactics.
After all, if Microsoft makes money with these tactics, they'll keep using these tactics. The "insurance" money never stops that way....
