July 22, 2009, 7:12 am
On Tuesday Red Hat’s legal team gave a half-hearted pat on the back to Microsoft’s open sourcing of Linux device drivers. James’ observation that “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing” came to mind.
But it was Red Hat’s parting shot on patents that I found bewildering, not to mention irresponsible:
Over the years, the individual and corporate members of the community have through formal and informal steps made clear that they will not pursue or threaten patent litigation in the Linux area. Patent threats are irreconcilable with the norms and values that are at the heart of Linux. To win the respect and trust of the Linux community, Microsoft should unequivocally disavow such conduct and pledge that its patents will never be used against Linux or other open source developers and users…
