IBM Opens Their Patent Portfolio to Open Source

[rh71]

slashdot

cbs marketwatch

 

[kamper]

I only read the cnet story so I don't know what all your links have to say but I'd imagine it's worth more in publicity to IBM than in safety for open source developers. What I mean is, I'd bet they're patents that IBM had no chance of enforcing anyways or that aren't really useful at all. What did the /. crowd have to say about it?

 

[rh71]

well IBM is still a business... for profit. I don't know which patents are being exposed so I can't speak to the enforcement comment.

Here's something that sums up the ideology...

It seems IBM forsees a future in which software is commoditized. This doesn't bother them because they sell lots and lots of hardware. It seems they believe they will sell even more hardware if people aren't "wasting" their money on software.

See the cycle? If much of the money that previously went to Redmond goes to them instead, do you see how they just might make a buck or two?

Open source changes the notion of who will make money. IBM has made major moves to make sure they will be the bennefactors of this change. They have a much better chance at dramatically increased riches than almost any other "linux vendor" you can name.

They are welcoming anyone else to do the same... it was a business move and if anyone else can profit from it, it's not like IBM will be collecting their money too...

At the same time, the open source community gets a piece of the pie they've always been fighting for - win/win. Or will this become... you give an inch, they want a mile ?

 

[Schadenfroh]

Does this mean that Lotus Smart Suite is going open source?

 

[rh71]

why would you want to use that stuff ?????

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Does this mean that Lotus Smart Suite is going open source?

Heh., doubt it.

Patent stuff is for 'protection', if you sue us we sue you. It's ment to provide a deterant....

You see it's impossible to write software to avoid patents. Sure you can avoid big obvious ones, but that doesn't mean that you can do it and avoid the hundred thousand or so other software patents out there. So it's a fact that, say, Linux violates patents. But then so does Windows XP.

You can't tell WHAT patents they are violating, it's impossible for programmers to know how to avoid patents. You can spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyer fees and avoid a couple, but you still won't ever know. So if some company is stupid enough to try to "leverage it's IP portfolio" in the form of software patents, then Linux community now has a chance to "leverage" back.

The whole thing is stupid and unnessicary if it wasn't for shortsited government law makers, but it is what it is and IBM is protecting it's investment in open source software. After all IBM employs the largest staff of programmers (outside the internet as a whole) dedicated specificly for Linux and free software.

 

[n0cmonkey]

This is stupid. IBM's giving the F/OSS community a good jerk, while promising the whole deal. Screw them, screw this unfree idea. I pray that no F/OSS developer takes them seriously, it won't go well. :|

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
This is stupid. IBM's giving the F/OSS community a good jerk, while promising the whole deal. Screw them, screw this unfree idea. I pray that no F/OSS developer takes them seriously, it won't go well. :|

Unfree idea ? How do any programmers earn a living ? How do potential-programmers get the motivation to learn or write better apps ? It would be the exact opposite if they knew they would get $#!T out of it. Do you like to work for free ? That's a real promising future when you're in HS deciding what career you'd like to get into... "I'll be a programmer so I can change the world... so what if I can't put dinner on the table..."

The F/OSS community should take what it can get. They don't have the "right" to intellectual property to begin with.

 

[rh71]

article

"Increasingly, patents have become an essential ingredient of our economic vitality, paving the way for investment in commerce and research and development, and creating jobs for millions of Americans."

Let's be honest... the F/OSS community are virtually kids/PTers working in their basements. It's great that they can come up with some good stuff at no cost to us, but they'll sing a different tune should their livelihood depend on it. Seen "donate via Paypal" buttons on their project websites ?

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
This is stupid. IBM's giving the F/OSS community a good jerk, while promising the whole deal. Screw them, screw this unfree idea. I pray that no F/OSS developer takes them seriously, it won't go well. :|

Unfree idea ? How do any programmers earn a living ? How do potential-programmers get the motivation to learn or write better apps ? It would be the exact opposite if they knew they would get $#!T out of it. Do you like to work for free ? That's a real promising future when you're in HS deciding what career you'd like to get into... "I'll be a programmer so I can change the world... so what if I can't put dinner on the table..."

The F/OSS community should take what it can get. They don't have the "right" to intellectual property to begin with.

Oh bite me. They didn't give the F/OSS community anything but a fart in the wind. The F/OSS community CANNOT USE THIS if they CARE ABOUT FREEDOM. This is UNFREE and unacceptable. IBM should have kept its mouth shut and not even bothered with this TRASH. F/OSS developers have as much right to intellectual property as anyone else, and use the copyright system quite well.

