On May 14th in an interview with Fortune Magazine, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that Free Open Source Software violates at least 235 of his company's patents. What Microsoft wants, of course, is for people to pay up.The software targeted includes the KDE Linux desktop, OpenOffice and a number of email applications. Ballmer states that users of this patent-infringing software should pay royalties to Microsoft.
This is clearly a sign that the omnipresent software giant is feeling pressured. After trying to monopolize the software world and refusing to adopt internationally recognized document formats, Microsoft is feeling the backlash from users who want more affordable (if not free) software.
With hardware vendors such as Dell and Intel partnering with Linux vendors to provide users with more affordable machines, Microsoft has reason to be scared.
According to Free Open Source Software (FOSS) lawyer Eben Moglen, Microsoft doesn't have a case. Moglen argues software is nothing more than mathematical algorithms and such is unpatentable, sort of like saying: "I own 2 + 2 = 4".
Microsoft is slowly changing its business model, maybe out of desperation. The Redmond-based company announced last month that it would make available a stripped-down version of Windows XP and MS Office applications to the Third World for $3 US. This is clearly a response to the One Laptop per Child initiative.
But the monopolistic tendencies are still very present within the software giant's business model. The proprietary .docx file format of the 2007 MS Office suite is an example. Not only does the document format not work with FOSS office suites, it isn't recognized by Office XP.
While corporations, individuals and governments all around the world are moving towards FOSS, Microsoft is still trying to own it all and get everyone to pay for their dominance.
When will they realize knowledge is free and the property of the entire human race?
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