“Red Hat is assuring its customers that they can continue to
deploy its Linux operating system with confidence and without fear
of legal retribution from Microsoft, despite the increasingly vocal
threats emanating from the Redmond, Wash., company.“Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a small meeting of Web 2.0
developers and partners on Oct. 1 at its London office that ‘people
who use Red Hat, at least with respect to our intellectual
property, in a sense have an obligation to eventually compensate
us…'”