Woe to you if you distribute anything other than a Microsoft operating system

[Ignazio Palmisano]

2010/10/28 Erik Pomerantz <epomerantz at gmail.com>:
> While I agree that software patent is an huge oppressor of resellers and
> consumers I do not think this fee is directly targeted toward android
> devices (no doubt their motivation for imposing the fee.) In the beginning
> it says "...in the article vendors of Android handsets for using its patents
> in e-mail, multimedia and other functions..." if I'm not mistaken this is a
> reference to using M$ software on android device? Why not just ditch the
> software and just use an equivalent cheaper functioning software and avoid
> paying microsoft altogether?
>

I don't know but my money is on some contract between the big shots
saying something along the lines: we don't charge you for this and
this patent as long as you sell with our OS exclusively. Might or
might not be legal, might or might not be in the best interest of
customers (not in my interest, but YMMV), but it sounds like not new
commercial technique. Not much idealistic but more like: is the cost
of licensing patents more or less than the cost of licensing and
supporting windows?

I'm still dropping windows from the devices either way,
I.

> Thanks,
> Erik
>
> On Oct 28, 2010 12:30 PM, "Michael Haney" <thezorch at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 8:03 AM, Christopher Chan
>> <christopher.chan at bradbury.edu.hk> wrote:
>>> http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101025PD218.html
>>>
>>> Is Dell still selling Ubuntu boxes or maybe they are already paying
>>> tax...
>>>
>>
>> Anyone who is suffering the delusion that Microsoft is not still
>> engaging in blatant anti-competitive practices needs to see this
>> article.
>>
>> This is exactly WHY Software Patents need to be invalidated. They
>> give companies unfair leverage to force out competition, not by making
>> a better product, but by blocking the competition before they even get
>> to market. Its unethical and should be very illegal.
>>
>> --
>> Michael "TheZorch" Haney
>> "The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking
>> of morality by religion." ~ Arthur C. Clarke
>> "The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion and
>> politics, but it is not the path to knowledge, and there is no place
>> for it in the endeavor of science. " ~ Carl Sagan
>>
>> Visit My Site:  http://sites.google.com/site/thezorch/home-1
>> To Contact Me:
>> http://sites.google.com/site/thezorch/home-1/zorch-central---contacts
>>
>> Free Your PC from the Bondage of Windows http://www.ubuntu.com
>>
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