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To: HEY4QDEMS
If Gates and Co. decided to, and were successful at, intergrating Linux and Windows into one OS, then Redhat, Mandrake, SuSe, et. al. would be calling for more anti-trust action against them and there would be an army of state justice depts. more than willing to do so

Actually Microsoft could not legally integrate the Linux kernel and Windows because of the license that Linux is released under. The GPL forbids outsiders from closing the source. Only a joint effort by every single person that contributes to a project released under the GPL can result in a relicensing of the code. To add more fuel to the fire, that relicensing isn't retroactive. All previous releases are still GPL'd therefore Microsoft would have to get a list of every single last person that put code into the official kernel distribution's core and bribe them to relicense. What they would end up getting at the most would be maybe bits and pieces of the kernel.

If Microsoft were to put any linux kernel code in Windows the entire Windows product would have to be released under the terms of the GPL. That is a requirement of the GPL, if you use any code from a product released under the GPL then you have to release your product under the GPL. The GPL simply put doesn't tolerate freeloaders. So RedHat, et al would go after Microsoft for a contract violation on behalf of the FSF, not anti-trust violation. It could also result in a criminal indictment of Microsoft officials for copyright infringement.

8 posted on 06/06/2002 12:16:39 PM PDT by dheretic
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To: dheretic
Like I said, either way they're screwed.

I have read many posts that question when Microsoft is going to adopt a Linux strategy.

Based on these rules, I don't see MS entering the Linux arena anytime soon.
10 posted on 06/06/2002 12:29:48 PM PDT by HEY4QDEMS
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To: dheretic
You forgot another option:
Microsoft could incorporate GLPed code, never disclose that they are using GLPed code in violation of the license agreement and hope that they never get caught. Some suspect that they're already engaging in such activity.
11 posted on 06/06/2002 12:34:37 PM PDT by Dimensio
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