This wasn't about putting food on the table, but IBM jizzing all over the face of F/OSS and calling it "making love."

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: rh71
article

"Increasingly, patents have become an essential ingredient of our economic vitality, paving the way for investment in commerce and research and development, and creating jobs for millions of Americans."

Let's be honest... the F/OSS community are virtually kids/PTers working in their basements. It's great that they can come up with some good stuff at no cost to us, but they'll sing a different tune should their livelihood depend on it. Seen "donate via Paypal" buttons on their project websites ?

WTF are you talking about?

Theo from OpenBSD works on the project full time. I believe a couple other developers do too. I know one who got a job or two that paid him to work on OpenBSD. This isn't uncommon.

So WTF does this have to do with IBM's donations of pure fantasy?

 

[rh71]

so this has turned into another corporate business [who-could-never-do-anything-good-unless-it's-free] bashing thread. Oh wait, it is free. Would you like them to dissolve all patents ? Be realistic.

The fact of the matter is a business is making a business decision. Guess what... they're handing the open source community a cookie at the same time... whatever (this means do as you will with it, they aren't collecting)... does this warrant the BS spilling out of your mouth ? Are you just a NOC monkey ? Think for a second. B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S.

The reflex corporate bashing is getting tiresome. Explain to me what it would take for them to do right, while remaining profitable, after paying out all their developers, designers, architects, marketers, and R&D people. And make sure they couldn't have thought of it first.

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Oh bite me. ... if they CARE ABOUT FREEDOM.

What are you, 12 ? LOL "FREEDOM". Money makes the world go round. :roll: Maybe you are 12.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: rh71
so this has turned into another corporate business [who-could-never-do-anything-good-unless-it's-free] bashing thread. Oh wait, it is free. Would you like them to dissolve all patents ? Be realistic.

Software patents are a bunch of bunk, but whatever. It doesn't really matter, this just isn't the "gift" they tried to make it out as. This is unusable in any F/OSS project that cares about freedom.

The fact of the matter is a business is making a business decision. Guess what... they're handing the open source community a cookie at the same time... whatever (this means do as you will with it, they aren't collecting)... does this warrant the BS spilling out of your mouth ? Are you just a NOC monkey ? Think for a second. B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S.

Think for a second: THIS ISN'T FREE. Nothing about this is free. There is nothing here that resembles FREE.

The reflex corporate bashing is getting tiresome. Explain to me what it would take for them to do right, while remaining profitable, after paying out all their developers, designers, architects, marketers, and R&D people. And make sure they couldn't have thought of it first.

They didn't do anything wrong, except try to deceive. They should come right out and remind everyone that there is no freedom here, it's just a farce.

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Oh bite me. ... if they CARE ABOUT FREEDOM.

What are you, 12 ? LOL "FREEDOM". Money makes the world go round. :roll: Maybe you are 12.

Really, F/OSS developers that care about freedom cannot use these "gifts." Period, the end. Freedom is a big part of F/OSS, although I'm not sure someone like you could understand that.

 

[rh71]

this is getting better and better... or is it bitter ? A big company announces a move (which is hardly uncommon) and it's instantly deceptive practices... is that how it works ? Didn't we already establish this was a business decision ? :roll:

You need to stop praising to the FREEDOM Gods... it was only entertaining the first 2 times around.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: rh71
this is getting better and better... or is it bitter ? A big company announces a move (which is hardly uncommon) and it's instantly deceptive practices... is that how it works ? Didn't we already establish this was a business decision ? :roll:

You need to stop praising to the FREEDOM Gods... it was only entertaining the first 2 times around.

They claim they are freeing something up, but they aren't. It's deceptive.

The point of F/OSS is FREEDOM. Get over it.

 

[rh71]

They can only be used to develop software that meets the Open Source Initiative's definition of open source software.

Get over yourself.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: rh71

They can only be used to develop software that meets the Open Source Initiative's definition of open source software.

Get over yourself.

That's a big restriction, and that makes it NOT FREE.

 

[rh71]

Guess what, they weren't being deceptive. :roll: Talking to you is like talking to a kid...

Wait... where's that link to the picture about arguing on the Internet ? I think that actually would work better. I'll take the hit.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: rh71
Guess what, they weren't being deceptive. :roll: Talking to you is like talking to a kid...

Wait... where's that link to the picture about arguing on the Internet ? I think that actually would work better. I'll take the hit.

It was advertized as being free to developers working with an OSI license, but that is not true. It is not free, and does not fit the criteria of the BSD license, nor the GPL IMO.

How am I being a retard? I have a good point, I've explained it well without being overly offensive, and you haven't bothered to pay attention.