OSDev.org

While we're talking about software patents, let me point out one thing I learned from personal experience, to make a point against software patents in general:

Even if you are right, even if the law is on your side, nothing keeps BigCorp from sending a cease & desist order, threatening to sue for outrageous sums of money. They don't risk anything, for them the costs are negligible. You have the right to defend your point in court. But that means finding and paying a competent lawyer. It means handling lots of threateningly-phrased letters. It means facing the risk that your lawyer might not be up to BigCorp's legal department, and/or the judge being not up to them. It means a non-zero chance of having your financial future torn to shreds.

Would you actually stand your ground, or will you agree to an out-of-court settlement, effectively killing your software project?

Software patents are a bonus to BigCorp's arsenal, not the protection of inventors they are advertised to be (by the BigCorps, incidentially).

Programming NTFS would be hopeless, Ext FS are much easier and FAT are the easiest.I hope Microsoft does not make one more burden on the programmers to program one more file system.

Solar, the same counts for copyrights. Originally intended to enable authors to make money from their work, generally used to enable companies to make money from copyrights. That's what made me an advocate for copyleft.

The difference between patents and copyrights is that the former prevents others from doing their work.

You can still create your own implementation of a patent protected file system as long as you don't make money on it. This why Microsoft never can sue open source developers and only companies that sells solutions with open source SW that intrudes on patents.

I wouldn't worry about Microsoft in this case.

If you want to create files system that works on every computer like VFAT, then I wouldn't choose ReFS. VFAT is getting too limited and there so real alternative either.

berkus wrote:

ponyboy wrote:God damnit! I was going to impliment a allocate on demand file system into my w.i.p. OS, but I guess I can't now. Wow microsoft, WOW.

Seriously?

Think about it. Microsoft tarnishes a lot of things.

ponyboy wrote:

berkus wrote:

ponyboy wrote:God damnit! I was going to impliment a allocate on demand file system into my w.i.p. OS, but I guess I can't now. Wow microsoft, WOW.

Seriously?

Think about it. Microsoft tarnishes a lot of things.

Would you care to elaborate?

Rudster816 wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Think about it. Microsoft tarnishes a lot of things.

Would you care to elaborate?

You build a mind-reading computer, you get sued by Microsoft for patent infringement.

Solar wrote:
You build a mind-reading computer, you get sued by Microsoft for patent infringement.

Damn! There goes my plans.

So, cease, desist, and work for us letters

An um... interesting method of recruitment

berkus wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Think about it. Microsoft tarnishes a lot of things.

Thought about it. Microsoft wouldn't give a flying **** about your mind-reading filesystem, right up until you start selling it to businesses.

(EDIT: You may also receive a cease and desist AND a job offer in the same email from them, if it's any good.)

Actually, I really think if Microsoft could legally stop people from writing file system and OS kernels as a hobby, they would definitely do so. Microsoft would really like to sue the **** of something that even remotely has something to do with Linux, but they cannot since it's a non profit open source project. As I see it the expansion of open source is a direct product of how large companies sue new comers.

OSwhatever wrote:Microsoft would really like to sue the **** of something that even remotely has something to do with Linux, but they cannot since it's a non profit open source project.

Actually, that doesn't protect you, as individual, even a tiny little bit if they find proof of you infringing on their patents.

OSwhatever wrote:

berkus wrote:

ponyboy wrote:Think about it. Microsoft tarnishes a lot of things.

Thought about it. Microsoft wouldn't give a flying **** about your mind-reading filesystem, right up until you start selling it to businesses.

(EDIT: You may also receive a cease and desist AND a job offer in the same email from them, if it's any good.)

Actually, I really think if Microsoft could legally stop people from writing file system and OS kernels as a hobby, they would definitely do so. Microsoft would really like to sue the **** of something that even remotely has something to do with Linux, but they cannot since it's a non profit open source project. As I see it the expansion of open source is a direct product of how large companies sue new comers.

They certainly don't want to stop people from writing hobbyist stuff, they have absolutely no reason to do so. If they wanted to sue someone for patent infringement because of Linux, they would sue Red Hat, which AFAIK they haven't done. Large companies rarely sue start ups\small time development projects. There really is no upside because they aren't competitive with them, there is no cash benefit, and it makes them look very bad.

Rudster816 wrote:They certainly don't want to stop people from writing hobbyist stuff, they have absolutely no reason to do so. If they wanted to sue someone for patent infringement because of Linux, they would sue Red Hat, which AFAIK they haven't done. Large companies rarely sue start ups\small time development projects. There really is no upside because they aren't competitive with them, there is no cash benefit, and it makes them look very bad.

More relevantly, large companies tend to have a 2-pronged approach to small companies they view as treading on their IP-toes:

• If not sufficiently competitive - ignore. They will be out-competed, go bankrupt, and fail anyway.
• If significantly competitive (or innovative) - buy them.

SDS wrote:If significantly competitive (or innovative) - buy them.[/list]

Or as Bill Gates said (in parody) in the simpsons: "you don't really think I became the richest man in the world by writing cheques, do you?!"