In <200409241330(_dot_)07751(_dot_)jonagard(_at_)amazon(_dot_)com> Jonathan
Gardner <jonagard(_at_)amazon(_dot_)com> writes:
On Friday 24 September 2004 11:36 am, wayne wrote:
Ya know, the more I think about it, if you really want to draft
something that reflects the SPF community's position, you need to add
something that denounces the way MS created a software patent covering
obvious ideas that were invented by others and not disclosing all the
things that the patent covered when they should. You should also add
something about the problems that MS's license caused and their
refusal to let a majority of the mail software deployed on the
Internet to use it.
Speaking politically, no, you do not want to do that. People who investigate
the matter will find out for themselves. The last thing we want to do is
fall into the trap of being described as a Microsoft hater, no matter how
true that is.
I didn't think what I was said was being a "microsoft hater", I just
described what they did. Maybe people who are in love with
all-things-microsoft feel that anything negative said is "MS bashing."
Plus, the movement you describe is really to get rid of software patents.
Fine, drop all direct references to Microsoft, the point remains that
the MARID closing was in large part due to the patent and licensing
problem and that has in turned caused us problems.
-wayne