"They are systematic symptoms of a deeper wrong which most people don't recognise: proprietary software. Microsoft's software is distributed under licenses that keep users divided and helpless. The users are divided because they are forbidden to share copies with anyone else. The users are helpless because they don't have the source code that programmers can read and change."

Surprisingly reasonable, but there still isn't an particularly viable alternative business model. Support puts the focus in the wrong place, as do services often. Why is software different anyway; do we expect Coke to provide their recipe publically? Maybe our economic system is the issue...

"ODF has been criticised due to technical limitations imposed on sharing them with Microsoft Office applications, while the soon to be released compound document format (CDF) is said to be better suited to increasingly prevalent Web born documents and Web 2.0 applications. "We can't meet our market requirements with OpenDocument," said Gary Edwards who started the OpenDocument Foundation last year. "The truth is OpenDocument was never designed to meet market requirements.""

Wow, this is pretty explosive stuff, given the situation between ODF and Microsoft's OOXML. So much for an ODF standard paradise - now stop the crazy cat fights!

"Linux needs to recognise Microsoft's leadership in some areas to better itself, Jim Zemlin, executive director for the Linux Foundation told delegates at the Linuxworld tradeshow in San Fransisco... Open source vendors have to recognise that Windows is here to stay and that together with Microsoft it will form a duopoly in the market for operating systems. This also requires that the Linux community respects Microsoft rather than ridicule it."

Wow, at least the leadership have some sense, if not their very loud minions below them.

"Because Microsoft paid for the coupons in advance and uses Novell only as a shipping agent, the company does in essence distribute SuSE Linux, Eben Moglen, founder and chairman of the Software Freedom Law Center and co-author of the licence said...According to the FSF, Microsoft will therefore end up distributing GPLv3 code and will have to abide by its terms. Those include a provision that force any distributor of GPLv3 code to provide users and developers of all GPLv3 code with a free patent licence."

Very sneaky move by FSF; as much as I don't like them, this is a very smart move. Let's see how Microsoft responds...

"Microsoft is supporting a chief rival to its Office suite for approval to a national standards board. The company announced yesterday that it voted to add the Open Document Format (ODF) 1.0 to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) list. ANSI is a private, nonprofit organization that coordinates and develops U.S. standards for products and processes."

I'll bet many are just wondering why Microsoft are doing this. Some ulterior motive? Maybe, but at least they said upfront that they will promote OOXML for standardisation next, not trying to sneak it in later. Thumbs up.

"The conflict pits Microsoft and its dogged CEO, Steve Ballmer, against the "free world" - people who believe software is pure knowledge. The leader of that faction is Richard Matthew Stallman, a computer visionary with the look and the intransigence of an Old Testament prophet."

Very interesting article about Microsoft's battle. But the above quote's my favourite :) I can't say Ballmer looks any better. I just wish Microsoft would get over this patent thing and get on with creating cool stuff - you don't need the money, and innovation comes so much easier when you pay researchers/developers, just see what Apple is doing.

I understand why you apply for patents - to protect yourself when others sue you - but that doesn't mean you have to sue others with them.