BWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! This coming from the same jackass who sought to shut up security researchers who continually embarrass Micro$loth. It is to laugh!
Posted on 11/18/2004 8:48:26 AM PST by Prime Choice
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. Chief Operating Officer Steve Ballmer on Thursday warned Asian governments that they could face intellectual rights-infringement lawsuits for using rival open-source operating platforms such as Linux.
Linux is open-code software that is freely available on the Internet and easily modified by users.
Its growing popularity with companies and governments around the world, and particularly in Asia, is a threat to the global dominance of Microsoft's proprietary Windows platform.
Ballmer, speaking in Singapore at Microsoft's Asian Government Leaders Forum, said that Linux violated more than 228 patents. He did not provide any detail on the alleged violations, which the Linux community disputes.
"Someday, for all countries that are entering the WTO (World Trade Organization), somebody will come and look for money owing to the rights for that intellectual property," he added.
Linux users got a scare earlier this year when software developer SCO Group Inc. sued a company for using Linux, which SCO claimed contains software code that it owns.
SCO is also embroiled in a lawsuit against IBM, claiming that the computer giant illegally built SCO's software code into Linux.
Singapore's Ministry of Defense last month switched 20,000 personal computers to run on open-source software instead of the Microsoft operating platform.
Other governments in the region are also looking to develop open-source software. China, Japan and South Korea this year agreed to jointly develop open-source software running on Microsoft's rival Linux operating platform.
The Chinese government, in particular, sees its reliance on Microsoft as a potential threat. Conspiracy buffs believe certain patches in the Windows code might give U.S. authorities the power to access Chinese networks and disable them, possibly during a war over Taiwan.
Ballmer said the security fears some governments had about using Microsoft software were overblown.
"We think our software is far more secure than open-source software. It is more secure because we stand behind it, we fixed it, because we built it. Nobody ever knows who built open-source software," he added.
BWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! This coming from the same jackass who sought to shut up security researchers who continually embarrass Micro$loth. It is to laugh!
Lawsuits in China?
You lying imperialist dog!
Every one. Every one. And usually because of their damn browser.
There should be suits against Microsoft for this.
That's MISTER Lying Imperialist Running Dog, thankyouverymuch!
; )
Tech Ping
"Ballmer, speaking in Singapore at Microsoft's Asian Government Leaders Forum, said that Linux violated more than 228 patents. "
It's my understanding that many countries outside the U.S., including many Asian countries, do not recognize software patents. I guess this just provides more incentive to continue that practice.
Fixed it.
Could you add me to your ping list?
Ballmer is a serious Exec????
This is almost laughable!
Except they have the Worlds money....so they could redefine reality !
Fixed it.
Ah. Good eye there, Ace. I'm in your debt.
*choke* *snicker*
Done. Welcome aboard.
I have crashed XP here at work several times and slowed it down I can't count that high just using fingers/toes.
Anyone that challenges Microsoft is a friend of mine.
Does anybody here use Linux or know anything about it? I have been toying with the idea of switching for a long time, but have never made the jump.
And how many patent lawsuits are there against M$? Hypocrits as usual.
I think Microshaft and Ole Bill should be happy about Asia not using Winblows...afterall, MOST of the pirated copies of Windows are in China. If they think a lot of Americans pirate Windows...I don't know if I have ever talked to an Asian person who actually paid for Windows...
Secure, huh? Secure as in, "my boot sector failed last week from a virus that I didn't get by my own fault?" or Secure as in "that holiday greeting card that says they sent you a cupholder for Christmas and then proceeds to open your CDRom Tray"? I know it's not a harmful virus, but still, it's just a tiny example of how you can do things on someone's computer that they don't want you to do.
Try out Knoppix first. That way you don't have to re-format your hard drive if you decide it's not for you.
On my personal machines, windows (several flavors) crashes just about every day, while my linux machines never crash--even in the hands my my children, ages 10 and 6.
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