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Microsoft's Patently Absurd 'Sudo Patent' November 16, 2009 
There's just never a dull moment here in the world of FOSS. One minute, we're busy exclaiming our disbelief at the notion of a Microsoft version of Linux. The next minute -- on *Friday the 13th*, no less -- we learn that Redmond has acquired Teamprise, and will soon be shipping the company's Linux tools as part of its upcoming Visual Studio 2010 release.
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Going Microsoft-Free, Saying Buh-Bye to McBride October 26, 2009 
There was a lot of news in the FOSS world last week, and it seems fair to say that the overall atmosphere was positive. First came word that a Microsoft-free desktop package is available for companies in the U.S. from IBM and Canonical. Then, from the ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead department, came news that SCO has fired its wildly litigious CEO Darl McBride.
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Weighing Windows 7's Wallop October 23, 2009 
So how's your head after that wild Windows 7 launch party with the Stepford crew? Still got the spins? OK, if you really did throw or attend an official Windows 7 launch party, then that's ... interesting. I sincerely hope you had a good time. For the rest of us, the official introduction of Windows 7 was a pretty austere affair.
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Oracle's Acquisition of Ailing Sun Stuck in Mire October 21, 2009 
Oracle's $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems appears threatened by recent developments, starting with difficulties in gaining regulatory approval in the EU and ending with a startlingly decline at Sun Microsystems -- a company that was on a downward trajectory long before Oracle made its play for it.
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SCO Tosses McBride Overboard, Continues Flying Lawsuit Flag October 21, 2009 
Unix software firm SCO Group announced a corporate restructuring plan Monday to sever ties with CEO Darl McBride and reduced the company's workforce. The restructuring was designed by the firm's Chapter 11 bankruptcy trustee, Edward Cahn. These moves and other corporate adjustments will help the company continue its longstanding court battle.
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The Curious Case of the OIN Patent Coup September 14, 2009 
One of the best things about being part of the Linux community is that things are never boring. Take last week, for example, when some anti-Linux screenshots were leaked from a Microsoft ExpertZone training course for Windows 7 retail salespeople. Money just can't buy entertainment like that.
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Microsoft Foes Aim to Snatch Patent Advantage in Linux Tussle September 09, 2009 
Open Invention Network announced Tuesday that it acquired 22 Linux-related patents that Microsoft recently sold to the Allied Security Trust. OIN consists of a group of companies -- including Microsoft rivals IBM, Sony, Red Hat and Google -- that have been girding themselves for a legal fight over Linux.
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Sprint Gives Android a Hero's Welcome September 04, 2009 
Android is finally getting a little more wardrobe variety. It's also moving out into new U.S. carriers. Sprint is the latest wireless company to jump in with the Android crowd; it'll start selling the HTC Hero this October. The Hero looks to be a pretty capable handset. It's loaded with Google apps, of course, plus a pretty big camera, a touchscreen, video features, WiFi and expandable memory.
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On Pi Approximation Day, Flying Pigs and DRM July 27, 2009 
America's Independence Day may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean there's been nothing else to celebrate as the summer wears on. No indeed! Last Wednesday was none other than Pi Approximation Day, an event of perhaps even greater import for geeks far and wide. Traditional celebrations include marching in circles and eating pie.
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On Patents, Promises and 'Ugly' Patches July 16, 2009 
It was once written that promises are most given when the least is said. Lately, however, a great deal has been said about Redmond's latest round of promises. For those who haven't been following the story, it all began when Microsoft's Peter Galli announced last week that his company had applied its "Community Promise" to the C# and CLI programming languages.
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Microsoft Puts C#, CLI Under No-Lawsuit Umbrella July 08, 2009 
Microsoft made good Tuesday on a promise it made months ago to the open source community that it would not sue software developers who use its EMCA C# programming language and Common Language Infrastructure, or CLI. This announcement aims to calm growing fears that Microsoft might restrict open source projects by going after program developers for patent or other intellectual property infringements.
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FOSS and the Labyrinthine Land of Licensing May 29, 2009 
Last December, a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a decision that could push FOSS questions into a more litigious arena. In the matter of Jacobsen v. Katzer, the court ruled that breach of an open-source license can support a claim for copyright infringement with associated remedies.
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The Curious Case of Android v. Android May 06, 2009 
Google's right to use the word "Android" for its mobile phone operating system is being challenged by Erich Specht, who acquired a trademark for the name "Android Data" in 2002. Google attempted to gain the right to use "Android" for its OS last year, as it happens, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied its petition due to possible product confusion.
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OdioWorks Drags Apple to Court in Free Speech Battle April 28, 2009 
A discussion about open source technology on the tech forum site run by Virgina-based
OdioWorks is pitting the defense of a First Amendment right -- namely, freedom of speech -- against enforcement of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the tech industry's legal guiding light for the past decade.
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RIAA, YouTube, China: Plotting New and Creative Ways to Separate You From the Internet March 28, 2009 
The Recording Industry Association of America has apparently found out the hard way what other organizations, like the mafia, have known for years: The American legal system is for pansies. If you want to get something done, don't bother with the courts. It's expensive, it's time-consuming, and it'll air out all your dirty laundry. If you really want results, you've gotta use back-room strong-arm tactics.
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TomTom Slings a Shot at Microsoft March 20, 2009 
TomTom has responded to Microsoft's allegations of patent infringement with a lawsuit of its own. Close to three weeks after Microsoft filed complaints against TomTom in the U.S. District Court in Seattle and with the International Trade Commission, TomTom has filed a countersuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
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