Larry Augustin’ Weblog is pretty much a consensus for what I’ve been hearing around the Internet. Everyone is upset that Microsoft asserts that all of it’s intellectual property is being violated, and yet they won’t even point out what these infractions are.
Gutierrez and Microsoft aren’t interested in intellectual property rights. They’re not interested in allowing the Open Source world to defend itself. They’re not interested in a fair fight. Like a bully, they refuse to face the Open Source world in a fair fight, instead hinting at willful infringement and making backhanded threats. Why? Like any bully they fear that when faced with a fair fight in the light of day they will be revealed for the bully they are. Like any bully they fear that which they threaten.
I work with many companies that have partnerships with Microsoft. For many years I’ve tried to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt and watched them slowly move from anti-Open Source to an Open Source supporter, or at least a company that recognizes the importance of Open Source ISVs to the future of the Windows platform. But this bullying has to stop now.
Now there is a difference between shop talk and what you say to Forbes Magazine. Perhaps Microsoft is just now starting to form their strategy and so they will point out these infractions. In the meantime, the whole world suffers in the face of fear caused by the unknown, no one likes a threatening lawyer sitting across the table who’s only goal is to destroy you.
GeekSpeaker 
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