Linux "is not piracy" Says Microsoft Lawyer 735
dipfan writes "Further to this Slashdot piece on the activities of the Business Software Alliance, the BBC reports on a European conference on piracy organised by the BSA. The good news is even Microsoft distinguishes between open source software and piracy; it quotes Microsoft's top in-house lawyer Brad Smith as saying: 'Linux is a way of developing software whereas piracy is copying.' The rest of the article is the usual panic-attack about the size of software piracy in general, and how this is holding back the software industry in Eastern Europe, according to Brad. Although the article notes the irony that despite all the piracy, software sales are forecast to grow from $50 billion in 2000 to about $90 billion by 2005."
In other news (Score:0, Funny)
The sky is blue
Grass is gren
Voicemail is cool
News To Me (Score:5, Funny)
And all this time I was under the impression that Linux was an operating system kernel!
Piracy is copying? (Score:5, Funny)
So 18th century pirates just boarded your ship, copied everything, and left?
Linux ok. MS-OS free machines not (Score:5, Funny)
Is it just me or does this contradict things?
They tell us we can't buy machines without an OS. Then they say that we're not allowed to remove the OS. Oh, and we can't give away the machine without a Microsoft OS either.
Oh, and you can be sure that they think that a machine with Linux preinstalled is an OS-free machine.
These guys play both sides so much you'd swear they were U.S. negotiators in the Middle East. Well, granted, Microsoft has been more successful. Bill Gates to solve the crisis in the West Bank???
Dont forget... (Score:4, Funny)
#include "StandardWhineAboutExpensiveSoftware.h"
#include "WhineAboutOnlyUsingItOnce.h"
#include "RantAboutNeedingPhotoshopInsteadOfGimp.h"
etc...
Make up your minds... (Score:3, Funny)
Sheesh. Are there any insulting comparisons Microsoft hasn't yet made?
Re:Piracy is copying? (Score:0, Funny)
We cloned thar women'n thar booze'n then let 'em go. Arr, it worked out good, me harties, cause they'd come back th'next month and we'd do it 'gain!
Linux Piracy numbers (Score:2, Funny)
Come on MS... come on... grow up!
It's so nice to have their sanction! (Score:3, Funny)
To me, the big brotherish quote was:
"Criminal organisations can sell software direct, as well as through retail channels," said Symantec lawyer Art Courville. "So, it is harder to monitor."
yep- can't have that ol' free market in the way, somebody might be doing something unlawful
Re:I think their numbers may be off (Score:3, Funny)
Searched the web for pirated software. Results 1 - 10 of about 73,600. Search took 0.11 seconds.
Did you mean: warez
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Searched the web for warez. Results 1 - 10 of about 4,110,000. Search took 0.07 seconds.
I's an ebil haxxor.
---
S
A whole day? (Score:5, Funny)
Geez. A quick Google search on 'warez' [google.ca] yields not merely a million, but 4,290,000 sites!
Search took 0.04 seconds. How much are they paying these guys?
Re:News To Me (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe it's all in how you develop your software.
Normal: "I'm going to compile my latest version of code."
Piracy: "Avast me hardies, I'm going to compile me latest booty! Arrr!"
How about a trademark? (Score:4, Funny)
I believe Linus holds the trademark on "Linux," and I've used it to clean Windows off of several systems.
For future reference... (Score:5, Funny)
- A vegitable
- An animal
- A mineral
- A verb (although I have heard people say "let's linux this project," which made me want to slap them)
- A birthcontrol device (well, arguably)
- A form of martial arts
- A cure for the common cold
- A paint remover
- A shoe manufacturer
- A religion (arguably)
etc...Re:Wrong assertion from the lawyers (Score:3, Funny)
VV: So what you want to know?
JW: It's free right?
VV: It's free, but it ain't 100% free. I mean you can't just walk into Fry's and grab a copy of Red Hat off the shelf without paying for it. You have to download it or copy it from a friend.
JW: That's because it's under the GPL.
VV: Right. It breaks down like this It's leagal for you to buy it, it's leagal for you to copy it and if you are into programming, it's legal for you to modify it. Companies can sell the software, but that don't matter, 'cause you can turn around and give away copies of it. Limiting redistribution is a right the GPL explicitly doesn't give developers.
Re:News To Me (Score:2, Funny)
Man, I totally agree. They're not even worth the diskspace.
Re:Piracy is copying? (Score:5, Funny)
Isn's that what copyleft means?
Re:Zero minus $10 is still Zero! (Score:5, Funny)
Dear Wise Dragon:
Could I possibly impose on you to write a letter to Capital One Bank on my behalf? Judging from my last statement, it would appear that they don't agree with your judicious assessment of how things work in the real world.
 
Yes, I know. Just in it for a lark, you see.
Re:News To Me (Score:3, Funny)
Jim Lad: Shiver me timbers there be 1000 pirate copies of Windows 98
Parrot: Pieces of 98, Pieces of 98.
Re:For future reference... (Score:2, Funny)
boot: Do you consider yourself a celebrity?
Torvalds: Sometimes. At conferences I have a lot of people coming up and talking to me. But at the same time I don't have young girls coming and screaming at me and throwing their underwear! Which is just as well, as I'm a married man!
Re:Still Unclear on MSFT's Strong Dislike of Linux (Score:3, Funny)
Actually, I'd rather be Bill Gates, if only for the money...
Re:Still Unclear on MSFT's Strong Dislike of Linux (Score:3, Funny)
promise me you'll spend some of that money on a decent haircut..
Linux "is not piracy" says Microsoft lawyer... (Score:3, Funny)
Don't worry, they have the way out! (Score:2, Funny)
Errr, I mean they HAD the way out...
http://www.wehadthewayout.com [wehadthewayout.com]
Re:Atoms != Electrons (Score:2, Funny)
Actually, they use that number to decide whether to make the product in the first place or not.
Simon
Specious Association (Score:2, Funny)
I just found 125,000 web pages for "masochism", yet there are hundreds of times that many people using Windows. It would appear that page count does not accurately reflect societal penetration [sic].
Re:News To Me (Score:3, Funny)