Microsoft's word
This is what my earlier rant was about. I wasn't clear. Sorry. I do believe this pertains to linux-kernel.
From: Rick Hohensee <[email protected]>
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Microsoft's word
To: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 04:16:18 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: [email protected]
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I get the impression that parties tasked with remedying the Microsoft situation may be receptive to suggestions such as this one, the opinion of an independant programmer, on the matter of what is likely to work. Possible actions I've seen mentioned are variously flawed, for example providing relief to narrow sectors for damage that has been quite difuse. Simply taking Microsoft at thier word would be appropriate, and would probably be appropriately massively remedial.
I suggest that Microsoft operating system products be surrendered to the public domain, including all sourcecode required to verifiably build exact copies of the entire operating system products, no more than five years after thier market release dates, on a continuing permanent basis.
This is what a remedy to be asserted upon a Microsoft must be; simple. Rather than interfering with Microsoft innovation, this mechanism would mandate the birth of it. This may actually be relatively attractive to Microsoft. This avoids government micromanagement, mecrifully sparing Microsoft of the sorts of stupifying effects they themselves have lavished on so many others. This puts Microsoft in competition with thier own past, without a breakup or other questionable complications.
Parties that are otherwise distinct from Microsoft may have contributed components to Windows or MSDos under non-disclosure agreements. Any such parties should be expected to comply with the remedy immediately, having been part of and parcel to the problem being remedied. It is questionable whether non-disclosure agreements with the habitually unlawful are supportable. Similar questions pertain to software patents in such cirrcumstances. If any such parties have a grievance, it is with Microsoft.
A five year window is more than ample for a great innovator, and more than Microsoft deserves. Nobody uses five year old Linux, for example, which has changed a lot in five years, despite being based on UNIX, which existed twelve years before MSDos. A competent software company can easily thrive under such conditions. 3M, as another example, maintains a business strategy of turning over it's product lineup by 20% a year, in much less flexible industries than software. Assuming timely enforcement, Windows 95 and I believe early versions of Windows NT would become public property immediately. The on-going involvement of the government would be fairly constrained, assuming timely compliance by Microsoft. The government would maintain the initial distribution site for the surrendered software, verify that the surrendered sourcecode builds the products exactly as they were sold, and verify that surrendered software reflects the entirety of the operating system products as sold five years earlier.
Rick Hohensee
Maryland
www.clienux.com
On Mon, Jul 09, 2001 at 04:39:58AM -0400, Rick Hohensee wrote:
[mostly snipped]
Quoted 2 lines
A five year window is more than ample for a great innovator, and more than Microsoft deserves. Nobody uses five year old Linux, for example, which
sure they do. often in situations where no upgrade has been necessary and the server in question has worked without issues for years.
Quoted 5 lines
constrained, assuming timely compliance by Microsoft. The government would maintain the initial distribution site for the surrendered software, verify that the surrendered sourcecode builds the products exactly as they were sold, and verify that surrendered software reflects the entirety of the operating system products as sold five years earlier.
and precisely whose taxes are going to pay for this? "NOT MINE!", i hear you say. i can't see any american government doing something that could potentially benefit people in other countries, at no cost to those others... warm+fuzzy feelings just don't cut it in politics.
j.
Signature · 1 line
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Quoted 7 lines · Rick Hohensee
I suggest that Microsoft operating system products be surrendered to the public domain, including all sourcecode required to verifiably build exact copies of the entire operating system products, no more than five years after thier market release dates, on a continuing permanent basis.
Five years is a long time. Sources for windows 1996 anyone?
Quoted 3 lines
This is what a remedy to be asserted upon a Microsoft must be; simple. Rather than interfering with Microsoft innovation, this mechanism would mandate the birth of it.
Nope. It might cause microsoft to ensure that nothing remains backward compatible for as much as five years. True innovation is one way, obfuscation and needless interface changes and standards breakage/"extension"
is the easier route. What tends to happen when a competitor implements some popular standard better than ms does?
Quoted 1 line
This may actually be relatively attractive to Microsoft.
Perhaps, but not to others, for the above mentioned reasons.
Helge Hafting
Quoted 6 lines · Helge Hafting
Nope. It might cause microsoft to ensure that nothing remains backward compatible for as much as five years. True innovation is one way, obfuscation and needless interface changes and standards breakage/"extension"
is the easier route. What tends to happen when a competitor implements some popular standard better than ms does?
We may find this out for .NET and Ximian.
Regards
Henning
Signature · 5 lines
Dipl.-Inf. (Univ.) Henning P. Schmiedehausen -- Geschaeftsfuehrer INTERMETA - Gesellschaft fuer Mehrwertdienste mbH [email protected] Am Schwabachgrund 22 Fon.: 09131 / 50654-0 [email protected] D-91054 Buckenhof Fax.: 09131 / 50654-20
Quoted 2 lines · Rick Hohensee
This is what my earlier rant was about. I wasn't clear. Sorry. I do believe this pertains to linux-kernel.
Sorry. I do believe this is your third troll in 2 weeks.
Have you stopped working on clienux and devoted your time to trolling? ;)
Rik
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Quoted 10 lines · Rick Hohensee
Quoted 3 lines
This is what my earlier rant was about. I wasn't clear. Sorry. I do believe this pertains to linux-kernel.
Sorry. I do believe this is your third troll in 2 weeks.
Have you stopped working on clienux and devoted your time to trolling? ;)
The world is ready for the Linux community to speak on this matter. I have spoken.
Also, it's unfortunate that it has taken these sorts of things for Linux people to spell cLIeNUX and my name correctly, rather than things like DFSH and an in-kernel interpreter.
Rick Hohensee
www.clienux.com
Quoted 10 lines
Rik
--
Virtual memory is like a game you can't win; However, without VM there's truly nothing to lose...http://www.surriel.com/ http://distro.conectiva.com/
Send all your spam to [email protected] (spam digging piggy)
Quoted 6 lines · Rick Hohensee
Quoted 6 lines · Rick Hohensee
Quoted 3 lines
This is what my earlier rant was about. I wasn't clear. Sorry. I do believe this pertains to linux-kernel.
Quoted 7 lines
Quoted 4 lines
Sorry. I do believe this is your third troll in 2 weeks.
Have you stopped working on clienux and devoted your time to trolling? ;)
The world is ready for the Linux community to speak on this matter. I have spoken.
You have spoken . . . in a place where the kind of discussion you're trying to have is completely off-topic. This mailing list is for the discussion directly relating to Linux kernel development -- not general Linux questions, not Linux advocacy issues, and absolutely not anything related to Microsoft. Quit interfering with the intended purpose of this mailing list.
Quoted 5 lines · Rick Hohensee
Quoted 5 lines · Rick Hohensee
Quoted 3 lines
This is what my earlier rant was about. I wasn't clear. Sorry. I do believe this pertains to linux-kernel.
Quoted 7 lines
Quoted 4 lines
Sorry. I do believe this is your third troll in 2 weeks.
Have you stopped working on clienux and devoted your time to trolling? ;)
The world is ready for the Linux community to speak on this matter. I have spoken.
Sounds like you may have wanted to ask slashdot instead of linux-kernel.
Rik
--
Virtual memory is like a game you can't win; However, without VM there's truly nothing to lose...
http://www.surriel.com/ http://distro.conectiva.com/
Send all your spam to [email protected] (spam digging piggy)