Re: ``Nothing like a monopoly to get investors to cheer you on''

["Norm" <normanmo@clark.net>]

On Mon, 9 Nov 1998 16:08:45 -0500 (EST), Charles Behney wrote:

 [Snip]

>Regarding software, can a public domain protocol like TCP/IP become commercialized, through
>code that is patented from reverse engineered prior art? Can Microsoft sue Linux advocates
>over public domain, reverse engineered software?


     I'd answer the first question with two words, "embrace and
extend".  Although M$ couldn't do much with TCP/IP 'as is' they could
create a hybrid that only runs on windoze and only communicates with
other windoze boxes using the same hybrid.  M$ tries to use their
market power and installed base to create a 'defacto standard', and
that will most likely be proprietary.

     On the second question, no.  M$ couldn't sue 'Linux advocates' for
reverse engineering software that's in the public domain, but the key
term here is 'public domain'.  But everything used by Linux to make it
more 'compatible' with some of M$'s proprietary software isn't in the
'public domain', and that's where you get into the 'shades of gray'. 
For example, how did Linux developers get the specs for a fat32 driver?
 (just an example though, I don't know if the specs for fat32
specifically are freely available or it had to be reversed engineered).

--
 ...Cheers,

 ...Norm

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