[ Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan for this
link. ]
“Microsoft is preparing a broad campaign countering the movement
to give away and share software code, arguing that it potentially
undermines the intellectual property of countries and companies. At
the same time, the company is acknowledging that it is feeling
pressure from the freely shared alternatives to its commercial
software.”
“In a speech defending Microsoft’s business model, to be given
on Thursday at the Stern School of Business at New York University,
Craig Mundie, a senior vice president at Microsoft and one of its
software strategists, will argue that the company already follows
the best attributes of the open-source model by sharing the
original programmer’s instructions, or source code, more widely
than is generally realized….”
“In his speech, Mr. Mundie will argue that one aspect of the
open-source model, known as the General Public License, or G.P.L.,
is a potential trap that undercuts the commercial software business
and mirrors some of the worst practices of dot- com businesses, in
which goods were given away in an effort to attract visitors to Web
sites. G.P.L. requires that any software using source code already
covered by the licensing agreement must become available for free
distribution.”