Oracle intersted in buying Ubunutu

[Robert McWilliam]

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 20:53:16 +1000, "Alexander Jacob Tsykin"
<stsykin at gmail.com> said:
> My father happens to work in a business which does use software
> patents and does not use OSS at all. This means that I have a
> different perspective to many who use Linux. While I do not personally
> approve of software patents, I can appreciate the necessity.Ultimately
> though, I believe in freedom, and people should have the absolute
> freedom to choose how they license their software. I do not say that
> you should never impose your own morals on other people. All of us do,
> all the time, and sometimes this is both necessary and beneficial.
> However, in thsi issue, I believe it is wrong to do so.

I would be very interested in hearing about any industry where software
patents are required to do business profitably. 

There is a difference between having propietary software and having
patented software. In the first instance you get to license the software
that you have written any way you like, because you hold the copyright.
And anyone who wants to use that software is required to follow you're
license (Which is actually the same way that open source works). 

With software patents whoever is granted a patent has control not only
of software that they write but of all the software that uses any of the
ideas and principles in the patent. This prevents other people from
writing similar software, and depending on the exact wording of the
patent even compatible software.

The ability to license software you have written any way you like has
nothing to do with patents and is actually the basis of open source.

Robert 
------------------ 
  Robert McWilliam
  rmcw at allmail.net
  www.ormiret.com

  The days of the digital watch are numbered.