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In a move that's going to raise a lot of eyebrows, Microsoft has joined the Open Invention Network to 'protect Linux and other important open source workloads from patent assertions'.

For those who haven't heard of the OIN, their mission statement is quite a simple and honourable one "The Open Invention Network is a shared defensive patent pool with the mission to protect Linux.". To find out more about the OIN see here.

Hold the phone, this isn't gaming news?

Correct. However, this is still very interesting and extremely surprising from a company that has been pretty hostile to Linux in the past. It's the kind of move that could result in some big shifts in the entire industry.

We know Microsoft’s decision to join OIN may be viewed as surprising to some; it is no secret that there has been friction in the past between Microsoft and the open source community over the issue of patents. For others who have followed our evolution, we hope this announcement will be viewed as the next logical step for a company that is listening to customers and developers and is firmly committed to Linux and other open source programs. 

Surprising is one word for it! Honestly, I'm in shock at this news. Does this mean we can firmly put the "Embrace, extend, and extinguish" phrase to rest and replace it with Embrace, extend, and protect? With Microsoft joining, they're bringing with them around 60,000 patents.

Moves like that, makes me seriously think about how Microsoft have changed, especially since their previous CEO Steve Ballmer called Linux "a cancer".

I think it also shows how far Linux has come as a platform for all things too, especially with Microsoft having a "Windows Subsystem for Linux" along with their support for running Linux on their Azure cloud computing platform.

What do you think to this?

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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123 comments
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DrMcCoy Oct 11, 2018
Quoting: jensIs everything OK with you?

No.
jens Oct 11, 2018
  • Supporter
Quoting: DrMcCoy
Quoting: jensIs everything OK with you?
No.
Get well soon! ;)


Last edited by jens on 11 October 2018 at 10:04 pm UTC
Purple Library Guy Oct 11, 2018
Quoting: BeamboomThere are no impenetrable walls between Linux and the corporate world, other than amongst evangelists and - yes I dare say it - fanatics.
I must say I'm not particularly either pleased or impressed that you "dared say it"--in bold yet. Is saying "yes I dare say it" supposed to get you off the hook for insulting quite a few of the people here? Why would that be then? I don't think it would be appropriate for me to say "Yes I dare say it" and call you a corporate toady, do you? Of course you don't. So why you calling me an evangelist fanatic?

You make some interesting points but they can't be as strong as they seem if you have to mix in mockery of anyone who disagrees. It's particularly weird given that, in the post itself, you not only say that the position you're mocking is one you held yourself, but that it used to be completely justified, and the only thing that has changed your mind is close exposure to a steady stream of IT propaganda news which many of those with a different opinion might not have been exposed to in such a pervasive way. So the fact that other people don't have your information sources makes them, "yes you dare say it", fanatics. Sure, that makes a ton of sense.
Shmerl Oct 11, 2018
In my experience, MS becomes "good" only when they start losing grip on that market.


Last edited by Shmerl on 11 October 2018 at 8:59 pm UTC
vlademir1 Oct 12, 2018
Quoting: BeamboomI'm honestly surprised at many of the responses here. It looks like you haven't really been in touch with the IT world in at least ten years?
While I agree with the underlying sentiment of your full post, some of the manner in which you put it is significantly counterproductive at the least. You don't win hearts and minds with the kind of tone you're laying down here from the first paragraph. This especially holds with the current world environment where some flavor of hyperfactionalization, with it's inherent emotional fetters on intelligent discourse, enters into nearly every facet of everyone's daily lives to some degree.
anarchist_tomato Oct 12, 2018
Quoting: GuestLinux is going to conquer the whole world. It is a matter of when, not if. So Microsoft is making the right moves... I expect them to turn Windows into a Linux distro + proprietary libraries/API/DE at some point. It will be cheaper for them to maintain, will be able to enter most markets Windows can't enter/dominate now, like mobiles/servers, and will still allow them to be top dog, assuming they create a good and polished Linux based desktop OS and make linux-compatible versions of their stuff like Office...

People may laugh at this idea now, but it is an inevitability. Trust me. It may not happen in 5 or even 10 years, but it will eventually... The traditional "pay for a Windows licence" model is dead.

Well I'll call myself a sceptic, but saying you're right, do you think in that scenario MS would eventually start investing in and coding within Wine? If Valve are bring Wine up to scratch, perhaps MS would finish up the job?
MayeulC Oct 12, 2018
Quoting: anarchist_tomato
Quoting: GuestLinux is going to conquer the whole world. It is a matter of when, not if. So Microsoft is making the right moves... I expect them to turn Windows into a Linux distro + proprietary libraries/API/DE at some point. It will be cheaper for them to maintain, will be able to enter most markets Windows can't enter/dominate now, like mobiles/servers, and will still allow them to be top dog, assuming they create a good and polished Linux based desktop OS and make linux-compatible versions of their stuff like Office...

People may laugh at this idea now, but it is an inevitability. Trust me. It may not happen in 5 or even 10 years, but it will eventually... The traditional "pay for a Windows licence" model is dead.

Well I'll call myself a sceptic, but saying you're right, do you think in that scenario MS would eventually start investing in and coding within Wine? If Valve are bring Wine up to scratch, perhaps MS would finish up the job?

In that scenario, I think it would be much easier for them to just recompile the win32 API over a Linux abstraction layer (which is likely just a matter of linking against the right libc), together with other various parts of their OS, which is actually quite modular (and why not use their code, since they have access to it? It would also remain closed-source). Things like Object Management might need a rework, or they could pick up Wine's implementation, but I am not a specialist.

That outcome seems a bit unlikely, though. And if they do it, they are probably going to get there progressively.
Appelsin Oct 12, 2018
QuoteDoes this mean we can firmly put the "Embrace, extend, and extinguish" phrase to rest and replace it with Embrace, extend, and protect?

I'd wager assimilation rather than protection. As for protection, I suspect it's more a case of "if we can't steal 'em, noone else will get to either."


And no, I'm not giving Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. We'll see, the day they kill off DX, open source it, and merge what ever aspects of DX that might be worth keeping into Vulkan, and makes Excel/MSOffice available on Linux natively. Then we'll talk about Microsoft having actually turned a new page, instead of putting make-up on the good 'ol pig :)

QuoteWe are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.


Last edited by Appelsin on 12 October 2018 at 10:53 am UTC
amatai Oct 12, 2018
Quoting: AppelsinI'd wager assimilation rather than protection. As for protection, I suspect it's more a case of "if we can't steal 'em, noone else will get to either."
But they get tons of money from patent attack on Linux (directly or via patent troll, look for intelectual venture founded by Gate & co).
Maybe its war between services but assimilation is the most likely, Linux is no longer a threat, why?
jens Oct 12, 2018
  • Supporter
Quoting: AppelsinAnd no, I'm not giving Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. We'll see, the day they kill off DX, open source it, and merge what ever aspects of DX that might be worth keeping into Vulkan, and makes Excel/MSOffice available on Linux natively. Then we'll talk about Microsoft having actually turned a new page, instead of putting make-up on the good 'ol pig :)

I guess you know that your demands are completely unrealistic. It is perfectly cool that you'll never trust Microsoft's moves regardless of what they do. Please just state it like this. ;)


Last edited by jens on 12 October 2018 at 12:09 pm UTC
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