OSS leader calls for protest against Novell

Bruce Perens, author of the Open Source Institute's definition of open source and author of two popular utilities in GNU/Linux distributions, has called for users to protest the Novell-Microsoft patent co-operation agreement.

In an open letter to Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian, Perens accuses the two companies of deliberately circumventing the GNU General Public Licence's requirements that software made available under its conditions may not have further restrictions added, and notes that software patents are selectively enforced to the detriment of the industry as a whole.

"Let's be truthful about software patents: there can be no non-trivial computer program, either proprietary or free, that does not use methods that are claimed in software patents currently in force and unlicensed for use in that program. Of course software patents are less than fully enforced, and what we have is a sort of shake-down racket in which tremendous attorney fees and damages are routinely extorted. Open source communities and medium-sized enterprises can be legally prevented from participating in the industry simply because they can not afford the price of justice, between three and five million dollars to defend a case."

The Open Invention Network, of which Novell is a founder member, has issued a statement welcoming Microsoft's recognition that Linux is a "major force" in the IT industry, but calling its patent claims "baseless".

"Unfortunately, embedded in Microsoft's recent endorsement of Linux are claims regarding customers' needing protection from patent attack," said CEO Jerry Rosenthal. "Those claims are baseless. In fact, there have been no patent suits against Linux. While patent disputes are not unheard of between and among software developers and distributors, they are almost always resolved between these commercial entities - not by dragging in end-user customers. Isn't the real issue the fact that Microsoft is making such a threat against its own customers?"

Infoworld reports that the new Playstation 3 gaming console released by Sony worldwide earlier this month runs Fedora Core 5 quite happily, thanks to Sony's Open Platform download available here.

Fans whose only question "Yes, but does it run Linux?" can now configure to their heart's content.

Thanks to Bruce Perens, InfoWorld and the MarketWire.