That one is definitely the best.

Is it just me or are there a lot of back handed compliments to Linux in this story. Like this guy who says he spends a day setting up his Linux computer.

Using most distros it takes at most 1/2 hour to get things installed.

After that you are installing new software, which happens the same on windows as is does in Linux.

I think the MS trolls have invaded Slashdot.

Dell said the Linux returns were lower. I think it's safe to blame the marketing departments.

Look to phones and pda's. Most of them are arm's and some of them them run Linux.

How about the Iphone, what does it use?

You're right. I'm in Canada and you simply cannot purchase a netbook with Linux on it from the local retail.

Even the "refurbished" ones have XP which makes me think that MS is helping the refurbish.

Well, ok if he had switched to some sort of UNIX from cpm instead of DOS all those years ago he would still be supported.

Just yesterday my boss was gripping about how his system of data storage was 5 1/4" disks and he can't get XP to use them anymore. So he now switched to 3 1/2" disks, but he can't get xp to see two drives. He said "They use the same hardware interface, as they used to. All MS had to do was provide drivers like they used to."

I mentioned Linux but he said he didn't want to learn yet another thing.

Sometimes it's not about the density but how it is used. You may laugh at the 5 1/4" reference, but he has built his company over the last 25 years using a system which works for him. Now he has to change because a proprietary company will no longer support what it used to. I think if he had started with Linux all those years ago, he would still be supported.

You are a great writer. I'm glad that I watch your blog. You always have something interesting to say.

Or maybe you could look to see who the authors of the post are before calling people names yourself.

You seem to have a misunderstanding of what the GPL is. It is a method of payment. TomTom using GPL'd software must abide by the payment method. That is, by providing the source for use or change by the people who they are selling to. Instead of dealing with dollars they deal with IP.

The problem at hand is that MS feels that TomTom should be paying for their patents, which would violate the GPL payment method.

You should be marked troll as you are obviously trolling for this response.

If you view software as text, as instructions on how do do something, like a recipe, then it is obvious that copyright is the preferred method of protecting your IP.
If instead you say that software isn't just text it's special text that incorporates an algorithm then what you are trying to patent is the algorithm. As has been stated, algorithms are mathematically based, and so this is where the expression "Software is math" comes from. Not that all software is math, (although that can be argued as well), but that the parts that are worth patenting are.

At least that's how I see it.

Personally I think software patents are a terrible idea, and copyright is too long.

I had several feet of snow fall on Nov 12, (3-4 feet deep on top of the car). Usually it doesn't start coming down like that until Dec, and in 2007 we still had green grass at Christmas.

The average temp would be probably around the -7%C this year, at a guess.

If I upload my own material to youtube, and youtube puts an ad on top of it, isn't that similar to marking it as their own, (or the advertisers). As the copyright holder, I don't think I want text over writing the video.