Google, a long time Linux user and supporter, is giving back to the open source operating system that has helped it reach its remarkable status by becoming Open Invention Network’s (OIN) first end-user licensee. OIN is an intellectual property company set up in 2005 for the purpose of acquiring and pooling patents to create a legal safe zone, or ecosystem, for those who work with Linux.
Bullies can only survive so long -- and like some Marxist fantasia, particularly debauched, abusive bullies are known for awakening the revolutionary ire of those who, en masse, could easily spell tyranny's downfall.
The context is set. Now for the major players. The diverse and ever-growing Linux community, newly united as The Linux Foundation, may be preparing an assault against longtime ruler Microsoft that is expected to sting - if not immediately, then with time.
In a mad dash to keep its bases covered in the volatile OSS and virtualization frontiers, Microsoft has developed a cross-license patent agreement with LG Electronics. The announcement comes just days after it released news of a similar agreement with Xandros.
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